While I will happily admit that binge watching TV shows is one of my favorite hobbies, but there is something that seems to be dying with today's generation. Reading.
When I was in 7th grade, my favorite class was reading. I went to the library every day. I was going through a phase where I would read at least three books a day. People used to think I was crazy, but I didn't care. There was no better feeling than getting lost in a good book.
To this day, one of my dreams is to have a library like the one The Beast gave to Belle in "Beauty and the Beast." For me, walking into a bookstore is like walking into a candy shop. Nothing beats the smell of a new book.
In today's world, a lot of people are so into binge watching TV shows or waiting until a movie is made based on a book if they find the story interesting. While TV shows and movies are great escapes from reality, there is something magical about getting lost in a good book. When you read a book, you imagine every little detail. Yes, the author may explain what the characters look like or what the weather is like that day, but it's the reader's imagination that bring those details to life.
I love the instant satisfaction that can come with reading a book. As you read a book, you can physically feel your progress. As the number of pages you have read becomes larger, the number of pages you have left to read becomes smaller.
My favorite thing about books is, without a doubt, seeing how much they can be loved. For example, my favorite book is "The Time Travelers Wife." My copy of this book looks like it has been through anything and everything. It is being held together by tape. There are coffee stains on multiple pages and if you shake it hard enough, some sand will probably fall out of its spine. While some people may see this book as damaged, I see it as loved. The tape reminds me of the many times I carelessly threw the book into my bag. The coffee stains remind me of the time I left the book on my kitchen counter and my cat knocked over a cup of coffee and I had to leave the book outside for almost two days in order for it to dry out. The sand reminds me of that horrible sunburn I got that one time I was reading the book at the beach and I didn't put on more sunscreen throughout the day because I didn't want to put the book down. All these little imperfections my book has gained over the years have only added to its story.
In a world full of technology, never be ashamed to call yourself a bookworm. You never know what you're missing between those pages.
