I love books, always have, always will. Romance, Mystery, Historical, Court Room Thriller…give me a good book and I’m happy. Oh, the joy I feel reading a good book – and if I’m on holiday laying by the pool it’s even better! Jaqueline Wilson saw me through my early years, followed by Louise Rennison (any Angus,Thongs fans here?) throughout my teens and nowadays I really have no preference of author (although I’m a sucker for a bit a romance!).

I believe the true magic of reading is down to the power of imagination.

I did not realise, until I read a comment recently, just how much of my own imagination I use when reading a book. Take a coffee shop scene as an example; by the time I reach the end of a dialogue between characters in said coffee shop, my mind has depicted a visual scene without me even realising. The interior, the coffee cups, how busy it is, the waiters…I could go on. If you stop to realise just how much your mind can visualise from written narrative, it is staggering. By the time you get to the end of a 400 page novel you have produced, directed and cast a full length feature film. All in your own head.

People often say that films adapted from books tend not to be as enjoyable. I don’t think this is necessarily a criticism of the Director, Producer, Actors or anybody involved with the creation of the film. I think it is because when you watch a film that is based on a book you have already read you are partly losing a previously created vision of the story. People can be guilty of focusing too much on what is missing to enjoy what is the same. I hasten to add, as a film lover myself, that occasionally films can get it spot on, and in that instance there is nothing more magical than seeing a story you love be portrayed beautifully on the big screen.

Reasons to love reading:

  1. Reading gives you somewhere to escape when you have to stay where you are
  2. There will be a book out there somewhere that is so relatable to you it has the power to change your life. You just have to find it…
  3. Books are educational. We are living in a time of revolution, read to keep up.
  4. Social – you just have to use the hashtag #bookstagram to find a whole community of book lovers ready to share their best reads.
  5. There is no greater feeling than finding a good story, recommending it to a loved one and seeing them love it too.
  6. Reading can inspire you. Inspiration isn’t just found in self-help books. Going on a journey with a character that you see yourself in can give you the push you have been looking for to make a change.
  7. It can open your mind to different perspectives

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies…The man who never reads lives only one.”

George R.R. Martin

Let me know in the comments below if you agree in the power of a good book ❤️

Thanks for reading

Stacey x

2020 Book challenge

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