I read because...

If you're anything like me, you've had to defend your love of reading to a *scoff* nonreader. One of my favorite quotes (that I'm sure I've shared before) is, "For those that understand, no explanation is needed. For those that don't, none will do." It's often like that for me-I don't quite know how to explain why I love to read, but I do. It seems, too, that I can never convince some people- it will always be "boring" or something like that. I always wish I had something prepared for these people, so here it is.

I love to read because...

---I get to be someone else for a time. I can be a princess, a warrior, a vampire (a la Anne Rice, thank you very much), a woman in London, a woman at the beginning of time, a young child, an animal- ANYTHING.

---I get to be somewhere else. I don't care if you believe it or not- a good author can take you to a dungeon, to a forest, to an ocean, or to space. I've been to Ancient Greece, Egypt, the future- it's as close as I'll get to time travelling.

--- I learn. I learn constantly- whether it's fact or fiction, I'm learning something, even if it's useless anywhere other than Jeopardy.

---I can relate to people I've never met. Now, I know it's true that this can be said of anything- loving the same music, following the same blog, whatever- but I maintain that books are different. I have a bond with people that have read and loved the same books that I can rarely duplicate with other common interests. I doubt that I'd feel an instant kinship with anyone over loving Con Air (though I suppose it's possible, and yes, I do love it), but give me someone else that loves Agatha Christie and BAM! We're friends. Done and done.

--- I'm given a chance to see into someone else's soul. Not the characters- oh no. The author. I have been trying to write for years and if I've learned one thing it's that an author can't hide in their writing. you're revealing the depths of your very being and I am so honored to see people's passions come out in their writing. Now, this isn't pleasant with everyone, which is probably why I hate F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. (Yeah, I said it- wanna fight about it?!?)

--- It soothes away my day. I know that sounds like an awful sign they sell at the counter at a Hallmark, but hey, it's true. I can come home from being spit on, sneezed on, and pooped on, with glitter and snot in my hair and... what, you don't want me to go on? Okay then, you get the picture, I work at a preschool. So I can come home from a day like that and still feel better with a good book. It's perfect for forgetting your day.

--- They comfort me. Like everyone in this world, I've had issues. I've still got them, and I will continue to have them until the day I die, I suspect. And while friends are absolutely wonderful, we always feel like they don't get it, or it's not something we can share or... Anyways, sometimes, a character just goes through something that we share with them, or, at the least, we can imagine that they do- and it is comforting. Am I right?

----I get to be a kid again. Need I say more? If I do... read the last blog post. It's magical.

Now, to be honest, I'm sure there's more. I know I'm missing things but for now, this is it. Please, please, please- SHARE WITH ME! I want to know your thoughts, your opinions, your feelings- whatever!

Happy Reading!