The Power of Books - Blog

Books and reading are often labeled as the quiet person's hobby.  The shy girl with her nose in a book in the back of the class.  The nerd with his wide rimmed glasses reading his homework.  The house wife spending her days reading naughty books.

Yes, I am that shy girl with a book, I am also the nerdy one with the glasses, and I often enjoy a more seductive read on a lazy afternoon.  Books have changed my life, and in doing so I have improved myself on many levels. Without books I would not be who I am today and many others like me would be the same.

A book can offer a sense of family, companionship, and a friend when others are not. Books can bring together cultures that have very little in common, teach a reader about a familial relationship that they may not have access to, or even provide examples of how human interaction can occur in any given situation.  Readers can read and find friends that will stand with them through monster attacks, heartache and loss.   

Books are also the worlds best teachers. They provide twenty-four hour help on any given subject and descriptions of any skill one desires to learn.  Well written characters can teach empathy, detailed technical writing can provide mentoring, and fantastical stories can transport the reader to far off places and help to cope with real life issues.

There are many different kind of books in the world and some are more my style than other.  For example, give me a romance novel or something paranormal and I'll sit down and devour it in a single sitting.  A novel about the real world, and one that I see my life reflected in will take me a touch longer.  Textbooks or technical learning, you mine as well just give up now, my speed reading drops to the turtle's pace and I frustrate easily.  But that's just me, I have a good friend who is completely the opposite.  Her tiny apartment is filled to bursting with technical books, every so often she'll borrow a novel from me, but for the most part she's a "read to better oneself" instead of an "escapist" like I am.

Diversity is a wonderful thing, for without the different interests we would all be boring copies of one another.  I enjoy knowing that I can call up my Gram for a mystery suggestion, my Mom for romance, my best friend for technical, and my spouse for articles and current events.  All of these people are different and have different views on the world, colored and influenced by what they read. 

Books have influence and it runs deep, never underestimate the power in reading for books will never abandon you and always have something new to share.

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What type of reader are you? Fantasy, technical, mystery, non-fiction, "only when I have to," etc.

Have books changed your life in someway?  Made it better, helped to create a bond between you and another, changed the way you view something.  Books have that power.  If you let them.

Share your experiences in the comments below.