The Accord Library at 3:50 PM

It's official, I'm a reader. You know, one of those people who sit around and look at pages from a book for an odd amount of time. Yeah I'm one of those guys. I go through about two books a month. Not a whole lot but more than I used to read and definitely more than the average person I think. I refuse to read however, in the privacy of my room, opting to make a solitary act a social outing each time. Because of this, the back seat of my Accord is strewn with books I've read. About a dozen in all, my mobile library outnumbers the collection of school books on my desk at home.

I'd like to think the reason I keep so many books in my car is out of laziness. I'd like to say I just haven't cleaned my car out or sold them yet. That would sound so much better than the actual truth. The real reason, and I think the real reason anyone would call themselves a reader, is that I think lugging around so many books makes me look smarter. "Oh just push War and Peace over, it was my reading last week. Na, just for the fun of it, no class in particular" I enjoy reading. I find myself putting off a lot of things in order to grab a chapter or two. My days off are spent reading books instead of doing homework I should be doing. Don't get me wrong, I don't read to impress anyone. I do however keep the collection in public sight for that reason. I imagine people getting into my car, seeing the growing collection and thinking, "geez he must read a lot" Yes as a matter of fact I do read books. I know aren't I smart.

Now that I think about it, its rather sad actually. Not my thought process. That seems like a normal thing, but rather the fact that reading would make me appear intelligent, or the idea that it would. In a world of reality shows and internet viral videos, reading for fun has achieved a status that reading Latin once only held. The masses watch tv, only a few actually read books. I've started to get the same reaction when I tell someone I'm reading for fun as I give to business majors when they inform me of their career choice. A blank expression accompanied by a one word question..."why?"