The Perks Of Being A Book Addict discussion
Why Do You Read?
As a little girl, I was always around books. My mom would read to me and buy me books on tape (which I would often memorize) before I learned how to read. Books have basically always been a part of my life that I've loved. But, why do I keep reading? Why haven't I ever given up on it for good?
For me, reading is an imaginative journey. I get sucked into the story lines. Though you can do that with films and television, it differs in books. I can create my own visions. I don't have to deal with someone else's vision of what a character looks like or what a set should look like. Though the author puts in the details of a character or a setting, I get to fill in the blanks. For example, the author may say the character has brown hair and looks "plain", but my vision of plain is different others, I'm sure.
Reading is a great escape, a way to pass time, but I've always read for the journey and to experience something that I may never experience otherwise. It just gives me more creative control than a movie does.
I have been contemplating on this question too last night and now that I have encountered this question again, well..I read because of tons of reasons.I read because it's way more interesting than just seeing the images like in watching movies. The author,ofcourse a good one can make me drift away into his words and turn them into my own moving images that plays just the way i want to in my mind. I get to have the chance to build the setting of the story with the help of the descriptions given by the author and that is way more exciting than just having to see it plainly.It makes my mind works so darn good and definitely intensifies my imagination.
I read because sometimes i tend to find my everyday life, a bit simple though not that much. I have to say it's just great to be in someone else's life every once in a while. Plus I can be transported somewhere far like millions of miles or better yet be in other time or dimension simply by just reading.That's pretty superb!
Well those are my top two reasons why i read of course next to being well rounded with life and fueling my knowledge with an awful amount of different things.
I love watching movies, but it's not as if it's an either/or thing. It's not like you only have a choice between watching movies or reading, and not every book has been made into a movie anyway. I read because I like exposing myself to new ideas and expanding my mind. I read because I like seeing what other people have produced from their own imaginations. I read because I want to learn. I read because I want to experience something from someone else's perspective. I read because somebody took the time and effort to write those words and it is a disservice to ignore that. I read because I want to better myself. I read because I want to learn. I read because I'm curious.
For me I read because I want to go into a world different from my own. I read to see how the characters react to the situations they are put through. I read not just for fun but for the imaginative journey.
I read novel because she likes reading.. i tried to enter her world and now i cant get out... which is i really dont want to get out... But it is really normal that because of reading im not use on befriending with anyone i mean i love having friends but my world is inside the book and so my ideas are like that and mostly people find me weird ... sigh* XDDDD
Why do I read? I think I read because primarily I 'live' inside my own head- in my own thoughts. Or perhaps that's because I read. What I know is, rarely does a movie or tv show feed my inner thoughts and my inner world the way books do.
I read for entertainment, to pass time, and to have something to discuss with others.
I read to get away from the world. I don't like people so much (I'm way too picky for my own good,) and I like sorta living vicariously through books. I see it as a portal to a different world. It's a stress reliever, too. Whenever I'm down, I can just get sucked into a good book for a while, and I feel better for it later.Also, if I didn't spend all my time indoors reading, I'd probably be outside involved with some stupid people and drugs and other equally stupid and illegal things. God knows how many people like that go to my school. But, because of reading, not once have I been tempted by those people to join them. And, because of reading, I probably never will.
Reading is a way for me to get to anather world. Its a way to escape all the crap in life
I read for pleasure and also to experience different styles of genres within reason.
i read because i like it..have since i was a child forty some years ago.....it also keeps the mind sharp
it allows me to venture into countless worlds filled with characters that are either relatable or detestable. Worlds just waiting to be discovered
I enjoy reading because like so many of you have said it takes me to another world. Away from the boring every day life. It expands my imagination. It also keeps the brain more active. Movies just feed you the information and there is not as much thinking involved. I enjoy movies as well. But reading is much nicer in the way that it is more all encompassing. with movies some things are left out. with reading you get to experience the inner thoughts of the characters. Possibly multiple view points depending on what style of writing it is. there seems to be more emotion conveyed in reading than in movies. Because unfortunately not every actor is going to play the character perfectly.
As for there being other ways to expand the vocabulary- So far iv found none as entertaining as reading.
I read to try to understand issues that I am not facing myself. I read to gain empathy, insight, and understanding to the greater world. Sometimes, I read for pure pleasure and to laugh. Other times, I read to try to become a better version of myself.
Why do I read? Now I have to think about that, but I guess the question is why not? It's not just about enhancing my vocabulary. Sometimes when I read, there are books that speaks for my life and it becomes a guide.
Primarily, for the pleasure of it.
As a child, I read to escape, learn, and travel to places that I could never go. As an adult, I read for those reasons but now I read for the pure pleasure of it. Whether a book makes me laugh, cry, get angry or passionate, it makes me FEEL. It makes me CARE. It makes me LOVE and sometimes HATE...the characters, I mean. If an author is really good at developing the characters, they can become like a friend or an enemy. That's freaking awesome. For me, movies are too short to do that...even ones made from a book.
because its better than reality, it makes me feel like im living inside the story, my life for that moment becomes more important because i feel like im part of something big. it expands my imagination and creativity it brings out all the best emotions anyone could ever feel. it makes you just feel so full of life.
I have always love reading and for different reasons. One reason is I'm a college student so majority of my homework is made up of reading, but that doesn't bother me, because I love studying and learning new things, which reading allows you to do. My other big reason for reading is that it relieves stress for me. There is nothing better then after a long hard day of just curling up with a good story. It takes me away and my stress disappears.
I like reading for a few reasons :) one being that I get to live a different life for the moment, the other being that reading takes you away from your stress and has you focusing on what's in the story, so it's my stress reliever.
My oldest memories are of books. My mother has always bought me books. I believe one of my first birthday presents was a book. My family used to read to me a lot and I never stopped reading. Reading is a part of me. Forcing me not to read would be the same thing as taking away some vital organ. I love stories, I love reading about new worlds ans possibilities. It is not, and never will be, the same thing as watching a movie. When I read, I can create my own characters, I give life to them, my imagination runs wild. With a movie, everything is already there, ready for me to see. And a movie adaptation will always be that: an adaptation. Someone's view on a particular movie. Don't take me wrong, I like movie adaptations of books. But I also like to have my view on it, my world of a certain book. Besides, a movie will never encompass everything a book talks about, every theme and subject a book mentions. Watching the movie will never be a substiture for reading the book. Reading is a jorney. It is also a escape from reality. Reading is growing and reading helps you to understand who you are.
I read for the pleasure of it. Reading books is a great escape and helps me relax.
I read to get away. To leave my life for a little while. to cross a desert and fall in love without leaving my couch
I always loved to read but recently reading has been like breathing for me. I HAVE TO READ. There is just something about a book that a movie doesn't have
I really learn a lot from books, be it fiction or non fiction. And to fill that time gap with books, especially on a cozy chair, with coffee next to me, just soo relaxing :3 For a person who can't travel (for now), books really helps.
I just love to read. Always have. Its so much better than movies. I like movies, there are even some I love. I also like audio books, but there isn't a substitution for reading.
I have always had books around in my house. My parents never forbade to buy more even when the shelves were stuffed. Always encouraged to read. I have loved reading ever since I can remember. But for two years, I have been into books way more than before. I had some really good influence in me, I guess :D And when some of my friends now rant about me being a nerd and all, I get inspired more! It's like, I read, can I be any more awesome?! DEAL WITH IT! I've never regretted when I chose to finish my book instead of watching television or instead of having my pampered slumber. Even when I put off my studies because I am dying to read the book, I haven't regretted. There is always satisfaction when you get to know something. That's why I read.
I enjoyed reading through the above. With a book we get to hear the character's inner workings, their true thoughts that bring us close or apart from them. I feel charged up when I'm reading something that elicits different emotions. Reading can evoke tears and laughter and I'm glad because it means I've connected and have forgotten that these are written words. Instead they have become real people and events, and for however long I’m reading I am in their world. Very inspiring.
For me reading is like breathing, not as 'I will do it or die' more like 'I do it without thinking'. I don't think there has been a single day in my life I haven't either read or been read to.
I really love reading because you get to "enter another world", one that isn't like the one we know now (that applies to some books). Books are like a reflex for me, I just do it without thinking. Characters in books are really hard to forgot, and unlike people, they don't change. Books can inspire anyone. I don't understand people who don't like to read. WHY?? Reading is so fun! Its one of the best things in the world! Books tell the story better than any movie can. I just love reading.
Escapism. I love to enter a new world. Meet someone new.
Why do we read?Because reading can effect us more than watching or listening, it's the same like when we read our text books...they don't ask us to 'watch' or 'listen' them in school? now do they? because they know reading effect us more heavily than anything else.
While you watch the movie many other things can distract you in it.
But while reading, we can imagine by our own mind, we can develop things through own skills and can 'concentrate' on situations/words which we usually avoid while watching or listening...
Well, reading a book is actually different than watching its movie because I get to imagine everything that's happening. Also, I would make up the characters in my mind, like how they look like, and how they act like. It's different than watching a movie where I need to only watch and never think. I think reading books is actually more excited than watching any movie, and I actually love watching movies, but it will never measure up to reading novels.
Reading books also make me go into another world, imagining different characters, and feeling like the characters. It is super exciting!
For me, reading is a compulsive activity. It does not have to do with imagination, it has to do with meaning that is aching to form in my mind, and obsession with all things verbal. Also, it has to do with the need to get out of my own thinking and observing, it is how I learn, empathize, feel and imagine.
I love to read because it broadens the mind, and it lets me escape this dreary little apartment to walk in the footsteps of heros, witness great loves, and be a part of something amazing. :)
For me, reading is not just about learning and discovering things. I love how books makes me feel every time i turn the pages, every time i read the lines of the character, it's like diverting to a new being. I love how books makes me feel different. that sometimes, i can forget that people are around me.And that's the reason why i read. Not to escape(don't get me wrong) but to feel different.
my inspiration ,insight,company,hideout,a place for knowledge, imagination,creativity and much more!
Well I've started reading when I was a kid and it always was and still is a fun thing to do. I like learning things at the same time or getting inspired and then create new theorys etc.But I mostly prefer reading because I can imagine everything as I want to see it. I'm not given any face in particular to go with the name. Things are described but I always picture them different than another person might.
The movies don't give you this kind of freedom. They give you what they picture and then you just have to be happy with that. Sometimes you might picture it the same way but that's rare.
I have never listened to an audio book. I simply don't like the idea of a person reading a book to me. I mean if I'm really that interested in a book and I can obviously make the time to listen to the audio book then I shall read the book myself.
I am an arabic girl from syria I am preparing to take the toefl exam
So my teacher advised me to read english books to improve my english
And now i am addicted to reading espeacially english novels :)
i read because i like creating images for the characters and locations , it stops me from getting bored and i like getting involved in other worlds that wouldnt be possible in reality
Well, first of all I enjoy it. That's pretty much a good reason why. But if you're asking why I enjoy it? Then here's my explanation...First of all, I love the world that the authors create. May it be fantasy or reality. Now, you may ask: doesn't movies do the same? They create a different world too. My answer to that is: yes, it does but in movies I get to see the world through the directors eyes. When reading a book, one's imagination has more freedom. When I read a book, I can imagine it in one way and another person can imagine it in an entirely different way.
Second, most often than not, I get to hear the thoughts of the character. How he or she feels with an action he or she took. That doesn't happen a lot in the movies; It's more of an implication.
Third, I feel a certain closeness to the character when I read. When I finish the book, I tend to still be hungover on the world the author created, along with its characters. But when I watch a movie, I usually don't dwell on it much once it's over.
Finally, my main point would be that BOOKS ARE AWESOME. PERIOD.
haha :)) so yeah, that's why I read :)
I am a new member of Goodreads. I love reading more than watching movies or listening to any audio, bcoz reading give lot of opportunities for imaginations. it'll give our own structure and shape to our imaginations; not to forget reading helps to improve our vocab and diction. Reading has helped me forget my worries and enjoy the fantasy life and has improved my creative thinking. reading different Genres help discover different approaches towards life.I have a wide range of liking from fantasy,fiction,thriller,suspense,classics etc etc.
This craze for reading will get better and better with time :-)
looking for pleasure and a friend that i can trust remembering that finding honest people is almost impossible
Dnt worry bonia ... u dnt have to go for a search hunt...:) right person will walk in ur life ... at the right time... its a small world :)n i agree honest people r scarce resources in world.. lol :D
the reason I love reading is really you get lost in the characters. You have the power to imagine the setting of the book. sometimes when the books are adapted for a movie or a tv series , the characters usually get's lost in translation it's different in the book you can easily relate the emotions on how the writer wants to perceive it. That the reason I love reading books :)
Several reasons. here is one.to escape the world and live another. because if I don't have those brillant stories to feed my imagination then i shall starve and be helpless wanting more and more.
I read for the escape, for fun, for enjoyment. Sometimes I like seeing characters get through tough situations and survive. Sometimes I like just seeing a light/fun Happily Ever After scenario. It all just depends on my mood. I read for many different reasons.
Since my friend just LOVES debating with me, he brought up some points about how useless reading can be. He said most classics have been made into movies, so if I wanted to read classics, I should just watch the movies. He also brought up the fact that there are audio books out there for most books as well.
Then he mentioned if it was to build my vocabulary skills up, that there are more effective ways of doing it.
I really couldn't figure out an answer to give. Why do I read? I guess theres a beauty in books that no movie or audio book can capture. It was at first (I told myself) to expand my vocabulary but then it turned into something I yearned for.
So I guess what this post is about- why do you read? Why not just watch a movie or listen to an audio book? I think it'd be interesting to read through some of these answers :]