You just got off a long day’s work and want to unwind with a good story, and that TV remote seems awfully tempting. But wait, let’s try something different!

By now, you’ve probably heard the argument a thousand times that books are superior to television in every way. Well, you’re about to hear it one more time. Why? Because it’s a simple matter of fact. Books are more intellectually stimulating than television. Period. So, now that that’s settled, let’s look at the WHY behind this.

Let’s examine the book version of a story vs. the television/film version. Television is limited by a string of executives and filmmakers, each of whom has a different vision for a given story. Many of the finer details become lost in translation and never make it to the screen. Meanwhile, the book always has more material to work with and is closer to the author’s original perception. When it comes to TV and film adaptations, much of the substance within a story gets cut short due to time constraints so you never get the full range of characters offered by the book. The book also allows you get the author’s vision directly with no game of telephone muddying the waters in between.

Now for some personal quips. There’s nothing that compares to the smell of a freshly printed book. There is something euphoric, almost drug-like in the aroma. It’s therapeutic, in an odd way. Then there’s the sound the book makes when the spine crackles as you first open it. These are irreplaceable details that television just doesn’t come close to. Or maybe it’s just me… It’s most likely just me.

One thing that makes a book truly unique over any other form of media: the experience. When reading a book, each reader develops their own vision for the way characters look in a book. Towns, creatures, climactic battles, etc. are only limited by the scope of your imagination. And it is as if you are sitting down with the authors themselves to tell the story on a personal level. At your own pace and in your own time. Some people are lightning fast readers. Others, like myself, crawl at a snail’s pace rereading constantly so as not to miss any glorious details.

So what does reading actually do for you? Well, for starters, it will improve your vocabulary, your reading skills, and your writing skills. It doesn’t matter what genre you read as these will occur in some form over the course of the story. Hey, you may even want to try your hand at writing some poetry or a short story after reading a quality book!

Books opened new worlds and career paths for me, and I couldn’t be happier! There’s so much that goes into the crafting of a quality story and so many go unrecognized. My challenge to all of you out there is a simple one. Go out to your local bookstore this week and find a book that grabs your attention. It doesn’t have to be a bestseller. In fact, better if it isn’t as these authors are still awaiting their moments. Find one that challenges you in its language or prose. And take some time over several weeks to read through it. Stimulate your grey matter.

Television has a limited budget for production. Your mind has a bottomless bank account.