Why Do I Love Books?

As someone who studies an English degree, and spends at least twenty hours a day reading something of some kind, this is a question that I get asked a lot.

And to be perfectly honest, I don't know the answer. Even after almost twenty-one years, I cannot answer this question. I've always loved to read. I've done it ever since I can remember. I learned to scan read, in order to take more information in and read more quickly, before most kids learned to read normally.

For me, books are my happy place. Whenever I'm feeling down, I know that I can snuggle up in bed, with a cup of tea, and read my books, and I'll be alright again fairly soon. There is nothing that I love to do more than read, even at uni, when it's not uncommon to have to read three or four books a week just to stay on track.

I get so many people say to me, 'I wish I could just sit and read books like you do.' But I think the problem with that is if you love reading, it's because you've always loved it. It's not something you've necessarily picked up along the way, or a habit you've learned. But that doesn't mean you can't learn to love it. Go to a bookshop (side note: I would LIVE in a bookshop if I could <3) and pick out ANY book that takes your fancy. Irrelevant of genre, topic, age range, just pick it up. If it sounds good, take it home and spend fifteen minutes reading it. If you hate it, then fine, maybe that genre/topic/style of book isn't for you. Just take the time to give it a go, and who knows what you'll find out.

The trick is to make reading a fun experience - something you want to do. Whether that's cosy up in bed or on the sofa, or just sit and read. Do it because you want to. And forget everyone else.
My all-time favourite book series is Harry Potter. I'm the Potter generation, and I will fiercely defend the saga until my dying day. I love it so much that I'm writing my dissertation on it. But I'm almost twenty-one, and many people think that I'm too old for the Potter series now. To them, I say absolutely not. The first Potter book came out two years after I was born. I am LITERALLY the generation that grew up with Harry Potter and I will love it even when I'm fifty.

So why do I love books? The short answer is because I always have.