I love reading. I'm a Belle, an avid reader, a bookworm. I love getting lost in super elaborate stories, the newest news articles, and everything in between. Lately, I've been reading a three book series. I read two so far, each book being 150 chapters. Sadly, I cleared them faster than I thought. I finished them in about four days, and I'm quickly approaching the end of the third book. I will sit on my couch and read, completely tuning out any of my roommates and their conversations. A lot of the times, they finally raise their voice and say, "Amanda, are you listening?" I always apologize and then tell them I was reading my book. Their response is always the same.

"Reading? Who does that anymore?"

I've come to realize that a ton of people actually say that when reading is mentioned. They will say that they never read, haven't picked up a book in years, or even that they hate reading. That is insane to me. I have been reading since I was a little girl, always carrying my favorite books to my kindergarten class to show my teacher. You would find me in my nearest book swap store, the school library, or re-reading books from my bookshelf. Reading is definitely an important and key aspect of my life.

Reading is such an important thing to do. Not only does it entertain you, but it has also you gaining more and more knowledge whether you realize it or not! For example, books are written with so many words. You may learn new phrases, definitions, or fancier words. This could help you if you ever needed to write something for your job or even school! Also, depending on what kind of novel you're reading, you might learn about true events, news, history, or backgrounds of iconic people of the past.

These days, mostly kids/young teens and older adults are the only ones frequently reading. Others may have books around the house, but have never successfully finished one, nor taken interest in doing so. Not only does this make the creativity level go down as a whole, but it makes it harder for authors or novelists to come up with ideas, being that they are limited to what audiences they can target.

I'm all one for a good video game or a few hours on my smartphone, but that should never take the place of reading at all. I would hate for my younger siblings to grow up and never experience the works of authors who poured their heart and souls into novels that they pictured as best-sellers. I want them to want to read, be inspired, and not be completely sucked into the world of technology and the Internet.

If you think of all of the cons when it comes to reading... There are none.

Reading expands your thoughts and ideas, gives you knowledge, makes you think creatively, and if you're reading fiction novels, can take you to a whole different world. What more could you want?

I want to encourage everyone to take a minute, find a book that interests you, and just let go and start reading. If you're bored, try another. There is always a novel for everyone.