A Tale of Two Cities question

A reader lives a thousand lives - a non-reader only one. How else could I put myself in the shoes of Dickens' characters in the middle of the French Revolution, or a Roman centurion, or a player of the Game of Thrones?

This is one of the most defining books about the importance of friendship ever written. I am not a big Dickens fan, but it really sends a message. I only started to read it as a friend recommended it to me and it was slow going at first as Dickens tends to be. But it is worth it.

"Why do you read?"

I read so I don't lose track of my imagination. One of the things that separates us from other species is our ability to imagine. Where else can I visit other worlds, explore the depths of the sea, or travel through time than through the pages of a book?

"Why should others?"

In an increasingly digital and virtual world where things are spelled out for us with little room for interpretation, I'm convinced it's more vital than ever to keep our imaginations active and healthy.

I read because the ability to create an entirely new world out of just words and one's own imagination, makes me proud of my species' vast and unique intellectual capacity. That is why others should read as well.

TV and other forms of media don't just work for me. I need something that allows my imagination to run free. I think The Lord of the Rings is the only exception I have where I enjoyed the book and the film equally (the book is only marginally better as there are far more scenes and my imagination always tops films).

Stephen Kind- the movies are better (well most).

But ever other author - book always wins.

I loved this blog by Adam Zern. I never really thought about why I read, I just do and always have. It's always been an important part of my life. Perhaps it's because I learn something from every single book I read - even if it's just the knowledge that I will never read another of that particular author's books (Thomas Pynchon).

I love it! It takes me around the world without my ever leaving the house. It teaches me about people, places, and things, and sometimes about myself. It gives me scope for the imagination, one of the most important things in the world. Books are like good friends you can visit again and again who always have a story to tell or advice to give.

I too, recently started examining the habits of my own reading tradition (when e-books and audio books began emerging). Books have formed my entire life-- more than any one other thing. I wouldn't have the career I have, the values I posses, or the personality I exhibit without their influence.

Now that reading is being kicked aside--marginalized--discredited--by a gadget-happy society, I'm keen to know better, why exactly I value reading so much. I've been exploring even, the science behind how we read. Pretty fascinating, to become more aware of the myriad mental operations going on as we scan a line of text with our eyes. It makes you really appreciate the act.

I think in its best capacity and best incarnation, reading is not just about entertainment. Its about truth. Books are the infrastructure which supports how we trust anything. The whole industry behind the making of books; the scholarship..yields a guidance and temperance to culture no other practice can offer. All that, in addition to conveying inner human experience from one individual to another. Books are not just another entertainment media.

Society can get along without DVDs and MP3s...but not without books.

I read to stimulate my thought process and to examine the world.

You've only read 300 books? I own 300 books, and i've read almost my entire public library, also I'm 17...not bragging, I just can't help myself...I'm ADDICTED to reading, as in, I'm pretty sure it's like a drug to me, only it's healthier, and actually has a good influence on your brain. It makes me happy.

I agree with Feliks, books are about truth. To take that idea a step further, they are also about finding the truth. It would never do to believe everything we read, and proclaim it the truth. That is why it's important to develop a strong foundation to judge what we read. When you engage in the act of reading, it's like a conversation between you and the author. They are telling you something, but you must be able to articulate first of all what they are saying. Then you need to be able to logically and sensibly express why you agree or disagree with them. And last of all, know how that is going to affect your view on the subject. Every reader has the ability to do this, but not every reader has been taught how to do this well, or bothers to question the material they read. I know I didn't bother to until I reached my teens.

Anyhow, why do I read? I'm a ravenous reader, there are few things I love more than reading a really good book for hours on end. I love learning, I love finding the reasons, connections and logic that are so abundant in God's marvelous creation. When I don't read, I don't feel like myself; my mind is starved.

I read this book long ago.... it gave me a clear picture about French revolution.

I can't say why I read really! It has just always been a part of my life and I cannot contemplate a life without books. I can travel the world from my armchair, meet peoples I would never know about, have adventures that would be unimaginable if I didn't have my books around me! There is just so little time and there are so many books, I dread the time I can no longer read them.

Some reasons are:
1. To escape reality for a little while
2. To live in an alternate universe
3. To appteciate other' s perspectives
4. Discover ideas I never thought of
5. To build vocabulary and grammar skills - it' s true :)
6. To be a better writer
7. To walk in many other shoes, and find similarities/ differences between myself and others
8. To see how much I really know
9. To sympathize and learn from the characters
10. To laugh, cry, love, feel anger, to be entertained
11. To find a role model in the author
12. To learn something

I think any kind of reading whether fiction or nonfiction can do at least some, hopefully all of of these. I like fiction best, but want to branch out too. BTW Tale of Two Cities is one of my favorites and does all these for me:)