My Case for Reading

Last week, I sat beside a blog reader at a wedding. (Hello, Bethany.) She said, “I love when you share book recommendations on your blog.” I told her that I find it so difficult to articulate why I loved a book. She said, "I just needs to know that a book is good, not why you loved it." That encouraged me to share more good books with you! 

But before I do that, I want to shine a light on the benefits of cracking the spine of a book. There’s a million ways you can spend your time. Why spend it reading? 

1. Reading builds empathy.

I don’t know about you, but empathy is something I always long for more of. I want to be able to relate to others with more compassion and understanding. Reading gives me the unique opportunity to get inside someone else’s brain and see life from their perspective. And while I may never be a foster child or an invalid or an extrovert, reading opens up my eyes to what those experiences might be like. I really believe that reading helps us move through the world with more grace for those who's views are different than ours.

2. Reading broadens your world view.

Living in America has given us a narrow, insulated view of the world. We sit in our comfortable lives surrounded by freedom and wealth and we forget how privileged we really are. Reading reminds me that ordinary things like a hot shower, a five acre field behind my house, or a trip to the grocery store is not ordinary at all! They are gifts that much of the world does not have.

3. Reading reduces stress.

Studies show that reading for six minutes can reduce stress by sixty-eight percent! That makes reading a more effective stress reliever than taking a walk, listening to music, or drinking a cup of tea. I dare you to lay down your phone and pick up a book for ten minutes the next time you feel stressed out. I think you might become addicted to the ways it calms the crazy in your brain. :)

4. Books make great discussion starters.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." In my experience, when you put a couple of readers in a room there is no lack of ideas bouncing around! Books are often the instigator of the most interesting conversations. 

This list is far from comprehensive. These are simply the first things I thought of when considering how reading has benefited my life. I hope this encourages a reluctant reader to give reading another chance. Stay tuned for some great fiction recommendations coming your way soon. Happy reading, friends!