Book Lover: a reaction

The following is my take on the term "book lover:" What are my loves in the literary world, etc. I invite you to do the same. =)

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Of the moment, my favorite authors are Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Neil Gaiman, Isabel Allende, Sark, Miguel Ruiz, Clive Barker, Garth Nix, Bob and Jenna Torres, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Posie Graeme-Evans, and Christopher Paolini. I am currently reading Audrey Niffenegger's "The Time Traveller's Wife" and enjoying it, besides reading Gabo's "One Hundred Years of Solitude" Iyengar's "Tree of Yoga" and Craig Sams' "The Little Food Book."

Seeing my preferred authors, one would see my interest in Third World issues, feminism, animal rights, fantasy, self-actualization, spirituality, and some slight history/periodizations (romantic sub-plots a plus for brain-relaxation: a carry-over from smut like works of Jude Deveraux and Judith McNaught!)

I like Third World issues as exemplified by Latin American Garcia Marquez because they closely mirror our own national problems: the loss of history (dating back to the pre-colonial era), and the consequences of loss in identity. This then relates to the feminine in reaction the masculine, as illustrated by Allende: how the feminine shapes her own identity from nothing--then how she succeeds, in doing so, making something completely unique (as shown by Sark). This "making of memory," and in doing so, "identity," can be relatively related to the fantastic worlds of Nix's, Barker's and Paolini's plots.

In cognizance of my belief in equality and respect for all (formally started by Ruiz's "The Four Agreements"), I am vegan. But in being such, I needed to understand how "lesser beings" were being mistreated in the face of a burgeoning global population--reactions to feed the populace as seen in farmed animals. Hence my foray into animal rights, and my favorite authors on this topic, Bob and Jenna Torres, because they give a fresh and candid take on it.

However, being vegan for me doesn't only mean saving the animals: it also invites reflection into the earth's situation, as can be seen in Gore's documentary film, "An Inconvenient Truth." And in connection, it begs the connection of a holistic and complementary saving and healing: a symbiosis of sorts. Being vegan also means cooking your own meals more often than not, hence my favorite food author, Isa Chandra Moskowitz (who has a similar vibe to the Torreses'), but also nutritional advice, as in Vesanto Melina's works. Believing in peace also translates to my fitness: I am a yogini, as well, eagerly reading Yoga Journal issues as fast as they come, besides other yoga-related books, as well as attending yoga classes as much as I can.

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As can be seen, I truly have a passion for books. Perhaps this suits the term "book lover" to a point, but as every book lover knows, it can never be "enough," never be extinguished. And even if the books dwindle, we will soldier on.