Why do you like to read?

[Sarah]

To be lost and free xx

[Emma Kihlberg]

I agree with all of you! I feel that books allow you to expand your everyday life, like if you've had a dull day in school you can read a book and your life feels more interesting! As someone said in their comment, I don't just read the book, I live it.

[Joanna]

I love to read because I love to lose myself in fantasy worlds and incredible characters lives. I also love to exercise my brain and learn new things and books are the most accessible, and fun, form of information.

[Leeza]

Been reading ever since I can remember, I have a memory of Year 3 or something where I had a book under my desk at school and was reading instead of paying attention to the teacher. Probably not the wisest thing but sort of sums it up. Especially recently I've really needed books to give me an escape and, I know this sounds cliché, reading is something that will never leave. People always leave but pages and words and stories will always be there, no matter what happens.

[Jennie]

I love reading because I love learning about other people, cultures and times. Writing my personal statement applying for English at uni has made me think really deeply about this recently. I believe literature is the only way we can learn about the world. It gives us direct access to another person's thoughts, and allows us to reach into the past and to other parts of the world that are impossible any other way.

[Jennie]

I can´t understand a world without reading. Reading is relaxing and as you all said it helps me to escape. So I always encourage people to read. Although they ignore me a bit. That´s why I´m so so happy to enjoy this club!!

[Sarah]

I have honestly loved reading since before I can remember. When I was a little kid I used to read ANYTHING, I'd read my Mum's Bella magazine and the newspaper and my older brother's Biology textbook. I really love the way that the author gives you the guidelines for how people and places look, and you get to make the rest up in your head. I'm always disappointed if a film comes out of a book I've read and the actors don't match up to what I'd imagined them to be like. I really like the creative freedom you get with a book, it's a bit like a set of instructions for creating your own people and places in your head. It's very absorbing and books can really change my mood.

[[deleted user]]

The first book I actually enjoyed reading was Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone when I first read the series. I now enjoy reading because it is fun and gives me something to do when I am bored.

[Elisabet]

I learned to read before I started school. Words opened a new world for me. I had a desire to travel, live in other cultures, meet nice people; books filled that desire. I had a thirst for knowledge that books fill. As a child I actually read the dictionary and our entire set of encyclopedias. If I leave home without a book, I panic. I've arrived late to work to return home for the forgotten book.

[Amy]

I've been reading since I was a young child. I remember Roald Dahl books to be the first books I read. Since I started reading I have never looked back.

I read to escape reality. I have been through some tough times in my life, so when I open a book I can escape into this new world and not have to worry about my problems. Reading has also helped me become more articulate and discover my passion for writing. I would love to write a book one day.

I like to read young adult, fantasy and chick lit mainly. But if someone recommends a really good book to me and it's not in them genres, I will still give a go at reading it :)

[Chloe]

"I don't read, because I need to "get a life" I read so I can have many lifes" this is one of my favorite quotes. It basically sums up why I love reading:)

[Alice]

I like reading because I like the sense of being in another world. I like shutting out real life and giving all my attention to a much more exciting one. When I'm reading I feel like the characters are my friends and family and that there problems are my problems as well. I just love the thought that reading words on a page can make me feel stuff so strongly. I also like reading just for the pleasure of it. There's no bad reason behind me liking to read, I just like it!

[Charlotte]

I like reading because I feel as if I can escape to another world and it gives me a sense of adventure

[Ebru]

It feels like i'm in another dimension, somewhere no one else can go, except for me. Like everytime I start a book I feel like i'm living a new life. Shadowhunters, warlocks, never had an idea what those were but thanks to the mortal instruments it feels like I live around them.. And reading really calms me down when i'm stressed out:)

[Charli]

I've always loved stories and writing, but when I was younger reading never really appealed. When I was 9 or 10 I started reading some Jacqueline Wilson books and fell in love. I love it because I don't have to be me (one of the reasons I do drama!) I can be this new character or I can be friends with them, or I can be a spider who is in the corner observing it all. I love that there are no limits and they're so enjoyable.

[Shona]

That's quite a difficult question to answer. My parents have always like reading so I would often see them with a book in their hands and my mother would always read to me. Nearly every night without fail when I was younger my mother would read to me, either a chapter or a few chapters of a book I chose. And then somewhere down the line instead of my mother reading to me I started reading to myself. And I just never stopped.

I guess I like that feeling of escaping life for a few moments and losing myself in a book, I can feel and see myself as the main character and start to understand what they would be feeling. I start worrying about their problems and forgetting about my own. It's like having an adventure without having the leave the house.

[Tika]

Reading is a habit my grandma taught me since I was a kid. I just like the feeling of getting information or story and sharing it to others.

[Ocea]

I grew up traveling around Europe with my parents and brother, I was homeschooled, and i was quite lonely.
I learned to read at around age 8-9, once i had mastered it and decided that i wanted to read 'real' books, my mum took me to an amazing little second hand book shop in Gibraltar, it had a room stacked to the ceiling with books :)i remember that i didn't want to leave, i was so happy exploring all these little worlds :D I think i bought around 10 books that day.. and after that i was nearly constantly consumed by books it was really and escape for me, my parents would argue a lot and i felt so safe to just listen to music and forget about the world :) and that's why i love books <3

[Meagan]

I started avidly reading when I was a sophomore in high school. I never really fit in anywhere. My classes were easy because I didn't believe I was smart enough to take advanced classes. So instead I would go to the library and pick out a book. For me it all started with Sarah Dessen. I could get lost in her books I really like books with romance. Now that I'm in college my tastes in books haven't really changed. But I read for different reasons. I usually read when I want to escape. Stress overwhelms me all the time and when it does I find a good novel or series that I can live in for a while. And I stay there as long as I can till my reality gets better.

[Heather]

That's a pretty good question. I've built my world around books and the stories they contain. I don't think I ever chose to love reading; it seemed more like reading chose me. I've loved books ever since I can remember. I don't read to escape, however. Some books I read just for the adventure, some just because they are thought provoking. (Les Miserable is more philosophy than actual story, strangely enough). I love the history behind why stories were written, what was going on with the author at the time he wrote such-and-such novel and the many hidden aspects concerning various stories. These strange pursuits eventually lead me to degree in literature and then work for a publishing company for several years before settling down to teach my own kids.

[Ross]

To escape from life and maybe learn something new.

[☘Misericordia☘]

Reading is as good a vice as any)

[[deleted user]]

I don't exactly know why. I mean reading is just always there- you have a bad day you go have a cuppa and a book to help. It's like part of me an extra limb. I know!! You know how doctor who has two hearts? Well reading is like my second heart. Xxxx

[Ella]

Mouse!! You took the words right out of my mouth!

[[deleted user]]

Hahaha good :)I now feel slightly like Doctor Who now though...Xxxx :P

[Fatima]

I always read because I know I'm going to learn something new. Also when you read you can cut yourself off from the outside world and just sink into a book until you don't remember what is reality and what is fiction.