Blabbermouth #02: Fake It Til You Make It

One of the things on my wishlist is to be able to spread book love. Although I may not yet be confident enough to cross that out, I'd like to believe I am already on my way to attaining that goal. This post, my friend, is about how I helped persuade my sister, Ate Elvy, to start reading too.

Before anything else, you must know that it isn't the easiest of tasks. My sister is what you call a skeptic (hihi online backstabbing at its best).  She doesn't exactly hate books; she just feels like reading a non-required material is too daunting a task. She said she prefer watching movies because everything is visual and you can already know what you need to know just by looking. The best part is that it will be over in two hours, unlike reading which can last for days unless you're a speed reader or a bum. But then again, this might only be my perception of her! >:D

What convinced her to give reading a chance came along when she went to El Nido. She happened to enter a bookstore and I don't exactly know what's in it which made her realize she would like a library like that in her future home. I only know of the fact that she took a picture of a shelf of books and made it her Timeline's cover photo. Kuya Amar and I jokingly called her a poser for doing so. This was last March. My younger sister, Joy, and I, at this point are already sharing thoughts and feelings regarding the books we read. If you remember, last summer was a proud moment of my life because I was able to read six books--the same number which I read for entire 2011. My Ate of course didn't join these conversations because first, we were in Bicol and she's in Manila, and second, because it's not her thing. Unknown to us, she was slowly becoming envious that we can discuss topics such as this. 

We haven't a snobbish bone in our body!

To solve her predicament, she started this Fake it til you make it project. This meant she will pretend to love reading just because it's cool, until she eventually finds the light and realizes how worthwhile this activity actually is. Of course she had to start with what's hip that time: Hunger Games. I didn't recommend it, because my inner conscience that is Bennard, said so. But she argued that she have to take baby steps. Point taken. Better than nothing at all, I mused. After that I think she read Fifty Shades of Grey, too, which again is not something I'd want her to read. By this semester, she began dropping by Booksale and other bookstores too. Her first purchase as bargain was Tracy Chevalier's Girl with the Pearl Earrings. After reading it, she borrowed Joy's copy of Eat, Pray, Love. After much advertising of the literary books and enticing her with our book escapades, I noticed that she seemed genuinely interested with what I am talking about now. (She used to roll her eyes, I swear, when I steer our conversation with these kind of topics!) She even participates, can you believe it? She is now sharing about the trips she made to Booksale, or about how she spent the day on a coffee shop just reading Eat, Pray, Love. Her recent books, you ask? She bought Dumas' Count of Montecristo and Marquez' Love in the Time of Cholera, books to be read after she finishes her currently-reading Pride & Prejudice. Now, doesn't seem faking, does she?

PS. She'll kill me when she reads this!!! But I'm not taking it down because I couldn't be prouder of her! *le tear*