Okay, raise your hand if you
read the back of cereal boxes. Yep, just as I suspected—lots of hands, my own
included. Boredom readers. Breakfast is a boring meal at our house. No one’s
had their coffee yet, so we sit at the table staring at one another and hoping
that caffeine and sugar will jump start our brains.
Sometimes I read the
newspaper, other times I don’t. I really don’t care what-actress-dumped-what-actor-for-what-reason.
There’s always the front page, but I’m sick to death of politics and economics.
The novel that I’m reading is infinitely more interesting (even the cereal box
is more interesting if my brain is too befuddled to remember where I left the
novel I was reading). Which leads to another reading reason—escapism. I love to
take a break and visit another time or place or other people whose faces aren’t
glazed with sleep.
But I have another reason
for reading, beauty and thought. Sometimes I set aside time to experience words
and their stories—poetry and classic literature. (BTW, the Aeneid is a total Iliad
knock off. Homer should have sued.)
And sometimes I read to
laugh. I like Dave Berry, though I feel sorry for his mother-in-law. And I love
PG Woodhouse. Someone has said of him, “It is impossible to be unhappy while
reading the adventures of Jeeves and Wooster. And I've tried.” It’s
true. Try it.
What about you? Why do you read?
I had a friend in high school write a surprisingly awesome poem based on shampoo bottle directions! I guess you can get inspiration from all over! I read for pleasure...but that's a broad statement, because so much of what I read make me happy, even weird stuff. And now that I have a Kindle, I read ALL THE TIME!! Ah, bliss!
ReplyDeleteI'm in love with this post!! It's fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI read because I love the escape. In two minutes flat I'm in a new universe, I'm in love, I'm laughing, I'm scared -- I can do whatever I want in a book! It's also why I write them. I write what I want to read!
I love to get into stories. I'm with Jen, I love the escape. The emotions you can go through in just a few pages keeps me reading.
ReplyDeleteJust popping over from CQG's blogfee to say hi. I read to escape and to learn.
ReplyDeleteI love getting sucked into a new world.
ReplyDeleteHey! I'm here from CQG too! What I read depends on my mood but almost always for the escape. That's the best part about it.
ReplyDeleteI'm here from CQG, too! What I read depends on what mood I'm in but it's always for escape. That's the best part.
ReplyDeleteI can up you on this. My family reads the fliers that are delivered to the door. How lame is that?????
ReplyDeleteObviously dinner time in our family doesn't involve family discussions. :P
Impressive!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth--a poem based on shampoo directions?! That's fantastic.
ReplyDeleteStina--I read the circulars too. (Cringe.)
Ashley, Sandra, Clarissa,Ibdiamond--yes, absolutely, Escape!!
Hi! I just found your blog from a friend's and wanted to say hi.
ReplyDeleteBesides to escape all the things on my never-ending To-Do list, I also read instead of watching movies and longer TV shows because of my attention span. I can stop a book whenever I want, then pick up and reread a few paragraphs to remember what happened. It's harder to get up and walk away from a movie/show (but I can't focus for that long, unfortunately.)
Great post and nice meeting you!
I read to escape. I want to be transported for a few hours. Fortunately, great writers have that ability.
ReplyDeleteIf it's non fiction (something I hardly ever read) by the way, you ever meet those people who DON'T read fiction? As if to say "I don't have time for such frivolity..."
I have a pile of boredom reading stuff on my kitchen island, like magazines and Pottery Barn catalogs. What I should do is put an unfinished book there. That would be more fun and escapist!
ReplyDeleteI love to read to escape, so I tend to read funny or romance more times than not, just for that happily ever after.
ReplyDelete