Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. Today's topic is: Reasons why I love being a blogger/reader. I'm going to do a bit of each.
I love reading because...
1. It lets me relax. When I read, my mind drifts away and I forget all about the deadlines and responsibilities of daily life. (I actually wrote on this topic for my college application essay!)
2. It has given me a large vocabulary and decent spelling and grammar skills. Because of the gajillion books I read as a kid, I rather naturally learned proper spelling and grammar at a very early age. I also hated looking up words I didn't know in the dictionary, because I thought it disrupted the flow of the story, so I learned so much vocabulary by plain old context clues. I'm also that person who knows how to spell things, but not how to pronounce them, because I've only read them in books!
3. It has taught me how to write. Of course, it's not the only thing that's taught me how to write, but it's definitely had a huge influence. Subconsciously, by reading tons of classics as a kid, I slowly developed an eye for writing style and helpful writing techniques.
4. It helps me find potential friends. (That makes me sound anti-social, which I'm not - I'm just not super-social.) If anyone enters into a discussion with me on BOOKS, they immediately rise in my opinion. Especially if it's on the classics. Case in point: All of my friends are readers. Seriously. I can't think of one that isn't. And they all have an appreciation for classic literature.
5. It means I'm never bored. Bus late? Got my book. Waiting for a doctor's appointment? Got my book. Long flight? Got my book. And if I haven't got a book nearby, for some reason, I ponder. Which leads me to my next two points...
6. It has taught me to ponder and contemplate. (Which is technically redundant. Oh well. I liked how it sounded.) Reading is a contemplative thing - even if you're reading a fast paced action novel. Books have so much depth - good books do, at least - no matter what genre they're in. So after I finish a book, I ponder.
7. It has given me a superb imagination. (This is connected to #3.) For practically all of my childhood, I engaged in the fantastic art of "pretend." It was private pretending, most of the time, because I am not an actress, but I loved feeling that I was a part of a story. First, I went through numerous variations on the "kidnapped princess" theme; then, a few years later, I became the prince - 'cause that was totally funner (princes got swords); and finally, I decided I liked being a girl - but one of those "badass heroines" (inspired by Eilonwy after I read The Prydain Chronicles). My sister and I dreamed of being pulled into books by magic, and hanging out with Robin Hood and Maid Marian.
I love blogging because...
8. It has expanded my book list into more contemporary literature. I read a lot of classics before I started blogging, but since I've become a part of the book blogging community, I have added some newer books to my TBR - and I'm super excited about that! (Though classics will always have a special place in my heart.)
9. It has (mostly) relieved my parents from the duty of patiently listening to me as I talk books to them. Before I started blogging, whenever I got excited by a book, I would give my parents a huge monologue about what I liked (or vehemently disliked) about it, and they would nod along patiently and say, "mmhmm..." (Note: my parents are not bibliophiles.) Well, with this blog, I can transfer all my big book rants over here - and possibly make them more coherent, because I have to actually write them, instead of just blabbing them out when I think of them.
10. It's given me a way to put my writing "out there." Yes, it's just rants about books. No, it's not my best writing. But I still like knowing that I am "publishing" stuff and people are enjoying it! It makes me feel so good. Thank you guys so much for reading! I love you so much.... :-)
~Sophia
Why do you love to read? (Or, if you have a blog, to blog?)
#2 for sure! Apparently 9 year olds don't say "deploy"? I learned so many vocabulary words and read them all the time that it's just part of my speech now. Although I am also a victim of the I can spell it and know how to use it but don't ask me how to pronounce it disease.
ReplyDeleteHaha, my family always makes fun of me for mispronouncing words...
DeleteThanks for reading!
Dear Sophia,
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed reading since I was very young. Reading about science was [and still is] very important to me. Later, reading novels by Frederick Forsyth [The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File] and William Goldman [Marathon Man, Magic, Heat and Brothers] had a profound effect on my own style of writing. Novellas such as Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row move me tremendously. I love to read biographies of the various scientists, inventors, actors, authors, playwrights and songwriters I admire, to learn how they succeeded and try to find some clues that might help me. Many of these people had difficult lives and one finds their fame was/is tempered by growing up in poverty, or without love or support, or not being recognized during their lifetime [like Gregor Mendel].
Anyway, I hope my response hasn't brought you to REM sleep! Take care!
Sincerely, Howard
Wow! That's all super interesting! I feel bad saying that I actually haven't read any of the books you mentioned... :-(
DeleteI do, however, love biographies - especially autobiographies. My favorite is "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman," by (Physics) Nobel Prize Winner Richard Feynman. He had such an interesting life!
I've enjoyed that book by Feynman as well. I felt so sad for him, losing his first wife from TB. The sadder tragedy was that if it would have been diagnosed earlier [a nurse suggested TB but the more educated doctor told her to be quiet], she might have been saved...
DeleteP.S. Sophia, have you had the chance to check out my music yet? Perhaps you have, didn't like it, but didn't want to hurt my feelings?
Oh no, I'm sure your music is fantastic! I actually still haven't gotten around to checking it out - I've just been having a rather extremely busy time in my life now... way too many scholarship essay deadlines have kept me on my toes.
DeleteI promise - I will get to it soon! And when I do, I'll let you know! :-)
I'm relieved to hear that!
DeleteI apologize since I think my statement above about Feynman's book is wrong. If memory serves me correctly [this time], a young doctor suggested that Feynman's first wife had TB, and the nurse present scoffed at the idea. Why Feynman didn't follow up on this possibility is beyond me.
This week's been especially fun hopping around all the blogs - everyone's is so different and so revealing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!