Why We Need to Read More

Good morning everyone!

I miss the days where I always had time to curl up in bed with a good book; I could easily dive into pretty much any genre and fall in love with the story. I’m the type of person who gets super attached to fictional characters, and I could often picture myself living in the fictional worlds I would read about. When I was younger and read more often, I think I had a much more vivid imagination and a more creative perspective on life.

Reading articles and social media posts online is definitely better than not reading at all (I LOVE to read blog posts, unsurprisingly), but nothing can replace real books. There’s something to be said about flipping through the pages, staying up late because you just had to finish and find out what happens next.

I was lucky to have parents that really encouraged my love of reading. My mom would read a chapter from a book of my choice to me every night before bed from the age of 2 until probably the age of 10. Whenever I was sick or was having a bad day, I would ask her to read more. Reading was my escape, and it always made me feel better.

I still feel the same love for reading and books that I always have, but it’s taken a backseat in my life. I mean, I can barely keep up with my reading assignments for English class, let alone picking up a new book for fun! It’s definitely something I need to reprioritize in my life, but I just wanted to throw it out there for anyone else in a similar situation as me.

If reading was an escape from all the stress and bad things in the world when you were younger, it can still serve as that escape now. Never underestimate the power of an old childhood favorite book, no matter how childish/cliché/silly it may seem now. Whenever I do have the chance to read, those are almost always what I turn to.

-Brooke