All the most successful people I know are avid readers. They are committed to being lifelong learners and oftentimes have learned to speed-read to gain efficiency and maximize results. Does this sound crazy to you? Then know that most of these people spend far more time chilling by the pool than your average person- and they’re doing it all while making themselves better. Pedram Shojai The Art of Stopping Time

When I tell people how much I read, I often gets “looks”, and when I say “looks”, I mean they are looks of “that’s just so weird” as opposed to something more complimentary…

There are many people who think it is downright odd that I read so much.

For the record, quirky is probably a word that could be used to describe me…but I don’t consider reading to be one of my quirkier habits. I consider it to be one of my best.

Reading is my number one hobby. No matter how busy I am, or how hectic life gets, I try to read at least a little bit each day. Admittedly there are days when I am so tired at night I can only focus on a page or two…but just that page or two will center me, calm me, and give me insight into something that I did not know.

Reading is rarely wasted time. I never feel empty after reading: even if I hate the book, I can list why the book did not work. I can articulate what my feelings are. I grasp a deeper understanding of me as a person.

Of course it’s not just books: I read articles in newspapers and magazine. I read blogs. I skim things from how the Mets did the night before, to how to wear leggings so that they look chic, or how adding butter to eggs as you scramble them lowers the temp so they cook smoother, or which tea has the most oomph in the morning, or why cross training is the best workout, or…or….or….or….

You get the idea…

The world is at your fingertips when you begin reading…

You learn, you grow, you adapt…

That’s what reading adds to your life…

So why do we mock those who seem to always have a book in their face? Why do we scoff at those who are trying to entertain themselves, gain knowledge or perspective, or just plain like to read?

When you see a reader, what do you see?

75 thoughts on “Readers”

  1. I love seeing readers, as they’re typically smart, thoughtful, open-minded. I enjoyed asking about the book at hand, and then other favorites. I’ve always been a bit shy, and “book talk” is always a great icebreaker.

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  5. I think I might tell those people mocking you to either turn off their TV or get their noses out of their phones. I really don’t think I’ve ever encountered anyone who has given me “a look” or worse, commented on my reading habits. Their judgement is certainly out of place and they are probably not worth the time it takes to acknowledge them at all 😉

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  6. I agree with what the others have said; seeing someone with a book is someone to talk to. And if I see a student reading, I’m definitely going to encourage them. I like that I also learned something from your post LA – about the scrambled eggs and butter – I’m really fussy about how I cook eggs but going to give that one a try.

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  10. People have told me that they don’t have time to read. Or that having time to read “must be nice.” That irritates me.

    So tell me a more about the eggs…maybe you should write your next post about this. I’ve heard sour cream, ranch, but not about the butter while cooking…hmm.

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  12. Oh my…one should never feel quirky or less than for reading…but I know exactly what you’re saying, LA! I’ve heard that, too. I always have a book with me…ALWAYS…because reading is one of my happy things. When I see someone reading, I immediately think “way to go…self-care for the win” because I know how much it matters to me to make time — even just a snippet of time – for reading every day. 🥰

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  13. As a teacher and a parent, I measured my success by whether “my kids” loved to read. If loving reading were considered the goal instead of mastering the mechanics of the skill, I think we would not be wringing our hands over third graders passing standardized tests in reading. They would be reading.

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    1. But Anne, have you discovered audiobooks? They are available on almost any subject that you care to think of. I have started taking them from our local library and I have several always waiting to be listened to

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      1. How I wish I could listen to audio books! I tried several times, but I can’t stand to be read to. That was before I got hearing aids. Now I tell family members what I heard them say, and we all laugh when they tell me slowly and clearly what they really said.

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  15. I love that you are a reader. Speed reading was one of my favorite short classes I took in high school. You are in a different league than myself in terms of how much you read in a given month than myself, but I am a life long reader too, it contributes immeasurably to the quality of my life. Anyone that looks down their nose @ a reader, is a fool. I’m old school, I prefer the tactile feel of paper, if its available, I’ll order used hardcover versions every time.

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  17. I have always been a reader and as a teenager, I would often take a book along on a date, in case I got bored. Bookish girls were never the most popular but I didn’t care. I also make sure I read at least a little bit every day. I consider it part of my education.

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  18. I see a reader as someone willing to grow beyond their boundaries, open to listening, and patient. Reading has gotten through some rough times. As a child growing up, it helped me to grown and imagine beyond the small town we lived in by travelling with my imagination and the words presented. Having to engage middle schoolers in reading when they hated books was very challenging for me. The library is free, so you don’t need monies only the desire to try.

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  21. I’ve always been a reader. When I was a young girl, I turned my bedroom into a library. I taped the books’ spines with library codes, alphabetized my books and and made library cards. My son reads more than anyone I’ve met, except for his girlfriend. We took him to Seattle to watch his sister swim in the PAC 12 championships and he read through the entire meet. He glanced up to watch her swim, though.

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  23. Depends what they read. The Daily Telegraph? Murdoch’s patsy. James Patterson? Barely literate (sorry). Proust? Pretentious. What we read habitually shows as much and as little about us as our choice of clothes

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      2. I don’t think so. What if someone reads all the things you describe? What if they’re trying to learn? I think it’s not great to judge someone based one thing. There are many levels to people

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      3. Sure, but we do judge people by what they do. And one of the things they do is read. So if all they read is crap, surely that says something. Not that they’re a bad person, but… something?

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      5. Bad fantasy is just bad. Same as meals vary in ethnic origin, for instance, but we can still tell a bad nasi goreng from a good one. I’m not talking about genre but quality. Feed your mind mental junk food and you’ll get mentally bloated

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      6. Quality is subjective though. I’m reading a book for book club. The quality is awful…it’s just a poorly written book. But some publisher thought it was worthy….

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  24. I see a reader and think “smart person” and lucky that they have the time. I read all the time, a wide variety of things. A prompt this morning asked what one thing I would be willing to dedicate my life to. Easy answer: life-long learning.

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  26. My mother had to watch her three siblings and actively resented it, so she climbed high, high into a tree with whatever book she was reading, and when they were getting up to mischief, she would bark commands down at them.

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  28. I too am an avid reader. The image of someone curled up with a blanket and a cup of coffee totally lost in a book is one of my favorite images. I often see my sister when I do this because we used to read together all the time. Often exchanging books when we finished. I think it expands not only your mind but the world you inhabit. It’s the best gift ever…well that and coffee! Hugs, C

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  29. When I see a reader, I smile. I’d like to say I see a potential person I’d like, but I’ve met avid readers I really didn’t like, so it’s not a given. I tend to look funny at people who say they don’t read. Himself doesn’t read fiction, because he gets enough learning and stimulation from factual reading. I enjoy both, but I really miss fiction when I’m away from it for too long.

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  30. I find the people who are most judgmental about someone “always having their nose in a book” are non-readers! I feel sorry for them, as they don’t know what they are missing.

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  31. I would like to add that readers are typically more empathetic, too (studies show). I imagine it’s because we’re introduced to so many different experiences and characters, whether fictional or not, so that we’re a little more able to put ourselves in another person’s shoes, because that’s literally what you have to do when you read 😉

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