Why do you read what you read?

[John]

Hello All!
I know everyone has a different answer to this question but I am rather curious: why do you read a specific book? Is it to entertain, to motivate or inspire, to acquire knowledge, to learn how to do something, to pass time, or something else altogether? When I read a book, I usually look for something that has a pragmatic purpose. For example, I might read a book that would help me become a better person or improve at my job.
Thank you for any and all replies!
In Christ,
John

[Whitney]

Interesting question, John! It's a question that Goodreads is helping to answer. Goodreads has helped me see that, because I am a writer, what I read is important. It affects me (kind of like "I am what I eat"). Moments ago I updated my progress on a perfectly good book by Anne Tyler in which I am underlining hardly anything. It makes me feel like a snotty person to say this, but I confess: I do not read for plot or even to be entertained; I read to be inspired, to resonate, to vibrate like a tuning fork. Reading either fuels my creativity, or it does not. I am choosing to read what DOES. Thanks for asking!