Over the past few years, especially since coming to college, I have observed that people are reading less. In college, everyone’s schedules are super busy and hectic with academics, extracurriculars and trying to have a social life. It seems that any free time that a college student has is usually spent on streaming services to watch movies and binge TV shows. Not many people want to cuddle up with a good book anymore.
I have to admit that I am guilty of living this college lifestyle where the only reading I do is for homework from boring textbooks. It seems like nowadays all of us college students in our free time want to cuddle up with the TV remote or our laptops with Netflix open as opposed to a book. However, with my recent rediscovery of how wonderful books are, I believe it is time to change this trend.
At the beginning of this semester, I happily rediscovered my enjoyment of reading. When I was a bit younger, around middle school age and into high school, I really enjoyed reading. My best friend would always recommend books for me to read, which were often part of larger series, and I would always read the whole series and thoroughly enjoy them. One of my favorite series that I ever read that she recommended to me was the “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series by Sarah J. Maas. If you enjoy the fantasy fiction genre, I definitely recommend that you read this series! It’s four books of pure perfection.
When I came to college, I lost my enjoyment of reading due to the crazy transition and the drastic change in my schedule. I no longer felt that I had time to pick up a good book and get lost in the pages.
At the end of last semester I decided to pick up an English minor. I knew I had room in my schedule to take some extra classes, and I decided that I might as well make them count and get another minor in a subject I have always enjoyed in school. This semester, I am taking an English course called Edith Wharton & Her Circle, and reading novels and short stories is a huge part of the course. After finishing reading the first novel for the class, which was, “The House of Mirth” by Edith Wharton, I realized how much I missed reading. I really enjoyed this novel and it absolutely brought back my feelings of how enjoyable reading can be. Thank you, Edith Wharton!
There is something about reading a book that is such a truly fulfilling experience, especially when it’s the right book. But by reading a book, I mean having a physical copy of the book in front of you where you can flip the pages and actually see the progress you are making as you read. Kindles, Nooks and other technological ways to read are fine too, but reading from an actual paper book makes the experience for me so much more exciting!
Reading is such an enriching experience that can introduce you to worlds that you have always wanted to explore or worlds that you have never imagined before. Sometimes when I am reading an amazing book, I become so fully immersed in what is going on, and can actually imagine myself being in the story.
My absolute favorite part about reading is how connected you can become with the characters. I love when you read a book and you can feel the emotions that the characters are feeling, and you can feel what it’s like to be in the certain situations that the characters are in. It makes reading a book so much more of an immersive experience.
This is a calling for everyone to get back to reading. Take a break from the latest show that you are binging and pick out a book that you’ve been meaning to read for probably the past few years. Get lost in the pages, connect with some characters, and then when you’re done reading it, maybe there’s a movie version of it that you can check out! I am a very big movie fan, however I am also a strong believer that the books are often better than the movies.
I know people say that you should read more instead of watching TV because watching TV rots your brain, but I am not one of these people. Of course I enjoy binging shows and settling in to watch a good movie or show to unwind from a busy day, and there are actually lots of educational things to watch out there! However, there still is something special about reading and really connecting with a good book. Now that I have reconnected with reading, I know that nothing compares to the feeling of enjoying a book so thoroughly that you can’t wait to read it again and looking forward to reading whatever book you choose next. Get back to reading everyone! You won’t regret it.
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