Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. toptentuesday

This Week’s Topic :  10 Reasons you love ___

The topic this week is opened ended, which is fantastic since I’m in a hotel room on a tight schedule. That means we are going to talk about something near and dear to my heart (and hopefully to yours as well!) – Reasons to read!

  1. You Can Escape – Books transport you to another time and place. Sometimes for only a short while, but sometimes for hundreds if not thousands of pages of delight.
  2. You Learn More Words – Reading and increase a child’s vocabulary by up to 50%. That’s amazing!
  3. You Get More References – After I read Dune I wanted to punch myself in the face for not reading it earlier. There were so many allusions to it in pop culture that I always missed. Being well-read gives you entry into a secret club. Have you ever watched Archer? That show is full of literary nods and in-jokes, and I’m delighted when I recognize them.
  4. You Destroy at Trivia – This is obviously connected to #3, but reading lets you pick up a zillion little factoids that make you an absolutely boss at trivia contests. I have so many restaurant gift cards now.
  5. You Increase Your Brain Health – Reading helps improve memory and cognitive function. Who wouldn’t want to do that?
  6. You Enter an Amazing Community – Book blogs, book clubs, book events- the book community is wonderful and engaging and is always ready to lend an opinion or point of view.
  7. You Can Relax! – Reading is so calming, and can help reduce stress and help you sleep. Well, that is, as long as you aren’t staying up until 4AM finishing just one more chapter.
  8. You Aren’t Alone – Books allow you to connect with authors and concepts and ideas. You are not alone! Someone else has felt exactly the same way you have, and they’ve put it to page and they understand exactly how you feel.
  9. You Gain Empathy – Because books transport you to other places, times, and events, they put you in situations you may have never experienced, or in mindsets that you’ve never had. You learn about other peoples and cultures and ways of life and generate an understanding for what others go through.
  10. You Have No Excuse! – There is a book out there for everyone, an amazing journey just waiting to be had. Hop on the boat and go!