Why do I read?

Recently I have been asked the question, “Why do you read?” Good question, why should anyone read? I read because I have always enjoyed it. From as long as I can remember, reading books has always provided me with a satisfaction that simply cannot be found anywhere else.

I have a memory as a child reading the Junie B. Jones series and finding them hilarious beyond compare. I guess that’s where my passion really started. Along the lines of reading The Magic Tree House and Peter Rabbit, I became addicted with this lifelong obsession.

As I started to grow up, Harry Potter became my best friend, following me around everywhere. I still remember the first time I decided to start the Harry Potter series; there was a girl in my 3^rd grade class who had already started reading them, and quite frankly, I was kind of jealous she was already reading a book that big. So, I dragged my mother to the library and, voila! , I held Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in my little hands.

Then I grew older, and my book choices matured. Reading became very prevalent during summers when I would enter the reading contest at the Mason Public Library. In 8^th grade, I spent almost every intervention at the library hunting for books; I must’ve scoured that place so many times the librarians started to recognize me!

Sadly, however, my passion for reading started to dim when I reached high school. In my first two trimesters, I already had an English class that required me to read, so I simply fell out of the habit of regularly visiting the library. In my English classes, I learned different purposes for reading that had never occurred to me before. I learned how to read to analyze a text, and I learned that all books were not meant for entertainment, some had deeper meanings and morals hidden between them.

Through English class, I got the chance to read books that I’ll admit I would’ve never read by myself. And I enjoyed the challenge. Learning to read this new way now drives me to get a deeper understanding of books I read outside of school, and I have learned this realization is quite thrilling.

Now I read for an interesting plot, well-rounded characters, clear imagery, and many other writing crafts that I have learned make, in essence, a good book.