Top 10 Joys of Reading Books...

The first and foremost joy of reading is Finding the Right Book. This is an absolute must. The full joy of reading gets dicey if reading a book, or anything for that matter, is not engaging from the start.

Once the right book is in hand, Excitement is what follows. Wanting to know what will happen next, and how the story will wrap up is what keeps the pages turning to the finger-licking end.

During this time, and surely by the end you’ll notice how Relaxing reading the right book is. Even if you have a million things to do, and the world is falling apart around you, your thoughts will be consumed with finding a corner to curl up in and finish reading this story. (You don't really think you'll be able to save this world do you?)

Surprising, even to me, reading (the right book of course) embodies a Healing factor. This doesn’t mean reading alone will cure the inevitable. Some facts of life are in fact a fact. However, reading (particularly the right book) stimulates the most major muscle in the body. That’s right. The brain; which controls the body. Yeah, so all the gossip about how reading too many books can be bad for your health can be ignored. There is zero. None. Zilch. Nada. Absolutely no validity or evidence that supports reading too many of the right books causes social or physical ills. (At least not on the reader's part).

...which ironically (another surprise) is realizing (with the brain doing its thing) how unnecessary it is to wear out my triceps, shoulder blades and knees jumping up and down in a gym. Reading (the right books of course) is all the Exercise needed.

Engaging books Increases Insight. In the same way that ignorance is bliss, so is knowledge, albeit with one caveat. You can always pretend to be ignorant. Ho-Ho-Ho. What a joy!

Alright...and okay... so maybe not so funny 😳. Sorry.

But did you know reading engaging books also Promotes Empathy? Be cautioned not to confuse sympathy with empathy. To feel sorry for someone, or something (sympathy), is not the same as walking a mile in someone else’s shoes (empathy).

Another benefit of reading engaging books is learning to read ‘between the lines’, which can be substituted for increased Reading Comprehension; a valuable skillset, what as well increases the enjoyment factor when coming across ...let’s say... little secrets in books not always spelled out. True story. I still remember when someone dissected one of my novels, lifting my brows up off my forehead. I was like, “damn!” Seriously. This exchange gave me a whole new respect for avid readers who really know books.  

By far the most altruistic benefits of reading is the proclivity to save money, increase productivity and sometimes keep out of trouble by keeping our nose in books, translated... Minding Our Own Business.

Tagging off all the above is why and how I find reading (again, the right books) a Respectable Entertainment. I mean, there are (perhaps) millions of ways to be entertained, quite a few I enjoy in addition to reading, and still reading is most respectable because it is one activity that has a penchant for paying it forward in magnanimous worthy ways. Like gifts that keep on giving.

Tiz the Season...