How about that copy of a book all your friends passed around, and when you finally got to read it, you lied and said you lost the book, just so you could keep it - it was that good!.
Or the book that just spoke to you like nothing else ever did. As you read, you swore the author had found a way to read minds, because it described you better than you could.
This is Gibbee.
Books have such a profound impact in our lives — in the way we think, how we look at other people, where we choose to go in our careers and relationships, what social causes we get involved in. Books add depth and color to our lives. They broaden our understanding, our feelings, our curiosity, our passions.
This is Gibbee.
You can't find Gibbee in just any book. It has to speak to you. It has to move you. It has to permeate your thoughts. Gibbee won't be the same for everyone, and it will change with age and experience. When I was a young girl, Gibbee was Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes. I loved the suspense. I loved the logic. I learned it was ok to admit you were smart — in fact, it was very cool! As a young adult, I found Gibbee in The Tiny One by Eliza Minot. It was amazing to see how her writing style, linking memories and experiences together one after another, was the way I thought about memories and experiences. It was as if, given the chance, she could write down my thoughts as they came to me. As I grow older, I find Gibbee in new books and genre that I wouldn't have ever considered reading before. I relate to things differently, I think about things differently, and it's so exciting to find Gibbee in places I never thought it would be.
What is your Gibbee?
I'm curious to know where this word came from--if you invented it yourself, if it was something that developed out of conversation with friends--and how it's pronounced. I have to say, it resonates with me, because I definitely have books that are a part of my soul like that. I also very strongly agree with your statement that books have to have some substance to them in order to be worth reading. Not everyone defines substance in the same way, but it is a necessary component. I can't just read in order to have something with words on it in my hand [though I have been known to read the cereal box in front of me when I forgot my book and just HAD to be reading something! :) ]
ReplyDeleteJNCL
Gibbee is pronounced with a G like in girl, and a long E. I actually got this name from a most-beloved stuffed animal that currently resides in my house. It's a favorite of all my kids, and they love to nuzzle up into it as they hug it and sing "Gibbee!!!!"
ReplyDeleteSo one night I was trying to put into words what a good book means to me, and I kept seeing this toy looking at me. Then it suddenly dawned on me that a good book is my Gibbee. The joy in life this toy gives to my kids is exactly what a good book does for me, only better.
Yes, I'd say that sums up the feeling of those kinds of books beautifully. "What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed."
ReplyDeleteThat it wonderful! I found Gibbee in Elizabeth Berg, one of my all time favorite authors. She writes with such warmth and sprinkles little life nuggets throughout all her novels.
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower from Book Blogs. You're off to a great start!
Stacey @ www.thewritetomakealiving.com
P.S. We call my little nephew Beans :-)
Inkheart is my Gibbee. I identify so much with the main character, and the whole premise of books being other worlds that people can go in and out of... I love it! Every time I read this book I barely put it down. It's my ultimate comfort reading.
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