One of my most prized possessions sits in my Claude Monet, Bridge Over a Pond of Waterlilies card-holder: my San Diego Public Library Card.
Its front features my favorite scenic route back home, of the drive down to Torrey Pines with the waves to the right. Its back displays my juvenile signature from years ago, with faded black Sharpie bleeding over the lamination. Its corners are flimsy and folded from frequent use and living in my wallet, and multiple marks and streaks tarnish the card.
When I was younger, I obsessed over my mom’s card. I would beg her to take me to our local library every week, and would leave with my arms piled high with books about American Girl Dolls and the Warrior Cats. I spent hours poring over the pages of each volume, studying maps to imaginary lands and character family trees. I’d stay up past my bedtime reading, and would get caught with my flashlight under the covers (cliché, I know). In school I was no different. I would get called out for reading while I was supposed to be working on my assignments, and I tore through my classroom and school bookshelves, driven by an insatiable thirst for more words and stories. I boasted about my Lexile, consistently won prizes like fair tickets and movie stubs for my various reading logs, and proudly smiled when my mom told strangers I’d read anything, even the back of a Ketchup bottle.
This carried me throughout middle school and high school. However, these cycles of hungrily flying through books were increasingly punctuated by bouts of reading slumps, where I couldn’t pick up a book to save my life.
By the time I got to UCSB, I’d be hard pressed to read a book in my spare time. Between classes, my new sorority, clubs, and social activities, I struggled to work in time for pleasure reading. As most Humanities majors know, when the vast majority of your assignments revolve around reading dense selections of text, the last thing you want to do after flipping through old, dusty tomes all day is pick up some light-hearted action novel.
Moreover, I didn’t have a local library card. I was limited to what my school library offered, and as much as I love you, Davidson Library, sometimes the eighth-floor selection doesn’t cut it.
I began reserving my reading for breaks, squeezing in three or four books during spring vacation, and excitedly tearing through my Christmas gifts in a matter of days. This past summer alone, I read over twenty books, from Jodi Picoult’s Mad Honey to Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient.
All this to say, I realized those long university months without my habitual reality-escape and brain stimulation was doing numbers to my attention-span, writing capabilities, and general peace of mind. For my sophomore year, I’ve made a few changes to my reading, and by incorporating technology like the Libby app (think virtual library card), Spotify premium monthly fifteen hours of audiobook time, and borrowing books from my friends and roommates, I’ve reignited my passion for reading and now joyfully make time for it in my daily routine.
So, here’s my ode to reading for fun: why I read, and why I think you should, too.
- Reading is sexy! (Rory Gilmore reference, iykyk). It’s the biggest ick EVER when a guy tells me, “oh yeah, I haven’t read a book since middle school.” Like okay, do you want a cookie? Seriously guys, that is not something to be proud of. Reading has been scientifically proven to increase neuron connectivity, promote critical-thinking, boost empathy for others, reduce anxiety, and enhance memory and language skills. And that’s barely scratching the surface! I would much rather be friends with or involved with someone who genuinely appreciates the pursuit of this incredible thing called knowledge. I mean, c’mon, at least do it for the dark academia aesthetic. Who doesn’t want to be the most esoteric girl in the room who can make the most niche philosophical references that will make everyone think you’re so cool and mysterious? Like, yeah, I read Sylvia Plath in fifth grade, what about it?
- As much as I don’t like to mix church and state, I’ve found that my being widely-read has greatly contributed to my academic prowess. Not only does reading broaden my worldview and allows me to provide random insight and facts for classes from the different subjects I’ve dabbled in, but it’s made me perform better in assessments of all shapes and forms. In addition to reading wickedly fast, I find that my reading-comprehension and ability to dissect texts comes much more naturally. Moreover, and what is potentially my favorite, I have an advanced vocabulary reflecting a lexicon from reading books across different cultures, periods in history, and genres. I mean, how else other than reading would I know about the term “feckless” or “apricity”? My reading has thoroughly enhanced my ability to aptly articulate my thoughts and emotions, which I use for classes and in my relationships with others. If I can precisely and efficiently dictate my thoughts with a more nuanced vocabulary, I can better communicate with others, whether it be through paper, text, or face-to-face. Furthermore, let’s play a little game of never-have-I-ever. I’ll go first! Never have I ever had to use AI to write my essays or discussion posts for me. I don’t want to come off as riding my high horse off into the sunset, but I mention that more in how by reading other’s works constantly, you pick up patterns of how to structure prose and rhetoric that makes you a better writer. I firmly believe that good writers are excellent readers! Next time you’re struggling with how to start an assignment, grab a fantasy book and use it as creative inspiration on how to structure your sentences and paragraphs.
- It goes without saying that the main reason I read is that it’s fun! To those that disagree, I promise you, you’re just not reading the right book. My advice is to find a pet subject or topic you’re really fascinated with, and look up books with those themes. I love Greek mythology, so I ended up reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. That’s the biggest thing to keep in mind: it should be light. I don’t force myself to read pretentious, lofty books about “worldly” subjects if I don’t feel like it; my lakeside romance novels and dramatic murder mysteries will more than suffice, thank you very much. Don’t put pressure on yourself to finish a book by a deadline, and make your reading work for you, not the other way around. I found I didn’t have as much time to sit down and read, so I started listening to audiobooks on my nightly sunset walks, and I’ve already “read” four books this quarter!
Though my San Diego Public Library card sits in my wallet effectively unused for nine months out of the year, it is a constant reminder of who I am, and what I enjoy: good literature, intellectual stimulation, and a deep appreciation for the worlds that words on a page can transport me to.