Why read?

Reading is a system of turning written symbols into understandable language. It is communication at times joyous and at others laborious.

Readers bring a treasure trove of experience to the task of translating letters into language to gather information. They have knowledge, attitudes, and culture that color their awareness of what they read.

Reading is an art requiring continued practice. Elementary skills that served me well when reading about Curious George will fail me when I start Gravity’s Rainbow. I need improvement.

Writing is about 5000 years old or so. It’s thought the Sumerians were first, writing accounts of grain storage. The Egyptians followed with much more elaborate stories and ceremonies surrounding their hieroglyphics. People have longed to tell stories for eons.

What do you read?

How do you read?

Why do you read?

I read news on the computer daily. I have many books on my Kindle that I downloaded for free from Amazon.com. There are some books that I have to read in paper form. Anything by Anne Carson falls into this latter category. My library of books numbers only about 250 with another 150 on my Kindle.

Finally, why? I’m driven to read. I’m a voracious reader of high quality prose and poetry. I need to know what others have experienced. I need to escape my limited existence. I need to lose my consciousness in the words on a page.

I need to read.