Why Do You Read?

[Irene]

"We read to know we are not alone."
I think that's quite true. I know someone else is facing the same problems as me, are going through a rough time or having the time of their life.
I also read to escape life and forget about everything when having a bad time.
And, of course, for pleasure.

[Iulia]

Because reality scucks. End of the story. :)

[James]

I read because it is way of me to escape reality for a little bit and I can always depend on books to entertain and comfort me to know that I am not alone with the problems I have.

[Tiffany]

Reading for me is like breathing,it shocks me so many people say no time,yet they mk time for tv/ movies.
Taking care of urself,your body,but wht about your mind/ soul/ spirit
.Children r happy,full of wonder, ima
gi nation, why deprive ourselves of that?
Reading tks me to many lands,where i can lose myself ,be anyone
and use that to mk my world a better place taking bits of magic,wonder even brings more clarity to my life as u see things in a different perspective when traveling using your mind,meeting characters,and going on adventures,amazing things happen when we read....

[Ilana]

i read because i feel like it's the best way for me to decompress (aside from going to the gym) and it gives me a chance to really get into a mindset of fantasy. Regardless of the genre - it's really nice to have that escape from my reality. I work a lot of hours, and i have kids - so reading is the thing that i do for myself that doesn't require any heavy lifting or any real effort aside from shutting my mind down from reality and just enjoying it.

[[deleted user]]

I just love consuming stories and drifting off to a world that is honestly more interesting than my own. I really love when I read and that book comes to the big screen.

[J.S.]

Someone earlier on in this thread said that they were a dreamer. A good book will take you on that dream, that journey, to a place you've never been before. It might not be the nicest place or the place that you were expecting, but it's the journey that counts, really, and not the destination so much.

I like books that provide such a journey, books that make me think this is possible, might be good, and might be worth doing. That's why I read and why I write: to experience the journey and hopefully give others a journey to undertake themselves.

[Anna (Unquenchable Reads)]

When I first started reading, it was to escape my problems. I was trying not to get really sad. My mom has been sick my entire life (she's fine now), but I started reading when she got really bad. It helped me cope with her sickness and stop worrying that she could die.

Now that my mom is better, it's kind of a reminder that live is good. But it's also a way for me to escape reality still. I read because it makes me happy. I started to review books back in February 2014 because I just needed a way to express my feelings about books. Now, books have made me into a more social person than antisocial because I've made so many friends through it. Like, take today for an example.

I went to a signing where I had met two of the authors before. I went to a signing for one of them before where the other was there supporting(Mike) the other author(Shannon). When I went to the signing today, I bought Mike's book to get signed. I went over to him to get the book signed. When he looked up, he smiled and said, "good to see you again!" And then he shook my hand and we talked for a minute. Then he walked over to Shannon and had her sign his book (which is kind of an inside joke now because of something that happened at Shannon's signing.). And then Shannon talked to me for a few minutes.

Books have helped me get through my mom's sickness and bullying. The reason I read is for enjoyment, but also to remind me that life may be hard, but there is always good.

Oh geez, I feel like that got really deep. I almost cried writing this.

[Roots]

I could go on all day explaining but let me just make it brief
I love reading because it just gives me chances to escape reality and enter a whole new world that I never thought could exist. Reading has really helped me grow in life. I just love the adventure and fun it brings into my life. :)

[Iulia]

on the other hand, Tiffany, a great movie can have the same efect on you. Movies can be entertaining and escapist too, it's just that the journey ends too quick (movies last so little) but tv shows kinda have this long lasting effect too, so...

[Iulia]

effect* sorry about the typos

[Amy]

to keep it simple...because it is the only thing in this world in which I can enjoy forget the real world. I can imagine I am back years and years ago in a HR. and when I read, no one/nothing can bring me down from the magical cloud I'm on XD it helps calm me down when I'm angry, and occupy me when I'm bored. Reading creates emotions in me that I didn't even know I had!! But most of all; I read because reading is like my best friend. A book is always there for me to turn to...whenever, and it's the closest thing to my heart. ♥

*wait, that wasn't really very simple, was it?

[Keep Calm]

It is like breathing--simply I must...

[[deleted user]]

I don't think I can remember a time when I wasn't in love with reading!

[Eric]

I read to gain experiences I would not have been able to experience. To be able to travel to anywhere in a world through a book is amazing. To able to live out a characters life. To see the thoughts they see, feel the emotions they feel. There's no other medium can give you that feeling on such a personal and descriptive way.

Plus, they look pretty on my shelves.

[Krista]

I started to really enjoy reading in middle school. I went to see the first Harry Potter movie with a friend that had read the book. Well I enjoyed the movie so much that I wanted to read it, even thought reading for me was hard back then. I had a learning disability in reading. But I was determined to read it! After that I discover I didn't hate books like I thought I did and I learned to read books I wanted to read and not ones my teachers wanted me to read. haha

Although, now I keep reading because I like it but it does help me have some excitement in my daily life. I always look forward to finding out what is going to happen next in my book. :)

[Maria]

I started to read books in the 2nd grade. We had a teacher that made us read a book each month and bring back a review and a drawing of our favorite part. We had a bookcase in class and we shared our books. That tradition continued with the other teachers as well until the 6th grade. At first i hated it but as i read more books, over the years i ended up loving it! Each book hides a different world some better and some worse from ours, so they other make you wish you lived there or make you grateful for the life you have here. When I read books i loose myself in them and become one of the characters, living, feeling and seeing what they do.I get to know the characters like they are my own "friends" and I'm always sad to let them go. And ofcourse there are the very..very handsome and hot boys :D. I have read many kinds of books but the YA were always my weakness. The bad thing is that even now that i have to focus on my schoolwork to get into a university i cannot not have at least one book to keep me company and just take my mind off the pressure of the exams. Whoever's sat the panhellinic exams knows what kind of studying it requires :(

[Linsey]

I always had a book in my hand when I was growing up. People in school never understood why I would want to read for fun. As I got older I continued to read. I took a little break from reading when I started College because I didn't have the time. As soon as I graduated however I got back into reading. And when I started reading again on a daily basis I wondered why I ever stopped in the first placed and remembered why I loved to read so much. The best part of reading for me is when you finish reading book and can't wait to read the next one because it was so good. I am now reading the books that my mom used to read. Reading is so relaxing. I read on a daily basis nowadays.

[Grace Meredith]

I read a lot to escape into another world. I love meeting new characters and going along with them in their journeys. I also read so that I can talk to people about stuff. I mean, people can connect so much over stories. I love finishing a book, I love holding books, I love buying books, I love smelling books. They have just been my friends over so many years, and I seriously can't imagine life without them.

[Kaitlyn]

I've been reading since I was young. I can't exactly remember why I started reading. I got more into reading in my teens. I was diagnosed with clinical depression and severe anxiety. When I have an episode, I turn to books. I could be curled up crying, but when I dive into a book, I forget about all my problems. It's very therapeutic. I love the feeling of leaving reality behind and getting lost in another world, a world where anything is possible.

[Shay]

I didn't like reading until I hit high school. I wasn't good at making friends or socializing so I decided to pick up a book that looked good. I became a book nerd who could be found in a corner of the library with my nose stuck in a book. I am now in college and I still go to the library in between classes. I love to read because it takes my troubled mind to a place where I can be myself. Every time I read I travel to a place different from yesterday's adventures.

[ricardo]

I read because it's cool.

No, lol. I read because it lets me forget about my depression. I can read 2-3 books per day, depending on how bad I woke up, if I even slept. I recently started reading but it would take forever to read one book (about 3 days or so) and now it doesn't take as much.

[E. C.]

It helps to manage anxiety. When things are too much
I can read a book and go away for a bit,come back with a clearer head. Doesn't always work, but sometimes...

[Courtney]

I read because:

1. I can escape the stress of my current life.

2. I get transported into a different time and place

3. I can feel so many emotions just by reading words! It's really amazing when you think about it

[Aliyah]

When I was younger, I used to read because I wanted to escape reality and be apart of another world. But now I find myself reading to learn SOMETHING, either from the characters or the authors.

[Ariadne]

To escape.

i like knowing there are all these beautiful universes out there other than...this one. I love getting to know them.

P.S. - I do not mean this site, i mean this world in the general sense.

[Christine]

Growing up, I was bullied relentlessly, and I used reading as my form of escape. Being able to jump into a different reality always seemed to make thing better, even if it was just for a little while.

[Shay]

Yeah. I've had different excuses to read. At the moment, it's because my family doesn't want me around. So I go in my room and read books because they don't want me to talk.

[cali 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧]

ESCAPISM to the max.

Also, because I like the fictitious personalities more than the ones I've ever met.

[R.S.]

I grew up in lighthouses in the NE. We didn't have cable. One was on an island next to a 200 foot bluff and the other was a the end of a long peninsula. My mom started me off on reading and I just kept going from there. Now I like to write as well as read.

[Bailey]

It's always pretty much been about entertainment for me. I love escaping to a different world and connecting to different characters. As I've gotten older I love reading stories about history, or different cultures, or mental health to give me a small insight into what other people's lives might be like.