Whenever I tell people I like to read, I usually get one of two reactions: the “oh, wow you must be boring and have no life,” or the “wow, you actually like to read. People never do that anymore.”

But sometimes, I meet someone like me. And we talk about our favorite books or recommend books.

The truth is, not everybody is going to like to read because it is a hobby. However, some people decide they hate it before they truly give it a chance. It is like when your parents make you try a new food, but you already know it’s gross.

Reading is often stereotyped as a nerdy activity. 

People like books for the same reasons they like movies – a good story and an escape into a different world. 

Some prefer reading because you can picture the scenery and people your own way. Although you do get a basic description of what characters or a location looks like, you still imagine it differently than everyone else. 

The problem is that because of how readers have been stereotyped, it deters some from reading. 

It doesn’t help that reading is required in education, so even if someone loves to read, it’s usually not exciting — especially when forced upon us.

If people took the time to find a book that interests them and gave it a chance, they might discover that reading is not actually that bad.