- Reading teaches empathy. It puts you right inside someone else’s thoughts and feelings. You feel what they feel and you understand them. Empathy, in turn, makes you a kinder person, someone others will want to associate with.
- Reading broadens your horizons. Real life can surround you with people who are similar to you. They live in similar circumstances, come from a similar background, and have similar viewpoints. Books open up whole other worlds and force you to realize that the world is full of people living different lives from yours and that those differences make life interesting.
- Reading improves grammar and spelling and the world needs more grammar police. If you read enough you will slowly absorb the difference between their and there and you will realize that incase is not a word. In case you didn’t realize, there you have two of my pet peeves.
- Books can provide an escape from reality and sometimes we all need that.
- Reading is educational. Even fiction teaches you something, whether it is based around an unfamiliar culture or whether it is set in a time period you know nothing about, you can read a story and learn at the same time. Of course, there are also thousands of non-fiction books about any subject you might be interested in. Do you want to know how to build a log cabin? There is a book for that. Do you want to know all about dinosaurs? There is a book for that. Do you want to know how to sew? There is a book for that. The opportunities to learn are endless.
- You always have something to do. Seriously, what do non-readers do in that inevitable downtime? You can’t just stare at a screen all the time, can you? On second thought, don’t answer that.
- Reading broadens your vocabulary. It is possible you will not be able to pronounce the word correctly because you have only seen it written, but at least you will know what it means. Please tell me it is not just me who has been occasionally startled over the years when I hear a word pronounced for the first time. That wasn’t how I was pronouncing it in my head.
- Reading develops the imagination. When you read you picture what is happening, what the characters look like, what the setting is like, and you imagine what is going to happen next. Reading is active, not passive. It is not all served up to you in a neat package, your imagination has to make it come alive.
- Reading reduces stress. A study by the University of Sussex found that reading reduces stress by up to 68% and it works better and faster than other forms of stress reduction.
- Reading makes you attractive. No, it isn’t going to make you suddenly drop-dead gorgeous, but it is going to make you an empathetic, open-minded, imaginative, person who uses proper grammar. Who wouldn’t want to talk to someone like that?
A blog by a book lover, tea drinker, and over-analyzer of life.
8 Comments
Hamlette (Rachel)
Good points, all! I'm appalled by how many people never read anything.
jllee656
I know, my kids were talking about how surprising they find it to be when they go to the house of a friend and there are no books. I understand that everybody might not be obsessed with books but I am amazed that so many people don't read at all.
Lisa
I agree with all of these – plus, it's so much fun 🙂
Is that Angela Thirkell's County Chronicle at the bottom of the pile, in the picture?
jllee656
Yes, it is! I love the old dust jacket on it.
Anonymous
I have been away from your blog for too long Jennifer! So many new posts to enjoy and this one is one of my favorites from any blog: a jubilant celebration of reading!
I need these bullet points printed and taped to my wall, both for my non-reader family and friends to see and as my own personal manifesto.
P.S: I love the book covers. They have a vintage feel 🙂
jllee656
It is nice to have you back. I always enjoy your comments. A jubilant celebration of reading is exactly what I was going for. I am glad you liked it.
Rachel
You always have something to do
Ha! Until you read your last book while you're stuck at an airport and start freaking out. Thank God for eReaders.
jllee656
And because of e-readers, we no longer have to fill half our suitcase with books when going on vacation!