Shanah @ Bionic Bookworm keeps it up with more great topics, and this is one I don’t think I see a lot of people talk about. Book bloggers obviously love reading, but why?
For more than five reasons, that’s for sure, but let me narrow my thoughts down to just that.
Stories are More Interesting than Real Life
This isn’t always 100% true, but especially when talking about fantasy books, there’s something captivating in fiction that doesn’t exist in quite the same way anywhere else. I value that A LOT because it’s fun and exciting and fascinating. There’s no room for real life monotony in fiction, not when everything has to be paced and plotted and laid out with purpose.
It Refills my Creative Well
I’m learning how to balance creation and consumption (sometimes I lean too heavily on creation still, which means burnout happens and sucks), and reading is perfect for recharging and restructuring my approach. It’s helped me learn a lot about how to write, too, in ways that often take some time to identify, but end up being valuable.
Someone Else Can Deal with Danger
Am I going to go do something dangerous? Obviously not, not when I can barely get motivated to roll out of bed some mornings. The blankets are my friends, my confidants. Why would I leave their warmth and safety?
And in come books, filled with all kind of tension and danger that I don’t have to experience firsthand! Some things are best secondhand anyway, right?
I Love Guessing Plot Points
I’ll admit it: I’m that person who always knows who the bad guy is in the movie, or what the plot twist is going to be. I’ve loved mysteries since I was little, and I’ve gotten pretty damn good at picking up on where a story’s probably headed. It’s fun for me, analyzing the things I read and trying to stay one step ahead, putting the foreshadowing together one piece at a time.
It’s also all the more sweet when an author does foreshadowing so well I don’t see it until after it’s too late, when it suddenly stares me in the face going “MISSED ME.” Super satisfying.
It Gives Me Ways to Connect with New People
It comes with the territory of book blogging, but even before I started my blog, books have always been a way to bridge the gap between me and someone I don’t know very well just yet. Finding common ground in books has connected me with some of my best friends, and it’s made me incredibly lucky. If I didn’t read much, I might not have some of the relationships I have now, and I think my life would be poorer for it. For an introvert like me, books are a social lifeline, and I appreciate that so much.
So tell me! Why do you love reading?
This tag is going around everywhere! I really like it π I love the ‘someone else can deal with danger’ one π
It’s an awesome tag! Shanah does a great job of running it. And haha, yeah, I’m fond of that one too. Danger and I don’t mix!
Guessing plot points? I should go ask you who the killer is when I am puzzled because I never guess right!π
Haha, feel free! I’m usually close!
This is such a fun topic and I really enjoyed reading your reasons! I have a love/hate relationship with guessing plot points…. I usually guess them and my enjoyment largely rests on how well the author did it – if it is glaringly obvious on page 3 I am going to be pissed (looking at you, Asylum).
It is fun! And oh man, I totally get it. There’s such a fine line to walk there between irritating and satisfying.