I know this is a departure from what I usually write about, but I’m hoping to spark a bit of a discussion here about something I love very much—reading. I got to thinking about precisely why I read back in August, when I spent some time with some sort-of relatives. The eldest is around my age, and we were quite good friends when we were younger. We were discussing books we’d read lately when the 15 and 12-year-olds piped up and proudly declared that neither of them had ever read an entire book, and that reading is stupid and dumb. I certainly hope they were exaggerating, but the fact that either of them thought it something to brag about is rather heartbreaking.
Of course my initial instinct was to try and convince them that reading is awesome and fun (and definitely not stupid or dumb), but I found myself at a loss of words. It’s like trying to explain to somebody who is very unfit why exercise is fun. It’s a task that can seem arduous and silly to the uninitiated, but once you’re in, you’re hooked. Anyhow, since they were both so thrilled with themselves and their wilful ignorance they were sticking to their guns on the matter and weren’t at all interested in being persuaded otherwise. So, rather than argue with two adolescents about the benefits of something so fantastic, I took the opportunity to sit back, think about, and articulate why I read, and why I love it.
I love to learn
I absolutely adore learning—being presented with new facts and ideas, and exploring how things work and fit together. Those wonderful “oh!” and “aha!” moments have inspired me to pick up and read many fantastic books. Plus, I feel like if you’re content wandering through life without learning anything new, then what is the point?
I love to explore new ideas
Books are a fantastic way to explore new ideas. Complete with interesting case studies, compelling testimonials, and a fat list of references at the back of the book, there’s nothing quite like working your way through a well written book that presents a new idea (or dozen) to you, and walks you through all the different facets of it. It’s like taking your brain to a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet. Yum.
I love to make connections
As you can imagine, I read a lot of books about the RMS Titanic. I’ve found you start to hit a sort of saturation point when you’ve read enough about a topic, and from there you can start to make connections and draw conclusions from your pre-existing base of knowledge. The confirmation of theses hypothesis is really quite satisfying, and I find facts I’ve puzzled out myself are always far more memorable.
It’s the easiest way to surround myself with people far brighter than I am
I love being surrounded by brilliant minds, but unfortunately they are relatively rare, and generally occupied with far more important things than simply hanging about with me at my cottage, chatting over a few beers (things like curing cancer and lecturing at universities). So, the next best thing (or at least the easiest) is to read one of their books. In that manner I can easily, and at my leisure, spend an afternoon (or twelve) with the likes of Robert Ballard, Richard Dawkins, Michael Pollan, and Malcolm Gladwell.
It’s like the “smelling the roses” version of learning
If you’ve got a question about something you can always just Google it, and I’m sure you’ll have your answer in no time flat. However, if you’re really interested in a topic, reading a book is an infinitely better way to get your answers. It may be a bit more roundabout than doing a quick search online, but you’ll get far more information and context. It’s like going to a buffet of all your favourite desserts instead of just grabbing one cookie quickly at the bakery.
So… why do you read? And how would you convince somebody who’s never read that they should give it a go?
When I was a kid, I read to escape my life. Along the way, I fell in love. In love with words, with writing, with how a story works and grows and lives in your mind. I love books and have passed that love on to my girls. That is why I’m a reader
Wonderful, thanks so much for sharing, Grace 🙂
Books rock. Those guys just haven’t found the right book to get them hooked….
I just read a new author (Jake Rider) who has written a story full of action like krav maga that guys will appreciate.( Silvanus Supremacy) so now waiting for book 2 in the series.
Here’s hoping! Thanks for sharing, Karyn 🙂
I love reading. i didn’t appreciate it as much in high school, because, let’s face it, textbooks can be boring. I read to do book reports and enjoyed them because they let me escape into another world. I learn so much. I did not go to college (for various reasons which were valid at the time), so I learn from my books. I have a personal library of over two thousand books. I have read most of them and continue to educate and entertain myself. I just need to figure a way to read from my books while exercising!
It seems academics can beat a love of reading out of almost anyone—for a while, at least. When I was in uni I found I was just so burnt out from all the articles & text books that I couldn’t relax enough to absorb anything else. Now that my free time is mine, though, I am back at it and loving it more than ever! It’s funny, I’ll find myself reading texts that could be considered university-type readings for fun 😛
Have you tried books on tape on an iPod while exercising? I love listening to those (and Podcasts/lectures) while I exercise 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
I fell in love with the written word as a child and it has been an enduring force in my life since then. I married a man who finds books equally fascinating. My ten and thirteen year old are both avid readers and love nothing more than a trip to the bookstore or library. I remember the moment that each of them first fell head over heals in love with books. It was such a relief and an amazing joy for me to see that light come on. Books have tied my family closer together and opened an entire world for each of us to explore.
We have a friend who lives with us. He has not read a book since he was required to do so in school. He has absolutely no interest in literature or learning from the written word. It boggles my mind. I will never understand his disdain for books. It seems a terrible waste to cut off that venue of learning, exploring and experiencing new things. However, he is not me and we are all different for a reason. So, we don’t always understand him but we always love him anyway. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your story, Jennifer—it sounds like we have a lot in common 🙂
When I was a kid I read to take me away. I love to get into a book and be transferred to another world or place in time. I read to relax, to learn, and to be swept away for a few minutes or hours depending on the time I have. I have passed my love for reading on to my boys.
What a lovely story, Nicole—thanks for sharing 🙂
I love to read for the adventure! New frontiers, New People. New Opportunities.
So true! Thanks for sharing, Stacy 🙂
Reading- not just a hobby, it’s a way of life…… To me and hopefully many more.
I love reading, I read every day.
What’s your favorite book?
My favorite book is The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen Woodiwiss, and my second is One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus, but recently I’ve read some other fine historicals as well. Yes, I love everything historical — fiction and nonfiction.
How about you? Have a favorite genre?
Oooh, I’ll have to add those to my list!
I’d agree—those of us who read know it’s a way to continually enrich our lives 🙂 It’s suuuuper hard for me to pick a favourite book, but for now I’ll say “Made in America” by Bill Bryson. It’s about the development of the English language in America/North America, and it’s SUPER interesting! So many fun little etymology and history facts, wrapped up into a hilarious and well-written package. I love everything Bill Bryson does, really. I once even tried reading the dictionary he wrote… that didn’t go too well, but I read more of his dictionary than any other, so I suppose that’s something!
I do not have a love of reading for pleasure. I have read a few works of fiction and enjoyed it while doing it but it doesn’t seem worth the time it takes. Reading for pleasure seems the same as watching TV…a poor use of my time. I feel I get more from my down-time by playing a board game or trying a new recipe or taking a walk or a dozen other things. Reading for pleasure just doesn’t give me the same satisfaction that those other things give me. I bet there is some psychological diagnosis that will explain why I won’t allow myself to enjoy reading. Reading to gain knowledge and information or learn a skill is very satisfying to me; I do that often.
How funny that you say you do not read for pleasure, but you find reading to learn very satisfying. That just sounds like a different sort of love to me 🙂 I rarely read fiction as I feel it’s a bit of a waste of time—I’d rather read to learn than read to escape.
I too am immensely fond of reading. My father went only to the eighth grade because he had to work the land with his father, but he educated himself further with books. He built the house we grew up in (and a very fine home it is), teaching himself much of the process from books. He passed that “ability to learn from books” on to us, as I have passed it on to my children who were homeschooled in a print-rich environment. They all are grown now and are still avid readers — and one of our favorite board games is Huggermugger; it requires much reading.
Fantastic! Also, I must look up Huggermugger, it sounds like fantastic fun 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Norma!
I too love reading, although I have found myself doing less in the last several years, which is something I need to rectify (I blame my current knitting habit, I haven’t learned to knit and read seamlessly yet. However, I recently rediscovered audio books, so that might help)
I worked at a library for quite some time, and it seemed that for the most part, people had allowed themselves to become convinced that books were stuffy and boring and lame, because they didn’t like what they were required to read in school. I completely understood that – because I HATED those books too! I’d usually challenge the kids with something along the line of “tell me what you love, and let me suggest a book, and if you really, really hate it then you win and we will never speak of it again.”
I always won. Plus then they got summer reading prizes, and everyone was happy.
I can definitely relate to a plethora of hobbies infringing on my reading time, Amber 🙂 I remember discovering at the end of high school that I could use Pride & Prejudice instead of King Lear for my year-end exams. They were provincial exams, and the list of acceptable books was put out by the province, but my teacher was not a Jane Austen fan, so we studied Shakespeare instead. I was so in love with P&P that I absolutely aced the exam without ever studying it formally in class. It’s amazing what a true love of a book can do for you!
As a high school teacher, I see first hand the effects of not reading. When I assign textbook questions, they all hope that there is a date in the question, so they can scan for the answer. If they stumble upon something that loosely resembles the answer, they copy it straight from the textbook. Leaving me to read the (often incorrect) answer 34 times verbatim.
I know the reason I have three partially useful degrees is because of my love of reading and learning. That’s why I am a bit militant (ask my husband) about reading to my son – even to the point of grimacing throught “Captain Underpants” books…
Thanks so much for sharing your notes from the “front lines”, Allison. Hopefully those kids learn to love learning and reading as they grow up a bit more. And I’ve gotta say, I LOVED the Captain Underpants books, and probably still would if presented with one from my childhood 😀 Good memories, those.
I’ve loved reading since I taught myself how at the age of 3. I read mostly for entertainment and for learning, less of the former since having kids though, too many things I’m interested in and too little time to read everything. 🙂
My parents and older brother are all readers but my younger brother is NOT. While I think being proud of being a non-reader is a sad outcome of a combination of rebellion and the way too many schools (not always or even often the teacher’s fault, don’t take offense, I love teachers!) force feed uninteresting subject matter. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with being a non-reader or that they’re even missing out.
Different brains process things very differently and while you and I may get incredible amounts of information out of a book, someone else may need a more visual or auditory or hands on approach to get anything of use.
My little brother, for example, is an intelligent man who did fine in school but would FAR rather be doing something active and/or hands on than sitting and reading no matter what the subject matter. He knows how to find the information he needs when he needs it but if he’s read a single book since graduating high school I don’t know about it. I honestly can not look at his life and feel that he is missing out on anything significant by pursuing that which interests him simply because it doesn’t include books.
You bring up some really good points, Erin. I think what bothered me most about the kids I was talking to was how proud they were of it, and how they seemed to generally disdain reading. I know reading isn’t the best way for everybody to learn—it’s not even my top way to learn—but it’s such an accessible one that it seems a shame to eschew it on proud principle.
Thank you, Marie, for this delightful post, they all are but this one has been special.
Thanks so much, Norma 🙂 I love to be able to write about the things that are close to my heart, and then share them with everybody.
I loved books from the time I was able to hold them. Luckily my mother would take me to the library regularly, and when I was very young, I remember seeing a bookmark that stated, “Read, read, read, and watch your world grow.” With books, I have traveled the world, zipped through time and space, laughed, cried and met wonderful people. My life would be very incomplete without reading.
Thanks for sharing your story, Cindy 🙂 I, too, loved childhood trips to the library with mum.
Reading is a way to travel to new places, from my recliner and to learn history thru the lives of real (or fictional) people. I never liked history until I discovered historical novels that put you there in the lives of people you become vested in. Reading is a way to keep your mind illuminated with all kinds of different things. I would hate to not have reading in my life.
I’m with you, Wendy. I simply couldn’t grasp history until I started reading historical novels. Now I love everything history.
On the first day of school, I started reading the Literature, History and Geography Books and read them straight through!
You’re a champ! I’ve enjoyed the odd textbook, but my high school ones were pretty terrible.
Isn’t it wonderful how a few relatable characters can bring an entire era into focus?
Absolutely! I remember history first coming alive for me with a short picture book about the Titanic, and from there I was hooked. It’s amazing the things reading can open your eyes & mind to 🙂
I love reading for all the reasons you mention Marie. The sheer joy of discovery, establishing connections, the pleasure of allowing an idea to sit while you mull it over, before plunging back between the pages, are all reasons to read. But, I also love novels for the craftsmanship. Language used effectively, with beauty and great skill sends goose-bumps down my spine.
Thanks for sharing, Catherine! And yes, there is nothing quite like a beautifully crafted sentence or passage, no?
I have loved to read since a small child and remember fondly our trips to our library in Nashua , NH ….I can remember my mother choosing her books that were always mysteries !! She would read this first few sentences in the first chapter and that would make her decide whether she brought that book home !!
I do the same thing and I have a love of mysteries as she did !!! I always have a book going and read every night for an hour or so before I shut the light off ….LOVE , LOVE, LOVE TO READ !!
Aww, what a lovely story & what wonderful memories 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing, Judith!
I love reading. Its a good way to go traveling while sitting in the comfort of your own living room!
It is also a good way to educate your self in what ever you have an interest in.
I love learning new things!
Yes, exactly this! I love having stacks of unread books about, ready to teach me whenever I have the time for them. Thanks for sharing your love of reading & learning!
For me, reading engages all the senses thanks to my well fed imagination. :-). Closing a good book is sometimes like waking from a wonderful dream and it takes a few minutes to come back to the real world. I think the Inkspell trilogy best describes why readers love to read and could help someone see the value of books. But, as they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
So well put! Thanks for sharing your love of reading, Sarah 🙂
I don’t remember ever NOT reading.
By 2nd grade I was reading from the Adult section of the library. I brought home one of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales and my dad started reading it. He asked for one everytime I went to the Library. What fun to be enjoying the same books that Dad read.
My favorite books of all time would have to be Gone With The Wind and To Kill A Mockingbird. Non-fiction would be anything by Beth Moore.
I have always enjoyed books and movies about Australia, what are some your favorites?
I still love “real” books, but I keep my Kindle loaded. I have gotten some great FREE books from Book Bub.
I too, love to learn and love how-to books and blogs, especially yours.
I was that kid who was always asking for extra homework in school, so books often filled that gap 🙂 My favourites (right now, at least) are anything by Bill Bryson. He’s just released a new book, which I can’t wait to read! As for the e vs. real debate, I’m still firmly on the “real” side. Even my grandpa is telling me to go digital, lol, but I love paper!
I was reading “Nancy Drew” by age 4. My mom would catch me hiding in my closet in the deep of night, reading. I have given away 3 truckloads, literally, of books because I do not have the room to have them all. You can curl up with a book, sip on coffee and go into your own little world. It is a lovely private place. I rarely order from companies that do not offer real catalogues. Except Amazon. They owe me stock options at this point. (grin) Catalogues can be leisurely read. I order more if they offer them because they are more real on the written page. I have learned many new skills from books. Books and reading rule. And yes, I was the weird kid who read the cereal box. laughing….
I, too, was caught late-night reading, squirrelled away under the covers with a flash light. My mum always understood, since she’s a big reader as well (though I still had to go to bed). I tend to buy recommended books online (friends and online forums are great for this), but I love nothing more than browsing a good used bookstore. Australia had loads since new books were grossly expensive ($100+ for a cookbook that might be $40 in Canada). Sigh. I returned from Down Under with a backpack full of yellowed books 🙂
You are right on with your comments about why you read. I feel the same way. you gain so much knowledge about life and the world, of course sometimes the views are a little skewed but that is also a learning experience.
I have often thought about trying to write a novel however the thought overpowers me, so I guess I will stick to writing poems, but even in those there is much knowledge.
Keep the faith
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Curl 🙂 I’ve found that when it comes to writing longer things, a plan really helps. I plan my blog out pretty carefully, and pretty far into the future, and I’ve written a cookbook and a short novel before, and it’s all about the planning. And keeping interest, haha.
I can’t remember a time when I DIDN’T read. Used to go to the store with my Mom when I was little and she would find me standing by the ‘Little Golden Books’. I’d have read one or two by then and she’d buy a different one for me to take home. I would go to the library every week and take out as many books as I could at a time. I read to my kids as often as I could and they now read often too. I enjoy the people that I meet in a good book. I get to travel. I love to be so involved in a book that every waking moment my face must be in it!
I, too, remember wonderful childhood trips to the library with my mum. We’d always return with bags laden with goodies promising adventure and fun. What a fantastic part of childhood! Thanks so much for sharing your story 🙂
Hi Marie,
I too love to read!
I have to recommend ‘ The Madman and the Professor, the making of the English Oxford Dictionary’
I took the dictionary for granted until I realized the enormous undertaking it took to make this book.
Great read.
Isabelle
Oooh, this sounds fantastic! I’m a giant word and history nerd, so this is right up my alley. Last summer I read the biography of the fellow who invented the thesaurus. The book itself wasn’t all that great, but the story was a good (and somewhat sad) one. That, too, was an amazing undertaking, started almost solely by one lonely fellow.
While I would never judge someone who avoided reading, I would feel bad for all the missed opportunities. Reading is so important to me that sometimes I forget how important, until I read something like this, or find myself thoroughly engaged in reading the comments above. I wrote my own addendum to this post, which anyone interested can check out here: http://dallaskasaboski.blogspot.com/2014/01/why-i-read-reader-response.html
Keep on reading!
Thanks so much for your response blog, Dallas—I really enjoyed it, and I’m thrilled to have sparked a discussion beyond these humble pages!
My story is a bit random. I couldn’t read well until I was around 12. 12! My dyslexia made reading an absolute, traumatic nightmare. It was horrible to be pushed to do something my brain literally wasn’t capable of. I was made to feel stupid and just a pain in everyone’s rump. Until puberty hit and the part of the brain responsible for reading comprehension lit up and BAM I got it. Anne of Green Gables series was life changing. Being stuck in a terrible childhood… reading quickly turned from my nightmare into my passion. I could be someone else…be lost. At the age of 40 I now read 2-3 books a week.
When my daughter turned out to be blessed with dyslexia as well I pulled her from traditional school, knowing they would kill her self esteem and that come puberty she too would find her love for it. Time and books on tape…she wasn’t “stupid” reading written word just wasn’t going to be her thing for a few years. We have homeschooled for 6 years and it has been amazing to watch her bloom into an avid reader with a love for books and self esteem still intact. Sometimes you just have to lead by example. Your children see your nose in a book and they will do the same. My kids are all huge readers.
I can’t imagine my life without books…or writing 🙂 Great article!!
Tisha, this is such a fantastic story—thanks so much for sharing. I love how your experiences are helping your daughter have a fulfilling, educational childhood without tainting her love of reading. And I am SO jealous of all the books you manage to read! As much as I love it, I’ll generally finish 7–10 books on a week of vacation each summer, and then I’m lucky to finish two or three for the rest of the year 🙁 Too many hobbies!
When I pick up a book, magazine, etc., I learn about many things without even trying, in many cases. Whether I am reading fiction or non-fiction, prose or poetry, it makes no difference. My world is rather limited due to a disability. Through books, I can go many places, meet many people and do many things, all without leaving my apartment. I can read everywhere I go and carry my whole library along in my Kindle. Once you learn the basics, reading is easy and fun. You naturally get better at it the more you do it.I have met many famous and brilliant people by reading books by and about them. When you read a book, you get a glimpse into the author’s soul. I get so much more from reading a book than watching a movie or t.v. show based on the book. So many details are lost during the transition. One of my favorite books is Gone With the Wind; it is also one of my favorite movies. Both are wonderful examples of their particular art form. I would rather read the book than see the movie and have done both many times. Another of my favorites books is Christy by Catherine Marshall. However, I was terribly disappointed in the t.v. show that was made from the book. I would love to see a full length movie or maybe a mini-series based on the book. I would cast Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts in the lead. Now, I get carried away just thinking about the books I’ve read……….
I totally agree with you, Elleen! I love the learning that I set out to do, but I also love the pleasant surprises. Reading might be one of the only things where you learn from both the subject matter and the method of communication. You can learn a new fact and a new word all at once, and if that’s not a thrill, I don’t know what is 😛
Reading has been a huge part of my life since I was 6 and was gifted with my first book about Eloise who lived at the Plaza Hotel. What an adventure to open a new book, meet new people, “see” new places and learn their story. I learned early that you can learn anything you need to from a book, become competent in any field, improve your skills. Reading is everything to me and I pity those poor kids who proudly boasted of never finishing a book. Their parents and teachers have done them a disservice by not insisting they read.
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Patricia—I can definitely relate 🙂 And yes, I definitely agree the adults in their lives have dropped the reading ball… it makes me wonder what the state of our schools is these days.
I suffer from a chronic back injury, as a result I am in constant pain.
Reading has always been an escape from the daily grind, even more now than ever before. I look forward to being able to loose myself in a good book, this simply activity helps me to relax, thus reducing stress and helping me to forget my back, temporarily.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Pamela. Reading is such a fantastic escape, I’m so glad you’ve found something so simple that is able to help you back, if only a little.
Hopefully its a kid phase and as they grow up they will change their mind. I always had trouble reading as a kid and it effected my life in a negative way. When I was about 30 years old I decided I wanted to learn to read and just started reading. My comprehension was terrible, but I stuck with it and now at 54 I love a good book. I read all the time and enjoy it. I had low self esteam and until I wanted my life to change…it didn’t.
Here’s hoping 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing your story of your later-in-life love of reading, it’s very inspiring!
My first question would be how well do these youngsters actually read? I have found those who lack reading skills are the loudest distractors.
In our house we practiced the Dr. Seuss method of leaving books on every surface and stacking them in every room. So that eventually they both picked up a book and began reading.
We also had bedtime reading and once they became readers we switched places. Both my kids loved to read to Mom/Dad. Now both are voracious readers. Although one prefers her reading online these days. That brings up the topic of disernment skills. Especially now a days with every idiot being able to post articles online that are based in no truth.
Your point about literacy/reading ability is a great one, Chris—and I’m sure neither of them would ever own up to having difficulties if they had them. It sounds like your kids are fantastic readers, though—you must be so proud! And what a great opportunity to teach the one critical thinking and discernment—the sooner, the better, truly. Those skills will stand her in good stead for her entire life 🙂 Thanks so much for reading & sharing!
When I was a child, my grandmother gave me a set of Classic Tales, Treasure Island and the like, which belonged to my Granfather. They were dogeared and obviously well read. And so my love affair with books started. I have consummed many works of fiction which has in turn, help my own imagination to flourish. I am not a writer but an artist, painting and sketching being two of my passions, the third being music.
I do not only read fiction though and have an extensive library of books that are non-fiction as well. For various reasons, I left school at 15 years of age, and over the years I have used those non-fiction books to educate myself to a level where I am comfortable speaking with most people on a huge range of topics. Something I have learned is that some people CAN further their lives through reading, I being one of them.
I have one and sometimes two books on the go at any given time and always have a book with me, wherever I go. My current choice of reading is the ‘Game of Thrones’ series by George R.R. Martin (no relation).
I thank you for this blog… it is very interesting to see why others choose to read.
What a fantastic story, Rodney. I, too, remember thumbing through old copies of Treasure Island and Peter Pan that had yellowed pages and a few children’s scribbles throughout. Old books are one of my favourite things, and I love nothing better than stepping into an old book shop and smelling the wonderful scent of old books and musty carpet in the air 😀
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What a great quote, thanks for sharing!
Somehow I missed this post before. I can’t recall a time when I didn’t love to read and didn’t have at least 2 books going at once. I’ve been to so many places, known so many wonderful, intriguing, fabulous, funny and even scary people this way. It seems as though almost all the brightest people I know love to read for pleasure. I’m not a bit surprised you are one of them.
Thanks for a brilliant look at a favorite subject.
Thanks so much for chiming in, Deborah—I love the discussion around this entry 🙂 I just finished a book last night, it was one of three that I’m currently working on, so now I’m back down to two. I, too, love the thrill of learning something new and going new places through the pages of a book—I hope the next generation picks that up, too 🙂