An ode to reading

When my books are neglected, I forgot how good reading feels. I tell myself I’m “reading” when I’m surfing the internet, but we all know that’s a lie. This week, I’ve finally returned to my current book …and promptly fell asleep after half an hour.

A book is so much more forgiving than a screen.

A book waits patiently for your full attention–it doesn’t appreciate your attempts at multitasking. It doesn’t force you to pay attention if you’re sleepy or distracted, and goes at your own pace. I never say, “Wait, slow down!” to my books.

I feel much closer to literary figures, both authors and characters, than to any television or movie actors. Reading gives me a 360° picture of a scene; I understand the inner struggles as well as the external setting.

And of course, only books contain the ancient voices that connect me to the inescapable constancy of human nature. Victor Davis Hanson has an excellent piece on PJ Media about the importance of reading:

Without some awareness that ideas are old and somewhat finite, and that we are young and ignorant, we assume that each new adventure must be novel because we alone — right now! — are experiencing it.

Go read the whole thing! If you aren’t familiar with VDH, he’s a fantastic military historian. His Ripples of Battle, outlining how four battles changed the world, made me want to dive into ancient and modern military history. (I also realized how little I knew of the Pacific Theater in WWII.)

I love reading. How about you? Do you like to curl up with a book or snuggle in for a movie night? If you can’t stand reading for pleasure, how come?

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