Why do I love reading?

To be perfectly honest, I haven’t quite figured out what direction this blog post will be going in. I know the topic of conversation obviously; ‘Why do I love reading?’ (I guess you could call it the partner post to my previous post ‘Why do I love writing?’). I think that’s one of my favourite things about blogging though, I typically end up writing something different to what I intended to, or I end up writing something I didn’t expect. It could be complete waffle (it’ll probably be complete waffle). Who knows?

One of the main reasons I would argue that people should read is purely for the enjoyment of it. For me, I primarily read fiction and poetry. Though I do also read blog posts, articles, magazines, etc, I don’t go out of my way to read them for the sole reason of enjoyment like I do with poetry and fiction novels. Fiction novels make me FULLY forget where I am and I am completely immersed in the world created by the author, which is one of the reasons I love it. I read a quote by George. R. R. Martin when I was younger; “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” I wholeheartedly agree with that quote. I have felt every emotion through a book. I have laughed. I have cringed. I have fully cried and found myself mourning over characters I’d grown attached to after following their story until the end. I have felt anger. I have felt embarrassment. I have felt so satisfied after reading a novel that I don’t feel the need to read another for MONTHS (but that doesn’t mean I don’t love reading, I just need time to move on from a book sometimes). This all sounds incredibly cheesy, truthfully, it probably is. It gives me a break away from my phone and I really enjoy the time I spend on myself, in my bed, a great book, and a cup of tea.

Though, I myself would argue that reading for entertainment purposes itself is reason enough to read and I wish I could just answer my own question ‘Why I love reading?’ as simply and as quickly as that, I’m fully aware that people don’t enjoy reading and only read things when forced to (usually for academic reasons, even then it’s usually ‘skim reading’, if they’ve read at all). I’ll admit, for things I have no interest in, I skim read them and half pay attention to them because it’s not something I’ve chosen to read. Even sometimes in books I skip the boring parts because if it doesn’t stimulate my brain or make me want to read it then… why should I? However, if the first term of my degree (specifically the Creative Writing side) has taught me anything it’s that academic writing can actually be enjoyable (I know *wow* that’s a really bold statement but I swear I’m not actually lying here). What I mean by this is that I enjoy the discussions that reading say academic essays as an example allow. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a massive fan of Plato’s Republic, but I enjoyed the seminar conversations that led from it. I also enjoy how it informs my other writing; I feel like I have a better insight to literary concepts now. I also enjoyed Percy Shelley’s A Defence of Poetry because it gave EVEN MORE points of view and oppositions to Plato’s ideas. It feels like with every new academic piece I am reading, I actually understand why I myself am writing and what I wish to gain from that (which is probably a good thing being as I have an essay due in January on the topic).

Like, why are you reading this right now? Are you bored? Are you trying to support my writing? Do you have a genuine interest in what I have to say? I mean, I’m just some 18 year old that feels the need to let everyone know what she thinks for no reason other than to express herself and practise writing, what’s so special about that? Or did you accidentally click on it? All of which would be valid answers but it really illustrates that people read more than they realise. Yes, we live in a world that is constantly absorbing information online and we see heaps of texts on twitter, facebook, snapchat etc; but do you realise how much that truly is? How many snapchat articles do you read a day? How many news articles do you click on on facebook? How many more of my stupid rhetorical questions are you gonna read before you realise I have no real point to this blog post?

I am very passionate about all forms of reading (unless that wasn’t clear already). All forms of reading, whether classic literature, a casual article, a review, or a blogpost that maybe 10 people will read… can affect people in a multitude of ways. They can alter long-held beliefs. They can evoke emotion. They can provide information. They can inspire. They can do so much if given the chance to be read, which is why I love to read.