In college it can be hard to find time to read for pleasure and sometimes its hard to find the motivation to want to read for pleasure. There are so many assignments that require reading and writing that it can take the joy out of it. Why would you read a novel when you have 60 plus pages of textbook reading that you have to have done by tomorrow? Or if your like me, I feel guilty when I know I have things to read for class and I am instead reading a novel for fun but, it is important to read for fun. It is important to not loose the joy and love of reading.

Reading is one of the only true forms of magic we have in this world. It is an escape, it is a change to live different lives. It is a way to fall in love, a way to travel to new places, and it is a way to learn about ourselves. Many books have a way of teaching us about life and what we expect from it. They can also teach us new philosophies and way to think about the world around us.

I grew up in a household that worshiped reading. My darling mother, as a reading teacher, helped cultivate my love of literature and has always supported my hoarding of the classics such as Dante’s Inferno, Lord of the Rings, Lewis Carroll’s works, Atlas shrugged, Gone with the Wind, The Bostonians, Little Woman, and many, many more. My dad would read to me out of The Peanuts and Garfield before putting me to bed and it was here that I learned the joy that came from reading.

It was within all of these books that I learned and continue to learn about the person I want to be. If I ever need an escape from the life I'm living or the world I'm living in I know I can take refuge in the books of my past. If I ever need a grand adventure I can pick up a new book and travel to wherever I want whenever I want for a very cheap price.

I want to thank my parents and my teachers who helped cultivate this love of literature, of knowledge, and the desire to learn more about everything around me. I also hope to inspire others to help cultivate this love and passion in others. Many things that are addictive are harmful to your body or your mental health. I have never known anyone who had been injured do to over indulgence in literature. So please read to your children, read to your brothers or sisters, read to your lover, read to yourself. Buy your friends books. Go to library and book stores and just share the love of knowledge and books.