What is it about a book? What leads us to take a look? Letters are nonsense alone, a symbol symbolizing a single sound. Strung together, meanings abound. Letters lead to words, words structure sentences, sentences sing stories. Small characters make possible tales of adventures and glories.
A book is simply a collection of pages stamped with ink. They are nothing special you would think. They sit on shelves silently, pages resing patiently in place. Some are slim, others thick, all with a different face. The covers are varied and commonly vivid. Occasionally one offers a scene tenaciously turgid. Sometimes images ignite intrigue. A few are bombastic enough to banish fatigue.
Open a book of fantasy and paper studded with black marks transforms into dragons dodging through foreign skies and wizards wielding magic to save societies. Heroes emerge from humble starts and face endless anxieties. Worlds form before your eyes, images becoming as real as your reality. You hope desperately that the fate is not catastrophe. A peasant wins the day, saving the realm and steadying your raging fear. Your breath evens out only when the end is clear.
Dive into a romance novel and those strange symbols pull your heartstrings. Emotions tumble and whirl amidst magnanimous meetings. The characters become people as real as any particular person. Their voices whisper aloud quoted words, wholly real and certain. Your heart thumps in your chest to see lovers lunge for revenge or friends find their lips locking in an endless embrace. Long after the covers close you remember a protagonist’s gratuitous grace.
Fling yourself into a fact-based book and you’ll find food for your brain. Texts can teach you when to speak aloud and when to abstain. Everyday subjects become furiously fascinating in an author’s guile. Even simple stories become worthwhile. Epic escapades emerge in enlightening detail. The voices of the voiceless become heard, words coming down heavy like hearty hail.
Book after book, pages tumble through your fingers. Even after the last page flutters by, the feeling of elation ligers. An excitement of entering another universe. An emotion so pleasing it’s almost perverse. It’s not all your imagination. Words are a social contagion. Others will also see the same symbols as you. Though your experience is unique, it’s true. Take it all inside. Realize all that’s implied. A book is not a complicated thing. But it can make your soul sing.
Not only are books fun to read, but they also might provide other benefits. This article explains: The Mental Health Benefits of Reading by Richard Sima.
Thinking about getting back into reading? Try watching this video: why you stopped reading by Answer in Progress.
Looking for your next favorite book? There are websites like Goodreads that can help. You can also try asking friends or coworkers for recommendations. The best people to go to for advice though are the librarians at your local library!