“I have a hankering for a good book,” my friend Maryam replied as we stroll into the school library on a Friday afternoon. As we laughed silently for a moment, I began to wonder if people view reading as not only a great way to wind down from a long day but crucial in everyday life.

Like most bookworms, my adoration of reading started when I was very young. I would sneak up books to read in my bed while trying to smuggle a flashlight in my covers. Reading was a way for me to escape from my troubles and sorrows, to travel across the world without leaving the comfort of my sofa. My most consoling memories were my mom taking me to my local library and me walking past the almost endless aisles of books.

However, when the pandemic occurred, reading was at a temporarily halt. I relied on the internet for academics and entertainment, and I abandoned reading. I went from being a huge reader who reads at any possible moment to someone who only read when it was a requirement for my studies.

Now, I have been trying to integrate reading into my lifestyle as a way to relax and detach from being online. I think it’s important to find hobbies such as reading that avoid being on gadgets, as it allows the brain to stop and chill. My hobbies allow me to move away from being overstimulated and overstressed from school and even in my personal life.

Now to most non-readers, picking up “The Great Gatsby” after an intense breakup from your boyfriend is less than appealing. Not many would find it fun to curl up near the fireplace and immense yourself into some classical Shakespeare. However, one of the most beautiful things about reading is that there is endless topics and tropes to get into. Whether you’re an A21 horror fanatic wanting a new thriller, or a helpless lover boy who always feels like the artist but never the art, there is something for all of us. In a world of AI and technology, it’s good to keep in mind how it’s essential to have physical copies today.

I hope me rambling about books wasn’t to waste and changed your perspective of reading. I hope this article motivates people to start reading or continue your journey of being a book lover. To end the article, I want to leave a quote by George R.R Martin: ” A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies… The man who never reads only one.”