I love reading books. My passion for books probably began when I was a child and my mother and I would team up to read “Magic Treehouse” books. These were the ones I remember the most, though I’m sure we read others.
My mother has always enjoyed reading, and she’s gotten good at it as a result. She’s the fastest reader I know. She can read novels in 2-3 days. She devours whole series like there’s no tomorrow. She’ll read anything; fantasy, dystopian, memoir, biography, it doesn’t matter. If it appeals to her she’ll read it.
My dad has also always had an inkling for reading. He adores Charles Dickens. He’s read all of his books at least twice. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his “Sherlock Holmes” books have also always held a warm spot in his heart. Besides these he enjoys reading about pirates, the Civil War, and ancient South American civilizations.
Now I must admit, even though I claim to love reading I acknowledge I don’t do it (for fun) as often as I should. Double-majoring in History and English like I am provides me with just about as much reading material as I can handle during school.
Even before college, I wanted to read more than I did. The funny thing about it though, was that I still seemed to be reading much more than many of my peers did.
I remember my 8th grade English teacher started a contest at the beginning of the year. It was to see who could read 40 books by the end of the year. Myself and only a few others were actually able to complete this.
As we moved from 8th to 9th grade and beyond, I noticed through conversations with friends that they read less and less. Many didn’t read at all besides for school. I realized I didn’t want that to happen to me.
I blame the internet. The digital age that we now live in discourages time-consuming activities like reading. Why read when you could play a game or watch a movie? Why do anything when Facebook and YouTube provide all the entertainment you’ll need or want?
Books are so much more than any of these things though, and I fear many are missing out on this fact. Books exercise the imagination. They provide a certain escape from reality that is just not possible in the same way with any other type of media.
Most importantly, in my opinion, books are the best-suited means to portray a story. In my 7th grade English class, I remember we read the book “A Wizard of Earthsea.” This one book changed my whole outlook on the importance of reading and writing in my life. I think it was after this that my desire to read more great stories like this began.
It was also the time that I realized that I too could create my stories, and write them down to tell to others. The assignment that went along with the book was originally to create our own short fantasy story. I thought about this for days on end, but my work turned out to be in vain. The assignment was canceled and we did something else, but I have never stopped thinking about that story I created and it still influences me to this day.
I believe reading to be a vital tool for growth and development of the mind and the imagination. It can have profound effects on us, unlock abilities or skills we never knew existed. Reading is important and should be done every day, by everybody.
