With an onslaught of media types that seem to allow a person to be entertained with little to no mental energy, how can we find time to read? Actually the question is different: With text messages, social media websites, surfing websites, RSS feeds, email, and all the short form writing that we read, who wants to read any more?
The immersion into a story, that one must conjures into life, with the amazing abilities of the imagination,is missed without reading. Instead of our own imagination developing more and more creativity, we defer to the images of a select few directors putting their imagination on a screen before us.
There are solutions and not unlike how we share movies or websites, we can share books. Interest in reading is not only the product of a good book, but is a creation of an active and developed imagination. If you start reading as a child, you may find the ability to read and be entertained by a book is greater. We can all find ways to share reading and develop our imagination together.
Sharing a book aloud is a wonderful way to follow a book together. Some families take turns each reading a chapter. Of course many kids are read stories when they are young by their parents as they rest in bed. There is no reason that this practice has to end at any age. Adult can read to each other as well.
Book clubs can be found in most cities across the United States. Many of these clubs have some form of online presence or can be connected to at the local library. Even if you can’t find an established book club, start your own. It takes nothing more than a call to a friend and the agreement to read the same book. There are worlds just waiting to be explored in books.
