The Simple Joys of Reading
The Simple Joys of Reading What happens when a person is bored and restless? Maybe he would like to go to a cinema and kill a couple of hours watching a movie. But what if there are no good movies or if he has missed the screening time? Perhaps he could go for a walk. What if the day is too hot for a walk? What if it was raining? What if this bored and restless person is well and truly stuck at home? The answer is absurdly simple. If that person has cultivated the reading habit he would neither feel lonely nor bored for he would have the company of a good look. Indeed, the pleasures of reading are manifold. A book can thrill and excite the reader, educate him, motivate him, and even scare him. There are many good authors, past and present, who can toy with the emotions of their readers. A good author can make his reader laugh or cry, make him feel happy and excited, or sad and depressed. Such is the power of the written word in verbal magic. Books alone do not constitute reading matter. Newspapers are probably the most widely read among the written media. But the word can be a little of news. That is perfectly true, however, newspapers carry more that just the latest news. There are comic strips, advertisements, readers’ comments for forum, travel and leisure tips, and even agony columns and serialised books. Then there are magazines. Magazines for ladies, magazines for men, lifestyle magazines, et cetera ad infinitum. Depending in his area of interest, a habitual reader is bound to subscribe to a couple of magazines, at least. There is no aspect of life not covered in the written media; books, newspapers, magazines, journals. A voracious reader will read everything. Even the package of his daily bread or milk carton! Which, as a matter of fact, is a good thing, for he then knows what goes down his gullet! And there you have it in a nutshell. One who has cultivated the reading habit need not feel lonely nor bored for he has a constant companion who