The Importance of Reading Books

First and foremost, literature is a brilliant means of escapism. Through books one can dive into another character’s world, sometimes one akin to our own, sometimes one that is completely made up. And in doing so, you can completely detach from your own reality for as long as you’re reading. The beauty of fiction is that it can take you can literally anywhere and your imagination is the only limit. I like to think of books as films that play out in your head, which you are in complete control of. This idea has been articulated much more eloquently by Paulo Coelho, who said:

“The book is a film that takes place in the mind of the reader. That’s why we go to movies and say, “Oh, the book is better.”

One of the greatest joys of reading is that it’s up to you to interpret the words in front of you. Whilst the author of the work may have had a particular meaning or feeling in mind when they wrote those words, you, the reader, are in complete control of how those words are interpreted.