HI, I'm Steph. I'm a blogger and a trainee teacher. I'm so grateful that Zoe has invited me along to be a part of her spotlight blogs! I was lucky enough to meet Zoe at a brilliant Beauty and the Beast event and we have been brilliant friends ever since. I love reading Zoe's blogs, so being part of this is brilliant.
As I write this I’ve just finished Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo and I absolutely loved it. I’m here to share with you some of the reasons why I love reading.
I know you’re probably reading this because you also love reading but I think reading is different for everyone. We all love books. We all love getting lost in someone else’s story. We all love shiny covers and sprayed edges. For me reading is my calm. I can be in the worst of moods and books will bring me back to somewhat of a manageable mood. I don’t go anywhere without a book. There will be 1, if not 2, books in my bag at all times.
Books make me feel so intensely. I get so wrapped up in this world of these characters and their lives and what is happening that I need to know what happens and I need to know what happens now. You can bet that books will make me cry. I’m not ashamed by this, nor do I think it’s ridiculous. Characters in books become “friends” for the day/week/month you read them that being invested in their lives is normal. Some of my friends don’t get it, I often get “I can’t believe you cried at that!” – Well guess what I did. I did because I loved it. Books take me on adventures and emotional rollercoasters: I love it.
People often comment on how many books I love too. “How can you possibly love every book you read?” Well I don’t love EVERY book I read. I recently read a book I didn’t get. I just don’t put that negativity in the world. There’s so much negativity out there that no one needs that. I love books. This brilliant world is something that an author has worked really hard at and they deserve appreciation. I love getting lost in their world, discovering their characters and feeling what their characters feel. If I’m going on any kind of journey, I’m winning. I love books because they do that.
If you’ve ever been on my blog, you’ll see that I don’t just read YA books (I’m 28, I’m not even YA target audience… but if you want to know my thoughts on YA and who should read it then come talk to me! Or check out my blog - https://alittlebutalot.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/ya-books-for-everyone) Being a teacher I get to read an awful lot of incredible kids’ books too. Kids’ books aren’t just for kids. Go spend some time in the kids’ section of your local bookshop, you’ll find some absolutely incredible hidden gems… I can guarantee it.
Reading with the kids at school is forever one of my favourite things about my job. Last year was a particular turning point in my teacher reading career. My dissertation had brought some really interesting ideas for me to try and my kids loved it. Reading brought us together. We read together on the carpet. They saw me loving books and it showed them that it’s good to love books. We talked books all the time. They borrowed books from the school library but they also borrowed some of my own books. We bonded over funny moments, scary stories and books from Santa. Reading with kids is so important.
So why do I love reading? Because it’s such a brilliant thing. It brings people together. It helps me feel less lonely. It makes me calm. It’s helped me find some of the best friends I know.
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