Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week, she posts an idea relating to books and encourages other book bloggers to respond with their own top ten lists.
This week’s topic is “top ten reasons why I love reading.” Thanks to my mom, I’ve been an avid reader since childhood, so books have always been an important part of my life. Here are just a few of the reasons why I love reading so so much:
It’s an escape from everyday life.
I’m a pretty predictable person. I love routines and structure, and I’m fairly risk-averse, so most days in my life play out similarly. Normally, I don’t think this is a bad thing, but during the pandemic, this became a little monotonous. Books were an excellent way for me to become someone new for a few hours, and travel to places that I otherwise couldn’t see.
Reading is self-care.
My brain is constantly whirring with thoughts, and there are very few things that make it go quiet — studio barre classes are one of them, and reading is the other. Picking up a book is the the perfect way for me to decompress.
Books remind you to look for magic in the mundane.
I’m a huge contemporary romance fan, and one of the things I love the most about the genre is the guaranteed promise of a happily-ever-after. The catalyst to the meet-cutes can be anything from locking eyes on the subway to showing up to a job interview and having mutual dislike at first sight with your interviewer, and it gives me hope that one day an innocuous encounter of mine will blossom into a meaningful relationship.
They let you experience new perspectives.
As a cis, straight, white female, there is no shortage of media about people that look like me. However, there is now so much wonderful representation in literature, especially in YA, and I’ve been making an active effort to seek these out these diverse voices and books.
Want to learn something new? There’s a book for that.
Coming from an academic background in biology, I used to associate learning with dry, heavy textbooks. It wasn’t until I started reading non-fiction that I realized that learning about a new topic or subject could actually be fun instead of just… work. I do tend to gravitate towards ones that are extensions of investigative journalism, like Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, but I am hoping to expand my non-fiction horizons.
Books bring people together.
I have been able to meet so many wonderful people (like all of you reading this!) through reading and blogging. I’m so lucky to be a part of this bookish community.
They let me turn my hobby into a job that I love.
Throughout high school, I was a student library page at my local library. I absolutely loved it and when I went away to university, I started blogging here as a way to talk about books with other people who were passionate readers (since very few of my friends at the time read). Today, I work as a social media marketing coordinator for a book publisher; I get paid to create content about books that I love, and I couldn’t be happier.
What do you love the most about reading?
What a cool job you have! Do you have any advice for others who might want to get into that kind of work? (No pressure if that’s too big of an ask).
And books definitely bring people together. I adore that about them.
Lydia recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons Why I Love Reading
That’s a very good question! I’d first recommend applying even if you don’t quite meet the eligibility criteria – in my case, I had no previous publishing experience, but I did just finish a digital media marketing post-grad and supplemented that with my blogging/library work experience.
I also recommend including your blog / any social media where you talk about books on your resume, since it shows you have a strong understanding of the market that publishers are trying to reach. The fact that I was involved in the bookish community (both as a blogger and a bookstagrammer) was definitely an asset – it demonstrated that I was passionate about books/reading, and also showcased my hands-on experience crafting the kinds of content involved in the social media coordinator role.
erin recently posted…Review | Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater
I agree with all of these.
Steph@paigesofbooks recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday- Eight Reasons I enjoy reading
Thanks, Steph! Happy reading!
erin recently posted…Review | Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater
I love the diversity in reading. It’s great to see books showcase characters that don’t look like me (cis/white/female).
It’s great that reading has allowed you to turn a hobby into a career.
Here is my TTT post: https://readbakecreate.com/?p=468
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create! recently posted…8 Reasons I Love Reading
I agree, books can bring people together. Great list! I like all of your reasons.
Here’s my list!
Lectrice Vorace recently posted…Ten Reasons Why I Love Reading
Mostly travel without actually traveling realistically! Meeting new people without actually meeting them in person😍I so love this!
Yes! All the perks of “seeing” a new place without having to actually leave your cozy reading spot.