“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” ― George R.R. Martin.
Truer words have been never said. What greater reader could one need to read a book? In the mundanity of every day existence where people are shuffling from task to task without a thought to the reason for living and existence, where most are busy in either earning money, trumping their rival, or getting that long overdue promotion, where most have forgotten what it is to truly live, books offer a welcome distraction from the mindless boredom of monotonous routine. They offer an escape! They offer adventure! They offer ways to new worlds, to magical lands full of wonder and excitement and a way to live countless lives and have a million experiences without leaving the safety of the house!
They offer magic!
Here are 5 reasons why everyone should read a book:
Enjoyment & Stress-buster
Books offer a simple form of enjoyment. They can be carried anywhere and read. Reading on sandy beaches, under leafy, shady trees, over mountaintops, they are portable pockets of joy and wonder. Escaping into these adventures is at times a good way to get away from the anxiety and nervousness of real life. To feel the mirth in those pages and the fight and eventual victory of the protagonist against overwhelming odds gives the reader a sense of happiness and peace and leaves them filled with vigour and hope to take on whatever challenges life offers.
Enhances Smartness & Adds Knowledge
If fiction isn’t up the reader’s alley, they can always choose from books of facts, encyclopaedias, autobiographies and much more. A report has proven that reading in general makes a person smarter and keeps them smart.
Improves Vocabulary
All manners of books help improve vocabulary as well as the reader’s command over the language – both in listening as well as speaking it. On coming across a new word, the reader often looks it up in the dictionary and soon it is added to their repertoire, but often, as they go on reading, they may not even need to look up the word in a dictionary as the context of the sentence will easily clear the meaning of the word and provide understanding.
Better Writing
The more a person reads, the better they get at understanding the nuances of writing as well. After all, every great author is first and foremost, a reader. Readers begin understanding sentence and paragraph structures, the importance of strong beginnings and endings, the power of the many figures of speech, the position a certain sentence deserves in a paragraph or piece of work, and much more. They become better writers, and they become better at communicating as a whole too, both of which are quite desirable skills in the world today.
Patterns & Analysis
The more a person reads, the easier it becomes for them to spot patterns in works. It improves their analytical thinking and logical reasoning. Reading complex plots and mysteries makes them want to solve it on their own along with the protagonist, thus making them work their intellect and improving their thought process.
These are just some of the innumerable reasons a person should read books.
But most importantly, one should be reading simply because it is magical.
As Susan Wiggs said, ““You’re never alone when you’re reading a book.”
