With the constant distractions that the world throws at us like work, school, friends and everything in between, we sometimes get lose our way and forget to take the time to sit down and do something we love. And to some of us, that activity is reading. No matter how long it takes me to find a new book to read, I am surprised time and time again with the effect that it has on me.

Books have this magical way of taking me to another world. I know that's incredibly cliche, but I swear it's true. When an author describes the setting and characters so well that you begin to imagine them and where they are and what they're doing, it's easy to find yourself getting lost in the plot of the story. There have been so many times where I've been engrossed in a story and my phone rings and I have to stop and ask myself, "what day is it?" or "what time is it?" because I've been in a daze for the past hour.

Characters always have an effect on me. I imagine myself as the main character and I take on all of their traits and flaws. When something terrible happens to them, I feel as though it's happening to me. So yes, you can probably imagine that I cry a lot when I read. But when I finish the book, I tend to feel like I'm still that character.

For instance, when I was in middle school, I read "Vampire Academy" by Richelle Mead and the main character, Rose, a dhampir (half human/half vampire) (it was a good series, I promise), was a total badass and could kick some serious vampire ass. For weeks after I finished the series, I walked around basically convinced I could take on anyone and anything.

Reading can have permanent effects on your character.

Because you meet so many different and unique characters within your books, you have experience with contrasting personalities. I've found myself to be extremely intuitive and I can easily tell whether someone is a good or bad person within in the first five minutes of knowing them (and I'm 99% right at most times).

It expands your reading, writing and communication skills. I can have a conversation with almost any type of person with ease and I love writing stories and articles.

The genre of what you read doesn't matter in the slightest. What does matter, however, is that you pick up a book that you haven't read yet (although re-reading is not a bad thing either) and lose yourself in the pages.

You'll be surprised at what you feel and learn in the journey.