Reasons Why I Love Reading

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week’s topic is Reasons Why I Love Reading.

It wasn’t very hard to come up with ten items for this list! Here are some reasons why I love reading below, in no particular order…

1. Learning New Things. There is nothing like a well-researched nonfiction book to make you enthusiastic about a subject that is brand new to you. I remember being so fascinated by learning about how astronauts prepare to go to into space while reading Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach.
2. Cultural Awareness. While studying multicultural children’s and young adult literature during graduate school, I became exposed to so many diverse books and authors. A new favorite author, Gloria Chao, incorporates Chinese culture in her contemporary novels including Our Wayward Fate which was inspired by a Chinese folktale “The Butterfly Lovers.”
3. Travel. Thanks to reading, I have “been” so many places around the world. I love getting to see countries through not just the character’s eyes but the author’s as well. In Sex and Vanity, Kevin Kwan takes his story to the island of Capri, and his website includes photos from his own trips to Capri.
4. Easy Access. It is amazing how many books you have access to through public libraries. Whether print or digital, you can always find something to borrow!
5. Good Writing. As Francine Prose explores in her book Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and Those Who Want to Write Them, there is nothing quite like basking in exceptional writing that makes you want to dog-ear and highlight pages to refer back to later.
6. Good Storytelling. In addition to a well-written story, a story has to be told in a way that makes me want to read more. A story that is woven so carefully and intentionally so that by the end you have a surprise moment or feeling of contentment is no easy feat. Liane Moriarty is stellar at achieving this, especially in her novel The Husband’s Secret.
7. Characters to Love. There is no better feeling than having those one or two characters that you love so much and can follow through a series. Some of my favorites include Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacot from Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series.
8. Connecting With Others. A shared love of books will bring anyone together. I particularly love the Bookstagram community, and of course the WordPress community, too!
9. Health Benefits. There are so many health benefits of reading, from reducing stress to improving sleep. Even more reason to carve out extra reading time during the day!
10. Constant Joy. Knowing there will always be books for me to read is such a gift! It’s a guarantee that you will have something to make you happy, always.

What are some reasons you love to read? Tell me in the comments or drop a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post so I can check it out!