I borrowed a book from the library called *The Summer of the Whale Star*. What attracted me to borrow it was its plain buff cover with no light or dark patterns, all black, similar to the old Four Books and Five Classics. I flipped through it briefly, and it seemed to tell a modern science fiction story. Thus, out of curiosity about whether contemporary sci-fi writers could give me a little surprise, I borrowed it.
On Monday, after the usual cyclical traffic jam, I arrived at work, with a dull day ahead and a dull mood. So I began flipping through this black-covered book. The writing style was quite unconventional; those who couldn’t follow might really mistake it for a science fiction novel. By the time I finished reading it just before leaving work, the heaviness in my chest hadn't lifted like the various characters in the novel's ending had found liberation or release. The issues of life and death were quite oppressive...
Because of the internet, we can know everything without stepping out of our homes. But knowing too much can be annoying, as you said. Many things have been happening daily from ancient times to now; it’s just that with the internet, all these things happen right before our eyes. There was some term for it back then... information explosion?
Books allow me to immerse myself in the world carefully crafted by the author, whether ancient or modern. While reading, it feels like everything is happening right beside me. As mentioned in NetEase Blog 2, good books make you feel even more empathetic... This way, you can shut out the disturbances around you and live in a small world... After all, whether I'm annoyed or not, this world won't change in any way, will it?