Last Updated on: January 29th, 2021
I love reading novels for many reasons, but the main reason is due to the fact that I can live vicariously through the lives of the characters.
Reading a good book is an escape from the banality of daily chores like cooking, doing laundry, and washing the dishes.
What constitutes a good book?
A good book is one that can captivate me from the get-go, one I don’t want to put down, for which I will sacrifice sleep to enjoy.
Yes, reading a book is like going on a wonderful (and inexpensive!) vacation.
Even though I’m not world-travelled, I’ve been to more places than you can think of. Yes, they are all in my imagination!
Reading books is much cheaper than spending hundreds or thousands of dollars in an effort to visit a foreign place. (Besides, I think that’s why they made Google Earth…) 😉
If a book is good enough, it will transport me to where I want to be, even if I’m sitting in front of a turned-off TV.
Words transcend places, for me. Do they do the same for you?
Share in the comments!
And don’t forget that I am available to help you edit and/or publish YOUR book or e-book!
A good book is definitely a vacation Lorraine. I chatted about this with Kelli last night. We talked about the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and how reading the things for me was like transporting myself to a different world. Unreal experience.
Ryan
Ryan, that’s why I love books so much. I get transported to alternate worlds (in my own imagination) and get to travel without even leaving my house! 😉
Thanks so much for your comment. I’m glad you, too, love reading books!
I love to read! And I find myself going through phases where I read constantly and then phases when I don’t at all. My mom was always a very active reader and encouraged me to be the same. There is something therapeutic about holding that book, turning page after page and becoming totally immersed – no matter the subject. While I do read on my iPad from time to time, I still prefer a real book to hold. I have three different books going right now, which is something I never thought I could do. But depending on my mood, I have a variety of subjects to choose from. But I find it takes me longer to finish them when I start more than one at a time.
Pamela, thanks for your comment. I used to prefer holding a real book, but I’ve grown to love my Kobo e-reader. The only thing I don’t like is that I cannot flip back through the pages as easily as I can with a physical book. Often I like re-reading a passage, looking for clues (I read a lot of mysteries), and it’s a pain to do so on the Kobo.
I tried reading two different books at a time and hated it. Unless they were textbooks! But novels and novellas should be read one at a time for maximum effect, if you ask me.
What kind of books do you like to read?
Reading is how I get by in life. Read at least one book a week. Everything from economics to thrillers. If they don’t captivate me I stop reading. Mind you it’s very seldom that happens.
Catarina, you read a lot! That’s great!
What kind of books do you enjoy reading?
Absolutely! But then I also read books that can make me uncomfortable, and still love them. I most often find a lesson or pick up a morsel of wisdom that I can keep, even if a character is someone I wouldn’t like if I met him/her on the street. I, too, have traveled to many places by way of the beautiful words of a talented writer…the best vacations ever:)
Jacqueline, it’s so good to see that someone has the same outlook as I do regarding going on a great vacation! 🙂
Since I read mostly mysteries, it’s tough to find those nuggets of wisdom amidst the blood and gore, but, as I broaden my reading repertoire, I can see what you mean. I just read a book that involved a scam that almost anyone could fall for, so I suppose I learned from that!
Thanks for your comment.
I’m almost with you Lorraine. A good book can transport me to where-ever it wants and then at the end it inspires me to go there to. Go there so I can feel it, see it, experience it in my own way. The kick I get out of reading a book that is actually set in a place I have already been is amazing. I can feel my way through the book setting. I understand the nuances and it brings back my own memories and inserts them into the text like a color commentator to a football game. I think that is why I love historic books so much as I cannot go there no matter how much I want to…except via the book itself.
Tim, what a unique outlook you have. Thank you for sharing it. I am not a fan of historical books, so I cannot relate to your experiences. My favourite types of books are murder-mysteries, and I don’t think I would want to go to a place where I could be murdered! 😉
I love all the places and the time periods book transport me to. I also like to read books set in a place I plan to visit (both before and after the trip) – the fictional experience adds to my real-world experience.
Donna, I think it’s wonderful that you read about places you are going to travel to so that you can learn more about them. I’m not fortunate to be able to travel in real life but I do enjoy travelling to different places while reading!
Thank you for weighing in!
Yes, I can get lost reading a book and when I stop reading, I feel energized or rested. Reading is a great stress reliever for me. I like a book with a good story and believable characters.
Jo Ann, I think reading is a great stress reliever, too. 🙂