I LOVE To Learn...
If I could take random general classes at a university for fun and for free, I totally would. I love to learn and be educated on everything and anything. Especially history. This is totally the reason why I love to read about the Tudors or WWII or Russia and the Romanovs because I LOVE to learn and knowledgeable about the past...well, and pretty much things in general. I seriously just LOVE history and to know things.
I Love To Be Challenged...
I love to read and then discuss topics that make me think. I do not mind having my opinions and views questioned and explore our reasons for why we think and feel the way we do. I love being exposed to a viewpoint different from my own because it makes me think and question what I believe in and what makes me feel that way.
I Love To Have New Experiences...
I have learned so much and feel like I am the person I am today in part because of everything I have read. I feel I have become so much more understanding of people and open-minded because of the stories I've read. I love that I am able to gain understanding from characters in situations I would never have been able to otherwise. Rich, poor, old, young, outgoing, introverted, you name it and you can find it in a book. It's just amazing. You know, it's not a lie when people say that readers live a thousand lives. It is absolutely the true. I love that I live in 2014 and I have experienced...
the reign of Henry VIII in 1500s Tudor England
the corruption of 1400s Rome with the Borgia family
the beauty of being in love in Amsterdam
experienced 1800s Civil War era with a woman pretending to be a man
WWII from dozens of viewpoints
falling in love in Paris in 24 hours
the segregation and oppression of African-Americans in 1950s American South
the fall of Leningrad and the utter destruction of its city and people
the magic of Prague
the transportation system of Central America
the height of the Geishas fame and fortune
the Spanish countryside in summer
the rise of Communism in China
the fall of the Plantagenet family in 1400s England
the Palio in Siena
When people poke fun at me for reading so much and why I read so much it is because of everything listed above. Readers have lived all over the world through space and time and this is why I love love love reading! And this doesn't even take into account the dystopian worlds and fantasy places I love. Phew. I'm exhausted, go reading, go history, go learning.
Are you all with me?
Do you love the experiences you get from reading?
Do you feel more knowledgeable about the world around you?
Love this post! I hated history in school. Like seriously, hated it. But I love reading historical fiction. I think it's because history is really fascinating to me, but the way it was taught in school was always so boring and reading a historical fiction novel is a lot more interesting. (Of course, I really have no way of knowing how much is truth and how much is fiction, but I like to think the authors do their research...) So yes, that's definitely one of the reasons I love to read. I also just love reading from different ppl's POVs. Maybe a character is going through something I have gone through in my past, but I get to see a new side to it. Books really make you stop and think and I absolutely love that.
ReplyDeleteI am SO with you. I love to learn, be challenged, and have new experiences but I love to do it on my own terms. I don't really like the lecture setting or having knowledge forced on my but reading isn't like that. I read what I want when I want and I constantly feel like I am learning - no matter the genre. I feel like I am becoming a better person, a stronger person and I love it!
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing post and an amazing point! Your list of things you learned about this year is great - one of the reasons I love reading historical fiction specifically (although I am also constantly learning new things from genres you wouldn't expect it from, like fantasy), because I feel like it teaches me the most. Kudos!
ReplyDeleteSo much YES to this post! As a reader I get to experience going to balls and standing beside Anne Boleyn at the Tower and slay dragons and visit ancient Rome. And it is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. I don't really read too many nonfiction historicals because I'm a little intimidated by them and don't know where to start with. However, I've read sooo many feature articles and I would love to explore history, especially ancient with Roman/Greeks/and Persians.
ReplyDelete-P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex
Hey Kelly - visiting this post a bit behind the times after Hannah linked to it in her post The Facts About Non-Fiction. I love your thoughts here and totally agree. For me it has been difficult to balance challenging personal reads with reading I have to do for University (I am an English and History major), but so much of the time there is 100% overlap for me.
ReplyDeleteJust curious... I would LOVE to know what some of your favourite books are for the topics you listed. Such as... the corruption of 1400s Rome with the Borgia family, the magic of Prague, the fall of the Plantagenet family in 1400s England, and the Palio in Siena. These are topics I have studied through academic journals but not personally - I would love to read some fiction/fun non-fiction with these beautiful settings.