"Reading was my escape and my comfort, my consolation, my stimulant of choice: reading for the pure pleasure of it, for the beautiful stillness that surrounds you when you hear an author's words reverberating in your head." — Paul Auster

Ever since I was little, I have always loved reading. In elementary school I started with the Magic Tree House series and all of the Nancy Drew books. I was hooked on reading from then on out. I remember going to the library every weekend my mom and I would walk out with a stack of books so big I could hardly carry them myself. To my mom's surprise I would always finish every book by the time they were due back at the library.

My parents are both very smart: my mom went to law school and my dad is engineer. They always encouraged my brother and I to work hard in school and learn everything we could. They also encouraged us to read books, because that was such a fantastic way of learning new words and new things about the world.

Reading is a way to expand your mind. Books bring you into entirely new worlds and each book you read gives you that new world to learn from and keep in your mind. I have learned so much from reading. I discover new words and different ways of thinking about every day ideas.

Reading has honestly changed my life and helped me become a better and more educated person. Reading is also a great way to escape the world you are in now and enter a new one. I have been reading and lost track of time only to look at the clock and realize it's two in the morning, but I'm almost done with my book so I keep going! Books will always be available and at the tips of our fingertips simply for enjoyment. The feeling of getting lost in a book is one of the best.

And when you finish a book that you loved so much, it will only make you want to find another one that is equally as good, so your reading will never stop.

I would encourage everyone to at least read a few good, influential books in their lifetime, even you really are not a reader. It will teach you so much and open your mind to so many new experiences and ideas.

Happy reading!