There are two types of people when it comes to reading for pleasure, for the most part: ones who absolutely cannot stand it, or ones who absolutely love it. I myself am the latter. However, I realize that there could be multiple reasons why a person does not like to read, as painful as that sounds to me.

One could be that a person has always struggled with reading. An example is that it’s hard for them to read at an average pace because it takes them longer to let the sentences sink in before they can continue. Another could be that a person simply doesn’t like reading. Other people have certain genres that they like and that’s all they will read, and others have specific stipulations, such as: "I love fiction books, but hate the ones involving magic." Whereas for others, it's hard for a story to capture their interest or to even maintain their focus on a book, which is understandable. Books can be daunting at times, especially ones on the larger side. The trick is to find a genre, theme or author that you can identify with. It will be difficult to put the book down if you really love it.

I'm here to tell you that if you don't like reading, you should not let your dislike or those negatives deter you, as hard as that may be at first. Speaking from experience, reading is like stepping into a different world. Feeling like I'm struggling? Let me go somewhere else for a while. Sometimes I get so immersed into the story that I actually feel as if I'm that character, or all of those beautiful or traumatic things are happening to me as well. I'm not ashamed to admit that I often get too emotionally attached to fictional characters. Harry Potter, anyone?

Not only that, there are a lot of social and mental benefits when it comes to reading. According to an academic journal called Book Lovers, Bibliophiles, and Fetishists: The Social Benefits of Heavy Book Usage, “The results of the study imply that book usage is more than simply spending time in the individual activity of reading; rather, books can help heavy book users to express their identity in social interaction." Also, according to the lifehack.org article 10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Everyday, “Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power”, which reading can help you to do. The other nine reasons are: stress reduction, knowledge, vocabulary expansion, memory improvement, stronger analytical thinking skills, improved focus and concentration, better writing skills, tranquility, and if you get books from the library – free entertainment!

Books have made me laugh, cry, smile, have immersed me into worlds that are wholly unique, and have even taught me a few things along the way. Everyone should have the experience of reading a good book. No matter what people say, there is nothing quite like it.

"It’s amazing how a book can make you feel. Just inked black words on pristine white pages, but they can make you feel as if daggers are piercing your skin, or as if a hand is squeezing your heart, melting it into a puddle. And with tears streaming down your face or your laughter echoing in the air, you squeeze your eyes tight and breathe in, taking in the words - because you know nothing will ever exactly compare to how the words in that book made you feel."