Every bookish blog I visit has their own form of discussion feature while I’m sitting here alone, thinking, hmm, what can I do to make my blog more exciting and unique? So I decided, why not start my own feature where I can talk about random bookish topics? And so, Let’s Speculate was created.
The topic I chose for this week is Why Do You Read? Every time I read, someone, whether a friend or a stranger, will ask me “why do you read?” or “oh my god Kelly, why do you read? Come on and play LoL with me!” I have so many reasons why I read that when they ask, I simply shorten it to “I just do.”
1. My life is pretty much normal (I won’t say boring because I’ve read tons of books with girls complaining that their lives were “boring” and then suddenly something horrible happens). That means I need an outlet or a source of imagination.
I’m an ordinary girl. My life is normal – I’m not an assassin, witch, or even an android. When I read, it leads me to another person’s life where they live in an awesome world (or maybe they don’t) where lots of awesome happen.
2. I have too much time on my hands (sometimes).
To get to my college, I have about a two hour commute on the subway. Yeah, why do I torture myself so?
3. Procrastination.
You know that essay due tomorrow? Yeah, I want to avoid it, so I’ll just read.
4. I like hearing other people’s opinions on the book.
In my opinion, you can tell what a person is really like by the books they read and what they liked or don’t like about a certain book. It’s also fun to talk about the same book and squeal over it.
5. Books help me know more about the world and be more prepared.
What if vampires really existed? What if the moon was closer to the Earth? What if Wonderland is really real? Easy, after reading Black City, Life As We Knew It, and Splintered, I’ll be prepared for anything relating to those three situations. Hey, you never know.
6. The awesome feeling of a book high.
I bet most of you are like huh. What on earth is a book high? Well, I’m assuming it’s similar to the feeling/rush you get when you’re high on drugs (although I’ve never done drugs before so I wouldn’t know). My book highs consists of me floating around (not literally floating around although that would be cool), thinking about the book days after I’ve finished reading it, and not having a care in the world because I’m so focused on the book. I swear, Anna and the French Kiss gave me the best book high ever.
7. I simply love reading.
I love being taken to other places. I love seeing how certain people think. I love the way books feel in my hands. I love the pretty covers. I love talking about books. Seriously, when I get my own house, I’m going to have a huge room dedicated to holding and admiring books.
And that’s my list. Now I want to know, why do you read?
to evade/ escape when teh pressure in real world becomes to much you can always find a book to discover something new, get hope
my health doesn’t perùit me to do lot of sport and i’m often sick so books are my best friend
books can have all teh answers/ models you needs there are always one that fit your actual mood
a book is always true to itself it give you a lot , is there when you need it and don’t ask something in return
So many reasons! Mostly I read for the escape. My brain is always on overdrive – worrying about something I need to do, should have done, or just the reality of life – but when I read everything goes quiet and I get absorbed in the story written on the pages. Everything becomes simple and tolerable. And books always teach you something – even the fun ones – and I am all about becoming my best self as cheesy as that sounds. I also have a lot time – I commute an hour to and from work and since I started listening to audiobooks during the drive, I haven’t minded the commute so much! But for many many many more reasons. I too simply love reading :) Great discussion – I’ve been wanting to start one!
Nicole @ The Quiet Concert
Yes! Reading is an awesome way to escape my insecurities – instead of thinking OMG DID I REALLY JUST DO THAT, I read to forget my troubles for that short moment.
I’ve never listened to an audiobook before, every sample I listen to, I don’t quite enjoy the way they read the book.
And thank you Nicole! (:
I agree with all your statements!
Books are our best friends, and even if they want to leave us, they can’t because they are ours to keep forever and ever and ever. ;D
My question is more how can people NOT read? Reading makes me happy. I just can’t seem to keep my eyes from reading words when they are there. I have been at breakfast with family and have had to keep reading the menu or at home with the cereal box. I just love to read! Plus, my life has always been pretty boring, so reading gives me some excitement.
Great post!
You hit the nail on the head with the whole “book high” thing. I can live for days with my head in a book, although the better the book high the harder it is to move on to the next book…
Anyway, I think one of that main reasons I read is for the magic of it all, to marvel at what the human mind can create. I mean, look at some of the books you read, authors create entire characters, species, heck they even create new worlds! WHOLE WORLDS!!! It’s completely and utterly mind-blowing, it’s truly one of the closest things to magic in this world.
Other than that, books are an escape, you can have the worst day but then you get home, curl up with a book and all of a sudden your problems fad into the background. Of course you always have to go back to the real world but for those precious few hours you get to see what it’s like live someone else’s life.
I just love reading, there are so many reasons to love it and the more books I read the more reasons I find to love it! :D
Thank you! :D
And what you said is true too – I always read the cereal boxes, shampoo labels, signs, etc. My entire family thinks I’m crazy!
If only we can spread the love! My friends treat reading like it’s a crime.
Asking why someone reads is like asking why they watch a movie or look at a piece of art. Reading stirs something inside me, whether it’s an escape to a fictional world or entangling me in the lives of characters that I want to root for. As you and other posters mentioned, reading is a great escape from the ordinary world. Regardless of whether you’re a student, a doctor, or even a celebrity, I think it’s human nature to wonder what it’s like to live a different life, and books offer that glimpse.
Sometimes my friend says that I have no life because I read, but they just don’t get that I find out a lot of new things about different life situations (I read very different kinds of genres). I have improved my English grammar and vocabulary since I started reading, so reading gave me a lot of good.
I read because I like it, it’s very interesting and also kind of fascinating.
I agree! :D
Well written books help me travel around the world, or even new worlds, and places me in other people’s positions.
I especially agree with your first statement, I just don’t get why people ask me “why do you read?” Is it that hard to picture someone enjoying reading so much that they actually CHOSE to read?
Yeah, reading definitely improved my grammar and vocabulary somewhat.
And the worlds authors built are just <3.
Gah, I used to be one of those people, then I read a book… it was awesome. And the rest, as you can probably guess, is history. Very, very recent history :)