Five Favorite Reasons to Read

 Day Five of eBook-Mom's Journey

Today I am celebrating my five favorite reasons to read.

1.  Reading is Fun

When your in school, reading can be a form of torture.  But, when you pick up a book just for the sake of pleasure, you can experience a joy that you won't find anywhere else.  Isn't it something that a piece of paper with dots of ink can become words, that together work to tell a story?  And it's not just stories that are fun to read -- reading for information can be downright fulfilling.  What about when you read a recipe for Coca-Cola Cake -- YUMMY!

2.  Reading gives you something to talk about

Did you know that Cary Grant used to love dropping acid?  He thought dropping acid made him a better person. I read that in Dyan Cannon's book Dear Carry.  I love reading memoirs, so I've got a lot of interesting anecdotes about Rob Lowe, Melissa Gilbert, Carlos Santana, Steven Tyler, Brooke Shields, Joan Rivers and many more. 

Question: Do you think it's gossiping if you read the gossip in a memoir?  Think about it . . . you heard it straight from the source . . .do you think it's wrong to repeat it?  See what I'm talking about?  What do you think?

3. Reading teaches you something new

I can't begin to tell you all the things I learned reading all those memoirs.  When celebrities tell all, they REALLY let loose!  Sure, I'm joking around about gossip but memoirs are also a good source for understanding different periods in our cultural history.  Carlos Santana writes a very moving account of what it was like to be at Woodstock.  Rob Lowe, Melissa Gilbert and Brooke Shields, take us through the eighties and nineties and explain what it was like to become a pop icon.  Really interesting stuff you wouldn't learn if you didn't read.

4.  Reading is a great stress reliever

When I read, my mind is totally engaged by what I am reading.  I forget about the thing or issue that is stressing me out.  The more engaging the book, the less stress I feel.  It's even better when the book gets interactive like Steven Tyler or Carlos Santana's memoirs: when ever they were talking about the songs they wrote or the concerts they played, I listened to the music they were talking about.  It was a great experience.  Try it!  It's lots of fun.

5. Reading grows your vocabulary

Okay, I had to throw in something educational.  It's just the teacher inside of me.  I don't get uptight or serious about learning new vocabulary.  However, when I come across a word I don't recognize, I highlight it and look it up.  This is really easy when I'm reading on my Kindle Fire as the dictionary is built in.  This is a quick and easy way to increase your vocabulary.  Just becoming familiar with the word gives you a leg up on remembering it the next time you come across it.

Thanks for celebrating reading with me.  I had fun sharing my five favorite reasons to read with you.  So what are your five favorite reasons to read?  I would love to know.  Please share!