I love books. None of that audio book or kindle nonsense for me. Just the tried and true, book that you can hold in your hands that come with the very specific smell only books have. Nothing beats it.

I’m a bookworm, always have been. The child who would go missing for hours at a time, only to be found somewhere in a corner reading a book. For me, reading can make the worst day turn around. It is my one true escape.

Reading a book allows me to leave this world behind and completely join a new one. It’s never just been a story on the page, books have been little lives I have been allowed to live.

Some people read, but stay distracted with the things around them. When I read, I can shut it all out. My siblings joke that someone could be getting murdered beside me, but if I am reading, I could be none the wiser.

Many emotions come with reading, allowing books to become little lives you live. To be a true reader, you have to connect with the characters, almost become them. That is what makes a book special. Connecting with it. Letting yourself feel. Caring about the way that little life turns out. Being sad when it ends. For a long time, it was only when I was reading that I could feel anything at all.

I think more people should try and become readers. Try and live different little lives. See the worlds other people live. It may not be real life, but I think you can learn something from each book you read. It can be a new emotion that it brought out of you, a new way of thinking, or just a little piece of joy. Books are special in a way TV and movies are not, a true escape into your own mind. If you haven’t picked up a book in a while, try to do so and see all the little worlds you can live if you only start.