Why do I read?
to get lost in a story
to live vicariously
to remember
to forget
to find kindred spirits
to discover a new path
to grow
to be more informed
to know and understand the past
to figure out how to do things
to figure out how to do things better
to savor carefully crafted sentences
to appreciate the perfectly chosen word
to imagine
to connect
to ask questions
to seek answers
to challenge myself
to see what the fuss is all about
to wonder
to understand literature from another time
to experience the variety of the world and its people
to exercise my brain
to fill in gaps in knowledge
to be part of a community
to find a better way
to have wonderful ideas
to meet the wonderful ideas of others
to become more empathetic
to experience art
to learn
to feel things
to lose myself
to find myself
Why do you read?
the dirigible plum 
13 responses to “Why Do I Read?: Slice of Life #sol18 15/31”
Love the poetic form of this list.
Where’s the part about reading because you love literature? 🙂 No, really, I read because it lets me sit at the feet of other humans to hear what the world is telling them at the moment, or has told them in the past. Well, and sometimes I read to get away from the real world. Yeah, there’s that, too.
To understand how other people think – it fascinates me
Love this. So many amazing reasons to read!
I love your thoughtful and reflective list of your reading reasons. The range of your reading shows through the range in your reasons! Thank you for sharing!
I read because a good book is better than anything on TV.
I LOVE THIS!!!!
I read to get lost in a new world.
To have a break from reality.
Reading your post is like glimpsing into my own mind. Are you familiar with Anna Quindlen’s book “How Reading Saved My Life”? To answer your question: In addition to the reasons you articulate, I read to be more empathetic.
Love this list poem. You’ve hit on so many truths! Why do I read? All of that – and because my world expands with every word. Reading teaches me to love.
Great list poem! I also read for comfort and I read with my kids to have a shared experience.
I read to learn and to grow as a person. Thanks for a wonderful post!
Beautiful! I appreciated your precise verbs. I also felt that jolt of recognition of meeting another avid reader. For me, reading your post brought to mind the quote, “We read to know we are not alone.” – C.S. Lewis or William Nicholson
Yes, to all these reasons! This would be wonderful to have on a poster for kids to see. There are so many reasons to read. (And I couldn’t help but notice, you did not mention “to take a test” anywhere in your list. :))