Reasons to read

If you are already a reader, you will know already that there is nothing better than sitting down with a book and losing yourself in a well-written, engaging story. If, however, you don’t already have the reading bug, here are some reasons you should definitely catch it ASAP.

It develops your imagination. By broadening your experiences and introducing you to new things, reading opens you up to a whole new world of imagination. This can be useful not just for entertaining yourself by daydreaming through boring meetings, but also for your thought processes and decision-making.
Learn new things. I think most people who read regularly will have a good stash of interesting facts they wouldn’t know if it wasn’t for the fact they read them in a book. Good for pub quizzes and impressing people at parties.
Create your own worlds. Hardly anyone ever admits to it, but I suspect the art of developing your own little worlds and stories in your head is a fairly common thing. It allows us to think about things differently and… other people do this, right?
Learn different styles of writing. Reading is one of the big ways in which we learn to write; it teaches us about different types of story and ways of writing, which is essential for those of us with ambitions to write books of our very own.
Explore ideas. Reading is a great way of exploring ideas that perhaps haven’t been put into practise. For instance, utopian literature has a tradition of exploring different social ideals and ways of living, allowing us to explore ideas in the safe yet expansive realm of a novel.
It passes the time. Everyone needs a way to pass the time on a boring commute or a long afternoon with nothing to do. Reading is an affordable, engaging option.
It’s fun.

What are your top reasons to read?