Starting a new book is a risk, just like falling in love. You have to commit to it. You open the pages knowing a little bit about it maybe, from the back or from a blurb on the front. But who knows, right? Those bits and pieces aren’t always right。
讀一本新書(shū)就像墜入愛(ài)河，這是一場(chǎng)冒險(xiǎn)。你要全身心投入。當(dāng)你打開(kāi)書(shū)頁(yè)，從序言簡(jiǎn)介直至封底，你可能都知之甚少。但是誰(shuí)又不是呢？字里行間的只言片語(yǔ)并不總是正確的。
Sometimes people advertise themselves as one thing and then when you get deep into it you realize that they’re something completely different. Either there was some good marketing attached to a terrible book, or the story was only explained in a superficial way and once you reach the middle of the book, you realize there’s so much more to this book than anyone could have ever told you。
有時(shí)候你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)人們自我推銷時(shí)是一種形象，然后當(dāng)你深入了解之后你會(huì)意識(shí)到他們完全是另外一種模樣。有時(shí)糟糕的書(shū)籍卻可以配上卓越的市場(chǎng)營(yíng)銷，或者是一個(gè)故事只是用一種淺顯的方式敘述，一旦你讀至一半，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)這本書(shū)真是妙不可言！這種感覺(jué)只能你自己體會(huì)。
You start off slow. The story is beginning to unfold. You’re unsure. It’s a big commitment lugging this time around. Maybe this book won’t be that great but you’ll feel guilty about putting it down. Maybe it’ll be so awful you’ll keep hate-reading or just set it down immediately and never pick it up again. Or maybe you'll come back to it some night, drunk or lonely — needing something to fill the time, but it won’t be any better than it was when you first started reading it。
你慢慢翻開(kāi)書(shū)頁(yè)，故事徐徐展開(kāi)。而你卻依舊心存疑慮，閱讀這本書(shū)需要百分百的專注投入?；蛟S它并不如你想的那樣是部偉大的作品，但是若你閱讀到半途而廢又會(huì)使你不安?；蛟S這本書(shū)非常糟糕，要么你必須咬牙堅(jiān)持讀下去，或者立刻束之高閣再也不會(huì)拿起來(lái)?；蛟S某個(gè)醉酒或孤獨(dú)的夜晚，你重新拿起它來(lái)讀，你只是需要來(lái)打發(fā)時(shí)間。但是這并不會(huì)讓你覺(jué)得比第一次閱讀它的時(shí)候感覺(jué)好。
Maybe you’re worn out. You've read tons of books before. Some were just light weights on a Kindle or Nook, no big deal really. Others were Infinite Jest-style burdens, heavy on your back or in your purse. Weighing you down all the time. Maybe you've taken some time off from reading because the last few books you read just weren't worth it. Do they even write new, great works of literature anymore? Maybe that time you fell in love with a book before will just never happen for you again. Maybe it's a once in a lifetime feeling and you're never gonna find it again。
或許你已經(jīng)疲憊不堪，你已經(jīng)閱書(shū)無(wú)數(shù)。有些是在Kindle 或者Nook上閱讀的電子書(shū)，它們無(wú)足輕重。而有些卻像荒誕諷刺的包袱，重重的壓在你的背上或者行囊里，隨時(shí)都可能壓垮你。或許你覺(jué)得上次讀的書(shū)索然不味，你暫時(shí)放棄了閱讀時(shí)光。他們還會(huì)寫(xiě)新的優(yōu)秀的文學(xué)作品嗎？或許對(duì)你來(lái)說(shuō)，和一本書(shū)墜入愛(ài)河不會(huì)再發(fā)生在你身上了?；蛟S在一生中曾經(jīng)出現(xiàn)過(guò)一次這種感覺(jué)，以后你再也不會(huì)有這種感覺(jué)了。
Or something exciting could happen. Maybe this will become your new favorite book. That's always a possibility right? That's the beauty of risk. The reward could actually be worth it. You invest your time and your brain power in the words and what you get back is empathy and a new understanding and pure wonder。
當(dāng)然生活總有新鮮事發(fā)生，或許你也會(huì)有新的愛(ài)書(shū)。一切總有可能，不是嗎？這正是冒險(xiǎn)的魅力。得到的也大抵物有所值吧。你在字里行間里投入了時(shí)間和精力，自然會(huì)得到感悟、新的理解和純正的遐思。
How could someone possibly know you like this? Some stranger, some author, some character. It's like they're seeing inside your soul. This book existed inside some book store, on a shelf, maybe handled by other people and really it was just waiting for you to pick it up and crack the spine. It was waiting to speak to you. To say, “You are not alone”
怎么有人知道你喜歡它呢？某個(gè)陌生人、作者、亦或是書(shū)中的人物。他們似乎能看透你的心思。這本書(shū)他陳列在某個(gè)書(shū)柜里面或者書(shū)架上，或許經(jīng)人輾轉(zhuǎn)，真的就像在等你捧起翻閱，等著向你低語(yǔ)：“我會(huì)伴你左右?！?/p>
You just want more of the story. You want to keep reading, maybe everything this author's ever written. You wish it would never end. The closer it gets to the smaller side of the pages, the slower you read, wanting to savor it all. This book is now one of your favorites forever. You will always wish you could go back to never having read it and pick it up fresh again, but also you know you’re better for having this close, inside you, covering your heart and mind。
你渴望更多的故事，想要一直讀下去，或許搜集作者以往的所有作品。你希望故事永遠(yuǎn)延續(xù)。書(shū)頁(yè)越翻越薄，你會(huì)越讀越慢，你想要細(xì)細(xì)品嘗。此刻它確定無(wú)疑就是你永恒的至愛(ài)了。你希望你可以回到過(guò)去從來(lái)沒(méi)有閱讀過(guò)它，這樣你每次捧起它都感覺(jué)新奇如初。但是你也明白：你的內(nèi)心深處的每一縷思緒已經(jīng)和它這般親密，你已變得更加美好。
Once you get in deep enough, you know you could never put this book down。
一旦你深深的沉醉于它，你知道你再也無(wú)法放下它了。（情動(dòng)至深那刻，你便知道自己再也將它割舍不下了。）
