There's a stigma that follows bibliophiles (book lovers) around their entire lives. From hoarding the Junie B. Jones collection to waiting at Borders (RIP) at midnight to buy the latest "Harry Potter" book, to being enveloped in the gruesome mind games of "Gone Girl," book lovers everywhere have been teased and taunted for far too long.
It's time to make a declaration, my friends: There's nothing wrong with liking to read.
Time revealed in 2013 what we've known for a while: reading for pleasure makes you more intelligent in every single aspect of your life. Not only that, the same study also found that those who read for pleasure are generally kinder people. Those who read for fun are more understanding, empathetic, and have a better mental model of the intentions of other people. Don't you want to nicer and more intelligent? I sure do!
Most book lovers can remember an instance around elementary school where their book was thrown across the room or sneers of "nerd" were sent in their direction. My siblings did it to me. In fact, my nearly 30-year-old brother did it to me the other day, just for his own amusement. This is the hard part about loving books, you are so emotionally attached to these characters and places in addition to their stories. The people around simply don't understand: It's more than a book.
The biggest eye roll comes in response to the phrase, "I hate reading." Multiple studies have shown that people who do not like to read, very likely had trouble learning to read and comprehending higher levels of reading as they moved through their education. So most people who do not like to read as young adults or adults were so defeated by struggles learning to read as children that they to this day still don't like reading. But to quote J.K. Rowling, "Those who to don't like to read simply haven't found the right book." Don't give up non-readers, your story is out there.
Most movies and shows these days are based around sex and action, flare and adventure, but rarely do we see the suave superhero with a book. Luckily, book lovers have a few, but just a few, strong examples of other avid readers: Belle from "Beauty and the Beast," Lisa Simpson from "The Simpsons," Cosima Neihuas from "Orphan Black," Jo March from one of my personal favorites, "Little Women," Tyrion Lannister from "Game of Thrones," both Rory and Jess from "Gilmore Girls" loved to read, and the sexiest of list, Dr. Spencer Reid from "Criminal Minds." See guys? Some super cool people read books.
Bibliophiles and nonreaders alike, it's time to jump into the deep end. Books are known to make you brighter and kinder than you already are! I am sure you're already wonderfully bright and kind, but it could get even better. Hold your books proud. Read wherever you want, unashamed, and enjoy every story that you can get your hands on.
