This past December, a new hashtag took twitter by storm. The concept is simple, people just state the reason why they read and add #whyiread, all in 140 characters or fewer. Check it out! It can be quite inspiring.
As for why I read, there are almost too many reasons to list. Here are the most important ones:
1) Words are delicious. No matter what mood you're in, there's always something you can read that suits perfectly. In the mood for something dark and decadent? Try a Gothic romance. Or what about a light, fluffy souffle made of humor essays? Yum. Oh and guess what? No calories!
2) Hours of entertainment. A paperback costs about as much as a movie ticket (at least that's the case in NYC), yet a book can give me many more hours of entertainment than I can get at a movie. And if you like the movie and want to see it again, you have to buy another ticket. Not so with a book.
3) Travel the world from the comfort of your couch. You start with airfare and hotel-stays. Throw in all the hassles--airport security, the airline loses your luggage, your flight gets re-routed because of a snow storm--and before you know it, you need a vacation from your vacation.
4) Let's Pretend. This is my favorite reason, by far. When I read a book, I can be inside a character's mind. For a brief few hours, I'm transported to a different world and I become a different person. I can try out different lives that I'd never be in real life.
What about you? Why do you read?
6 comments:
Reading is the most delightful treat I can imagine. Like you said, it's calorie free and comes in endless flavors and textures.
Have a great weekend!! Reading or whatever!!
Love this! Especially the "words are delicious." I wholeheartedly agree. Yay.
Wonderful post in honor of reading which is the best! I haven't done the #whyiread on Twitter. I definitely will check it out! Your reasons are all shared by me, too, and another one I have is that I just love to hold a book in my hands, reading and escaping into the words, and turning the pages. I like the feel of it, the texture of the pages. Not sure I can get this from an ereader, I have yet to try.
Karen--You bring up an excellent point with the idea of holding a book in one's hands. This whole concept of book-as-object is one that fascinates me. Hmmm... maybe I should post about it sometime!
p.s. I can think of one good thing about eReaders--I can pack up all my books for the move and still have something to read. :) It's not quite the same but it'll do.
'Words are delicious.' That's just excellent!
I definitely read to pretend. It makes life more fun.
-Marie at http://marierearden.blogspot.com/
Reading is so much more interactive than a movie. I never got into video games as a kid, so I didn't follow that route of entertainment, either.
I think alot of why I read has to do with the characters, as well.
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