I was a total bookworm growing up. No, it wasn’t just for the Accelerated Reader points in elementary school. My love for reading came from my grandma. She would read all of the time when I was little and eventually I started to, too. From then on it’s rare to see me without a book… or three.

For me, reading is a way to escape reality. When things weren’t going well either at school or at home, I’d just pick up a book and forget everything around me. I love going on adventures, falling in love or saving the day. You know that feeling of straight up sadness you have when you finish a series on Netflix? That’s me when I finish a book.

Shopping sprees for me don’t consist of buying everything in Forever 21 or Sephora (though I do enjoy doing both of those). I love raiding my nearest Barnes & Noble. Seriously, my family knows to avoid them at all costs whenever I’m around. Whenever I go on trips my parents proceed to check my backpack to make sure I don’t bring an excessive amount of books. I’m in college and they did this two weeks ago.

My paradise is getting lost in the fiction section of any bookstore or library. “Going” on these adventures with characters has truly made me a more well-rounded person as a whole. I understand what it really means to put yourself in someone else’s’ shoes. I find myself thinking on a more intellectual level, not necessarily like when you’re reading a textbook, more like you have a greater overall understanding of people. I can pick up on a lot more non-verbal communication (attitudes, hand gestures, posture, etc.) but I find myself staying quiet at the same time. Reading has helped me when it comes to my brain but actually applying what I have learned is a different story.

I am no introvert by any means, ask anyone. But when I find myself in uncomfortable situations I do “clam up” to a point. And I believe that is partially due to me not knowing what’s going to happen next. When I’m reading, I know exactly what the characters are thinking and I have a good understanding of what events would follow each other. But it’s completely different in real life. If I don’t like something in the book, I have the freedom to skip it or close the book altogether. There’s no fast forward or skip button in life.

Reading a good book is the best way to make me happy. I love being with people, sure. But I also love holing away in my room burled up with a book and no distractions. Everybody needs a little time in their life just for them and this is how I spend mine. I wouldn’t have it any other way.