Reading

If there’s one thing us bloggers seem to have in common (aside from blogging, of course) is our love of reading. There are probably millions of fellow bloggers out there whose sole topic for their blogs are books. Not just even bloggers. Ordinary people who do not feel the need to share their bookish passion also take pleasure in these simple treasures. After all, what is a book anyway? A mere bundle of pages with some meaningless letters wedged together? But it creates this wonderful, imaginative, terrible, adventurous and possibly dangerous tale that can make two complete opposites the best of friends from a little fangirling.

Why do we read? Is it an “escape” as so many people like to call it? Well, I like to think not. I don’t want reading to be a thing that keeps me from reality. (In fact I’d prefer some books to be my reality – Hogwarts, anyone? – but that’s not my point…). I want books to be part of my everyday life. I like to be able to share these marvellous gifts with friends, neighbours and even random people in cafes. They are a way of experiencing new things from the comfort of my own home. Reading is a hobby that brings joy, comfort and friends ( just because they are fictional does not mean I can’t call them my friends, OKAY!). It allows my imagination to grow and lets me learn new rings. It often shapes my perspective and enlightens me with new ideas. But best of all, it makes me happy.



For most people reading was introduced as a way of improving their English and skills for school… or else your parents just wanted you to shut up and go to sleep. For me it was definitely the latter. Instead of books my parents read me poems. Nothing special. No Robert Frost or W.B. Yeats. Just your ol’ nursery rhymes etc. Then finally we began “bigger books”. My favourite had to be Alice in Wonderland. It had jigsaws where the pictures should be and such an imaginative magical story that filled my head with all sorts of wonder. 

The variety in books today means that no matter who you are there is probably some book out there that you will enjoy. Genres from classic to fantasy, crime to dystopian, romance to thriller and Children, YA and Adult.

Because of books, friendships, communities and fan clubs have formed. There are so many bookbloggers in the world that I’ve probably only read a tiny tiny percentage of them. My favourite range from having 300+ followers to a humble 10 followers. But that amount doesn’t matter, it is their content and obvious passion that draws me to their blogs. A great book blogger for me, shares their honest opinions, writes truthful reviews and captures the essence of that book. I love it when a post makes me feel inspired or excited to read a new book and I’ll often comment and then come back later to see a reply. Books can create an engaging bond between two strangers. It is these blogs that I trust and come to for new books to read. I’d go through some of their old reviews to see which ones might interest me.

So what’s your story with books? Do you remember the first one you read? Or was there a recent one you think other’s would enjoy? Any favourite bookbloggers you think deserve a mention?