The day I drove down to college, my mom warned me not to bring my books. “You won’t have enough time,” she told me. “They’re just taking up more space in the car.” I scoffed at her. I couldn’t fathom the thought of not having time to read for fun. So, among all the bags and boxes, I carefully stuffed six books beneath a first-aid kit and a few wall decorations.

I had spent days winnowing down my collection from nearly 20 books to a paltry six. How could I possibly decide which to take and which to abandon? It was as heart-wrenching as a mother trying to choose her favorite child. I had read each book at least five times cover to cover, and I know every character and every quote. Yet each time I opened up to the first page, the stories would reel me in, as vibrant and magical as ever.

There’s my Hogwarts Library Boxed Set: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Across the Ages, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow: both intelligent, intriguing, and provocative works. And finally, The Book Thief, one of the few books to ever have brought me to tears. With my mobile mini-library, I thought I would be prepared for anything college could throw at me.

Anything, that is, except… reading?

Having carefully avoided math or science-based classes, I instead found myself up to my eyes in reading-based coursework. From short stories to historical documents to textbook chapters to Arabic literature, I became endlessly occupied with reading (and interpreting and discussing) assigned texts. Then, of course, came the matter of writing my own papers. Before long, I was swimming in a veritable soup of words. Reading for fun quickly became a thing of the past. And my six books, having fought so hard to remain by my side, have lain dusty and abandoned on my desk ever since they arrived.

Over winter break, I hope I can rediscover the magic I once found in reading. Few things in life are as blissful as curling up in front of the fireplace and getting lost in a good story. I still love my dusty six books, but when I go back home, I’m going to leave them on my bookshelf. They deserve to be enjoyed when the time is right.