So I've Been Thinking.... #3: Why I Love Reading

If you're reading this, then you and I have something in common, even if we're completely different people. We may have never spoken, or even met, but across maybe thousands of miles, you and I share a bond.

That's the beautiful thing about books. They can bring people together like nothing else out there. If two people both love to read, then they will always have something to talk about, even if they share nothing else.

I was talking with some people today about a book that we had all read over the summer, and I was amazed at how easily the conversation flowed. I'd never met half of these people before, and most of the others I'd never actually talked to, but there was never a lull in our discussion.

And then there's the people who hate reading (crazies, all of them) and think I'm completely making all of this up. How in the world could people be interested in a bunch of words printed on a page? The story wasn't even that interesting anyways!

And for those people, I feel horribly sorry. It's a shame that they haven't found the kinds of books that they love yet. There are entire new worlds that can be explored between the pages, concepts that can't be understood without them, and knowledge that wouldn't exist if they had never been written.

I'm not saying that I've loved every book I've ever read. And I'm certainly not saying that I've never quit after the first few chapters of a book just because it bored me to tears. There are thousands of books out there that just aren't for me. That doesn't mean that all books are bad; it just means that I'm not going to be reading the ones that are.

Through trial and error, I've learned what kind of books I enjoy to read, and now it's hard for me to put down nearly every one I pick up. But that doesn't mean I was just destined to love reading from birth. I love the books that I love because I know that they're awesome. And I love reading because I don't force myself to read the ones that aren't.

To do something like that would take away all of the fun! I think the reason that so many people don't really like books is that everyone has been telling them what to read their whole life. After reading so many books that they have just hated, it became a chore. They weren't going to waste their time looking for something that was just going to disappoint them in the end.

It's sad that they haven't found the kinds of books that interest them yet. I always tell people to think of the types of movies or television shows that they enjoy and read something like that. If you watch CSI, read Agatha Christie; if you like the Discovery Channel, read Imagine by Jonah Leher; if you like the Syfy Channel, like yours truly, then try out urban fantasy. The list goes on and on forever. You just have to be the one to find it.