With so much information and entertainment at such easy access through my phone or my computer, why is reading still something I enjoy?
We are read to and told stories as young children; storytelling is part of what makes us human. Now people share their stories in so many ways, through tv shows, films, and social media posts.
I have always loved books and even more so as I have got older.
I can’t remember what book got me into reading or if there was just one that started it, but there have been so many books that I have read throughout my life that made me want to continue to read.
The Bookwanderers series by Anna James is a series that I love. I think the world that is created within those books is somewhere that part of me would like to exist in. I originally only picked up the book because the main character had the same name as me!
Novels by Jane Austen and stories inspired by her are some of my favorites now; I find the traditions of dances and balls interesting and exciting to read about. It is another world I sometimes imagine being a part of, although as a woman not one I would like to live in forever.
I think I read because I am interested in other lives and experiences, it is a way of almost experiencing different realities.
Although I sometimes read on a kindle, I am drawn to real copies of books, particularly those with attractive covers.
In a bookshop I can explore the range of genres and writing styles in the books displayed. I also enjoy browsing Second-hand bookshops, filled with old copies of books that could have been read by so many people before me. Some of my favorite books have been the ones I randomly found and picked up at bookshops.
Writing book reviews means that finishing a book isn’t the end as I get to revisit the stories and share them with others, who I hope appreciate them as much I do.
I often get book recommendations through other people, including some of my favourite authors’ reviews on social media, podcasts, and other online platforms.
One of the things I like best about reading stories is the way the words can be used to convey a particular feeling or emotion or describe a particular setting; it can be done so differently by every author and in every book.
Often as I get to the end of a book, I don’t want to finish it and leave the characters and worlds created in the story behind.
