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Is Reading the Best Hobby? Here are 5 Simple Answers
why reading is the best hobby for you
This is 2022!! A brand new year!
The time when many of us brace ourselves for New Year’s resolution.You know, the usual things like eating healthy, getting up at 4 A.M or becoming vegan. Things that tend to have only a brief lifespan in our routines. Of course, there are a few people who try hard and succeed. Kudos to them!👍
To be honest I was one among the majority who couldn’t put any of the new year goals to action.
Every year I decide to take up reading as my hobby, for some reason it just never happened. Maybe because I gave up too soon.
However the good news is that those struggles were two years ago.
Reading is my favorite hobby now!!
But let me tell you, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Hobby is a leisure activity, something you do for enjoyment. In the beginning, it feels like more of a chore! Especially for someone like me who would spend quality time in a clothing store than in a bookstore!
However, despite all the difficulties, I fell in love with reading the process.
I was able to read 100 books a year!
More than the number of the books I am proud of my reading habit!
Compared to those times when I read nothing but magazines and newspaper gossip I truly observe this as a massive achievement.
So if I can do that, anybody can!
That’s why in today’s post, I am going to talk to YOU about the reasons why you should make reading your favourite hobby in 2021.
So, are you ready to become a bookworm this year?
1. Reading costs almost nothing.
Reading is cheap. OK, let me explain! I am not talking about “buying books”. It’s a lot of money. But how about borrowing books from your nearest library?
Do you know how much my yearly library membership costs in Belgium?
6 euro!!!
That’s like 0.50 cents per month.
What??
Drinking water here costs 0.67 cents per liter.
The best part about the membership is that members may take up to 15 books at a time!
So isn’t this the cheapest thing in the world?
I am pretty sure that other countries will have similar price ranges.
So which concludes the first reason. #1 Cheap!
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2 . You meet a lot of people on your reading couch!
Living in a foreign country is difficult at first for everyone and my case is nowhere different!
I hardly went out alone and had no friends.
I wasn’t someone with uncountable friends in my home country.
I was depressed about the fact that there was no one to discuss the movie I watched or the new cuisine I tried.
So what did I do?
I read .
Most of the time reading helped me a lot . When you read you meet so many different characters through books. Characters who entertain you, influence you or even make you sad. Once you read a lot, It’s almost like you meet them in person.
Let me list a few of my favorite characters for you.
The little Matilda can amaze you. Her sheer intelligence is extraordinary. You would definitely like to have a kid just like her.
Who was the most curious person you have ever seen? For me, it’s Peter rabbit. I am sure you would find him naughty at times. Actually, most of the time.
The lovely Anne Shirley was the one who helped me build up my imaginations. She taught me how to enjoy mundane tasks through sheer imagination! Imagine everything as you want it to be and you will be surprised to see how amusing you find it!
The list goes on.
Thus the conclusion #2 meeting new people!
3. Reading can help you travel the world.
I am someone who would like to know about people and their culture. But how about someone who can’t afford to travel a lot?
Read books!
Reading a book means going on an adventure, just like a hobbit.
You can travel anywhere you wish, just remember to choose the right book. Millions of books are waiting for you.
Books are also a great way to travel back in time. Start reading a Historical Fiction to find out what I mean!
“The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on old-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She traveled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.”- Matilda, Roald Dahl
The fun part of reading is that it gives you freedom to choose books set in different parts of the world and even different times in history.
Books such as “A Thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini” by Khaled Hosseini and “Agnes Grey” by Anne Bronte are great examples. These books tell stories of people from two different continents and from a completely different era.
In “A Thousand splendid suns“, Hosseini narrates the breathtaking story of Mariam in Afghanistan, whereas, in “Agnes Grey”, Anne Bronte narrates the life of an impoverished governess, Agnes.
Another book I love a lot is “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi. The story follows two families from Ghana for two centuries!!
In conclusion, books take you on a journey.# 3 Travel unlimitedly!
Here are a few book recommendations that can take you to your dream destinations.
Books set in Ireland:
- “Brooklyn” by Colm Tóibín
- “The Spinning Heart” by Donal Ryan
- “Deverill Chronicles by Santa Montefiore
- “P.S.I love you” by Cecelia Ahern
Books set in Italy :
- “Under the Tuscan Sun” by Frances Mayes
- “Midnight in Sicily” by Peter Robb
- “Beautiful Ruins” by Jess Walter
- “The Temptation of Gracie” by Santa Montefiore
Books set in France
- “The Winemaker’s Wife” by Kristin Harmel
- “The Lost Girls of Paris” by Pam Jenoff
- “The Paris Secret” by Natasha Lester
- “Anna and the French Kiss” By Stephanie Perkins
Books set in New York
- “City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert
- “I Heart New York” by Lindsey Kelk
- “Sex and The City” by Candace Bushnell
- “Sleepless in Manhattan” by Sarah Morgan
Books set in Amsterdam
- “The Miniaturist” by Jessie Burton
- “The House of Dolls” by David Hewson
- “The Words in My Hand” by Guinevere Glasfurd
- “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank
4. You might learn a new language by reading books!
Well, I am not saying reading can make you an expert in a language! But books can help you a lot with your progress in a new language.
Books can help you improve your vocabulary, grammar, and communication. Eventually, you’ll see a huge difference in your language level. Here is a helpful post Learning a Language by Reading Books: 5 Super Strategies
I would recommend reading Children’s books for this reason. They are the best way to boost your vocabulary.
That concludes the reason.# 4 free language lessons!
These are the 4 reasons why reading is the best hobby.
In addition, books can widen our perspective on the world we live in. Give it a try if you can and see for yourself.
Time for Your action:
Do you love reading? What are some of your favorite books that you would like to recommend?
Always Curious to hear from you,
Stephy
