When Americans are polled on their favorite hobbies, you
know what usually comes out on top?
You guessed it.
Reading.
Of course everybody reads for school, work, research or just
to figure out how to install the latest whatever-it-is they just bought. But when it comes to reading for
ourselves, it is usually fiction we choose.
Being lucky enough to have older
siblings and parents who loved books, I was one of those strange kids who
started reading before I hit kindergarten. Growing up, I found as many friends
in the pages of novels as I did among my neighbors and schoolmates. So, of
course I am now a total fiction addict who goes into withdrawal if I get stuck
waiting in a dentist’s office without a book or my e-reader.
I think the act of a reader and author sharing a fictional world that is created solely out of words is a magical thing. I used to
worry that this was escapism or, at the very least, guilty pleasure. But those
of you who share my obsession can relax. According to a couple recent
studies, reading fiction not only helps you develop better social skills, but
it can also make you superior at interacting in business situations.
So, go ahead and load up your e-reader with a vengeance. :) I know I'm going to use these long, cozy winter nights to dig into my TBR pile. How about you?
~*~
Alicia Street is a USA
Today bestselling author and a Daphne du Maurier award-winner. She often
writes in collaboration with her husband, Roy, and is grateful to have the kind
of marriage that proves romance novel love really exists.
Aaaah, books! I learned to read early and was a voracious reader, a habit I learned from my mother. I was a dreamy kid with a vivid imagination and could scare the daylights out of myself with stories I made up in my head. Fortunately, I chose a career where I can get paid to tell stories, although I've given up the scary ones.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that, Patricia. Sounds like we would've gotten along as kids. :)
ReplyDeleteI was a late starter. I didn't learn to read until I was eight because I had dyslexia and back in the day the teachers didn't even know what that was. I was continually told I was lazy! Once I could read there was no stopping me. I devoured stories about ponies and horses, my childhood passion. Then I moved on to the classics and then fantasy. Finally I found romance.
ReplyDelete