A Love Letter to Reading
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic and invite everyone to share their answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so I obviously love this feature!
Top Ten Reasons I Love Reading
1. Discovering gorgeous writing.
One of my favorite things in the world is opening up a book, reading a few sentences and knowing immediately that it's something special. I love the thrill of highlighting that perfect turn of phrase or sentence or entire page of words that seem like they were written just to be read by you. *sigh*
A few books that had me highlighting like crazy:
The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum
Girl Before a Mirror by Liza Palmer
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
2. Exploring new places.
Whether it's real or make believe - past, present or future - I love that reading can take me to places I've never been. I can't get enough of books that invite me into a new world and ignite my love for travel, my interest in the past or remind me of the power of imagination. Oh, the places I've been...
A few books that transported me to new places:
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
The Scarlet Series by A.C. Gaughen
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
3. Obsessing over love stories.
Nothing quite compares to reading a book and being swept up in the romance inside its pages. I'm a total sucker for a good love story! No matter the genre, I love when there's a couple I can root for in whatever I'm reading. And I particularly enjoy when a book teaches me something important about love and commitment!
A few books with love stories that left me swooning:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
It's Not Me, It's You by Mhairi McFarlane
4. Experiencing All The Emotions.
If I'm not emotionally invested in the story and/or characters, there's a good chance I won't finish reading a book. I'm rarely cry while reading, but I still want books to speak to my heart and leave me thinking about them long after I'm done. Experiencing a range of emotions - sadness, joy, anger, etc. - makes reading so engaging!
A few books that made me an emotional mess:
The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
5. Meeting beloved authors.
While I usually feel a little awkward talking to them, I absolutely love getting the chance to meet some of my favorite authors! Whether it's by attending a bookish conference like BEA or scoping out signings at my local bookstores, I'm so thankful for all the authors I've been able to meet over the past few years!
A few authors I've had the chance to meet:
Tahereh Mafi
Veronica Rossi
Sarah J. Maas
Rainbow Rowell
Gayle Forman
Stephanie Perkins
Laini Taylor
Markus Zusak
Colleen Oakley
Emily Giffin
6. Revisiting familiar favorites.
This should come as no surprise since I co-hosted The Re-Read Challenge last year with Kelly: I absolutely adore re-reading! I outlined why I love re-reading in this post, but the biggest reason is because there's something so comforting about returning to a book I already know and love. It's like catching up with a best friend!
A few books that I love re-reading:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
7. Connecting with other readers.
Have you ever experienced that lovely moment when you realize someone else is a reader, too? It's one of the fastest ways I'm able to connect with someone else! It usually kicks off a spirited discussion of favorite authors, beloved books, recent reads - even if we have different taste. And blogging has multiplied it tenfold!
A few bloggers I've gotten to fangirl with in person:
Cassie from The Casserole
Betty from Book Rock Betty
Estelle from Rather Be Reading
Alexa from Alexa Loves Books
Linds from Bring My Books
8. Getting to know different characters.
If you think about all of the things that go into a good story - like the plot, the writing, the characters - I tend to gravitate towards character-driven books. All of the elements are important and necessary for creating a memorable read, but I'm always on the lookout for interesting and well-developed characters.
A few books with characters that stole my heart:
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Just One Day by Gayle Forman
9. Admiring (and acquiring!) beautiful books.
I'm a self-confessed book hoarder. I just can't help it! I don't spend money on many other things because books are definitely my weakness. I have some quirks like collecting editions of my favorite books and buying books I've already read, but mostly I just love adding stuff to my ever-growing TBR. Books are the best!
A few books that were too pretty to resist:
The BabyLit series
Anything from Folio Society
Can I include my IKEA Billy bookshelves?
10. Seeing from another perspective.
And finally, reading allows me to step into someone else's shoes - whether it's a fictional character or a real-life person. There's so much to be said for the way it can teach empathy, compassion, and awareness. I've learned and grown as a person because of the books that I've read, and I wouldn't trade that for the world!
A few books that opened my eyes to different life experiences:
Hope Heals by Katherine and Jay Wolf
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings by Mary Henley Rubio
There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene
Love your choice of topic! I totally agree. There's really nothing like meeting other bloggers and falling in love with book characters.
ReplyDeleteI love this topic, it's absolutely perfect and a good reminder for those days when you question why you allow yourself to have piles of unread books around the place and have stayed up way too late finishing a really good book and feel like death at work the next day. We do it because we love reading and there are so many reasons to, aren't there? I agree with the beautiful writing point and exploring new places (it's a great form of escapism when it's chucking it down with rain and your plans to go exploring the real world are scuppered).
ReplyDeleteYay, so happy you are blogging! Gorgeous writing is one of my favorites too, I know just what you mean. There are certain phrases that are just SO perfect. And you know I love a good romance and feels! All the feels. I totally feel awkward meeting authors but I'm always so glad that I did; getting the chance to tell them how much I loved their book means a lot. You'd be proud of me, I've been rereading quite a lot this year! It's the best feeling, almost as good as connecting with readers :) This is such a great list!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE YOU HANNAH. (But I think you knew that already!) I count myself as so, so lucky to have been able to spend time with you in person, and to be able to call you my friend <3 Flailing over books with you and talking about anything and everything are seriously some of the best things in my life :)
ReplyDeleteI so rarely find anyone who has read The Blue Castle, I'm always happy to see it get some attention (especially since it doesn't really fit in on my blog with focuses on SF/F audiobooks). The final scenes really give me the Feels.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT from the same week