Dear Friend,

I myself belong to the group of people that can’t imagine their daily life without reading. However, in this case, I don’t mean taking a quick look at Facebook posts or to scan the news.

Namely, since I can remember, our house has always been full of books. When you live in a big house, and each room is full of books, it is logical that at one point your parents will be directed you to use them.

I need to emphasize the following: When I was a little girl, curiosity was my middle name. All day long I would ask my parents many why-questions i.e., “Why is this like this and not like that?” or “Why is this different than that?”, and the like. So, after I mastered the reading, everyone was finally relieved, and my mom came up with a phenomenal solution to my whole-day questioning. So, next time when I asked my parents to explain me something, their answer was, “Look at the encyclopedia on the shelf and read it!”

Eventually, I realized that every word, every sentence, and every paragraph of a book can teach me something new. I learned that I can find an explanation on my own. I can get new understandings, new insights, and new meanings. I was thrilled! I saw the book as a window to the world.

And that’s how I fell in love with reading books.

Particularly amusing when reading a good piece of writing is that one can enter one genuinely magical place. It’s the world of imagination. You build this world by yourself and it all depends on your phantasy. Since you are the one who creates this world, there is no place for unacceptable occurrences. And isn’t that the most precious moment when reading a book?

My impression is, however, that a lot of people didn’t find this secret place within the books. They don’t see the same windows as I do. In addition, I believe that they have failed when choosing a destination wonderland. On the other hand, they believe that imagination is restricted for kids only. Or that the reading is boring and just a waste of time. So, the dialog stops here. How to explain somebody with that kind of attitudes all the endless advantages of reading books?

There are, indeed, some benefits of regular reading. We are already familiar with the insight that reading expands one’s vocabulary. It also improves one’s written skills. But, reading can also relieve stress and reduce depression, as well as it can be one of the effective tips for beating insomnia.

Additionally, a study from 2013 undertaken by The Reading Agency in the United Kingdom shows that reading relieves stress and reduces depression, as well as it increases empathy. The research shows that when reading a book and described events, a person can make an emotional transfer and identify itself with the characters in the works. In real life, those people have more understanding for others, especially for the weakhearted.

However, these are not the only benefits of reading. Another study conducted in 2015 at Emory University (Georgia, USA) points out that regular reading helps the brain to analyze new data for the next couple of days and eventually provides sizeable changes in it’s functioning. Scientists say that reading increases the capacity to learn and to store new information and data.

It is to be concluded that reading isn’t just a delightful hobby. No, it is a great advantage one can gain. Books can teach us so much about life, cultural diversities, religious affiliation, or historical curiosities. Thus, books teach us more than that. They teach us how to see the world around us, as well as how to understand it. Books change us. For the better.

Would you agree with me? Let me know what you think.

Lots of Love,
Selena

PS: Here is one interesting letter written for Oprah Winfrey by Harper Lee (the author of the novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird”) on the subject of reading and her love of books. I especially like this part: “And, Oprah, can you imagine curling up in bed to read a computer? Weeping for Anna Karenina and being terrified by Hannibal Lecter, entering the heart of darkness with Mistah Kurtz, having Holden Caulfield ring you up — some things should happen on soft pages, not cold metal.” 

The scent of paper, looking through the pages, leaving notes and emoticons on the margins, clumsy tearing of paper, and the traces of shedding coffee all over the book, never will any smart-digital-device be able to replace.

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