This week's BTT topic:
Since “Inspiration” is (or should be) the theme this week … what is your reading inspired by?
Wow, these BTT topics are getting harder and harder to answer in a short, snappy post, aren't they? I don't think I could really say what, specifically, inspires me to read. Reading is such a huge part of my existence – and has been for so many years – that it's almost a bodily function, like breathing or, well . . . you know!
I read because I want to and because I have to. Reading keeps me sane, and keeps my mind alive. I know there are some perfectly nice people out there who don't read, but I don't understand how they get through life. I read for entertainment and for information and for experience. I read to pass the time. I read in order to connect with other readers, and to enter into the world of books and ideas. I read to visit new places and meet new beings, and also to learn about the past. And I read to encounter new thoughts that I might not have thought on my own.
I'm fortunate to have come from a family of readers. My parents and grandparents weren't intellectuals, by any means; but they valued education and reading. We always had books around. As a child, I was read to and encouraged to learn to read on my own at a very early age. Some of my earliest memories involve books – being read to at nap time and bedtime, receiving books as gifts at Christmas and birthdays, spending long afternoons in the children's section at the public library. So you see, it's no accident that I turned into a bookworm.
Well, I don't know that I really answered the question. What inspires you to read? And is "inspire" really even the correct term here? I generally associate "inspiration" with creativity, and I'm not sure I think of reading as a creative activity, exactly– although it can inspire and lead to creativity. But that's just a quibble, isn't it? So I guess in addition to being a bookworm, I'm a nitpicker, too!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
11 comments:
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I wrestled with the word "inspire" too. I think she may have meant "motivates." I like your answer and wish that I had thought of it first!
ReplyDeleteGreat answer! I especially love the part about your memories of reading as a child. I hope my children remember a book-filled childhood!
ReplyDelete"I read because I want to and because I have to." I second that emotion! Great response, Joy.
ReplyDeleteVery nice answer! I was lucky to come from a book-reading family too.
ReplyDeleteGreat answer! I read for the same reasons.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand people who don't read, either. If they only knew what they were missing!!
Thanks for visiting!! Yes these questions are more thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteI had to think at first to try and comprehend the question. But I am little slow with somethings..;-)
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about reading "because I want to and because I have to. That is so true. Like you, I read for a variety of reasons and so my inspiration comes from many places.
ReplyDeleteReading choices are always like double-edged sword. I want to be part of others' reading context but my whim sometimes just won't allow it.
ReplyDeleteIn short, what inspires me is my own volition and whim.
It is a fantastic gift to have come from a family of readers! Great answer. The word "inspire" threw me for a nit of a loop as well.
ReplyDeleteVery good answer! Oddly enough, my family never really read much when I was growing up. I was the one who couldn't get enough books!
ReplyDelete