Four months without that pleasure. Can you imagine? I never thought I would have to go through it. After all, reading has always been one of the ways in which I can unwind and relax. It gives my mind room to stretch and recover, like a muscle. But this past "spring" (for the record I'm referring to the whole period of Feb-June as spring), I was so consumed in studying, first for finals and then for the single biggest exam of my life, that I had no energy to crack open a book and actually enjoy the art of sustaining my mind. So no books (ha, only tens of text books) it was.

So came the exams and graduation. And after them, vacation. The first trip of the summer to our family's summer cottage I sat in the backseat with a book in hand, as is the case most times, but this time the book I was holding was Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi. Reading something else than chemistry and turning the pages of another book than my physics notebook felt incredibly amazing. It's hard to even explain how free and triumphant I felt.

A week on holiday has passed, and I feel excitement in my stomach every time I get to pick up my book and read for as long as I feel like it. A sneaky morning read after breakfast, a miniature excursion to my favorite spot in the forest to read in peace or the not-at-all glamorous but so so heavenly bedtime story time. Oh have I missed them. With who knows how many more weeks of this luxury and not one too many stories ahead I think I'm at least book-wise prepared for this summer to commence.

Oh, and more on Furthermore soon. ;)

-Anna