My Life As A Reader - [Community Contest #3]

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . The man who never reads lives only one.
• George R.R. Martin

INTRODUCTION

I was born by a mother who loves to read, I was told frequently that the only way to succeed and to be relevant, is to dig deep and read. While growing up,I must admit that it looked like a torture to read because every day by 6pm to 8pm I have to read and I was being monitored, even on sundays! Then I read my school books,literatures,newspapers and even religious books. When I was 10, the only aspect of reading I love was poems! The ones that were rhythmical!

After I got into secondary school, I got more insights about reading,I was in church one day and the pastor said something I will never forget in my life, He said.

Hide a treasure in a book, An African man won't find it.

I felt offended by this statement but at the same time I felt triggered to read almost anything.it was as though I was looking a for a lost treasure.

I discovered it makes you smarter and ahead of everyone else,it broadens your knowledge, and it doesn't matter what you read,you feel happy and positive!. After that moment, I enjoyed reading and ever since then I have always been on one book or the other.

I'm writing this article to talk about me as a reader and answer some questions posed by the Hive Book Club Community here, I will do my best to share my experience as regards these questions.

_{Image by The Hive Book Club Community,Right to use by @macchiata}

Questions And Answers

1. What is your favorite time or place to read?

I would say depends on the book,If I was introduced or referred to read a particular book by someone, then I would want to pick a time and be extra comfortable before I can read the book. One reason for that is,so I can easily narrate the book back to the person and also so I would get interested in finishing the book. For example, I was given a book to read recently by a friend. The book is titled OUTLIERS And by seeing the book,I know it's a great book.

Image Taken with my Samsung A21s

But I haven't started the book for more than a week now because I haven't found the right time to read it. On the contrary, If I see a book online and I love the description, i would in most cases,start the book immediately, i don't care about the right time or right place, I will just start reading and most times, I keep going till am tired. Then I Take a break,then I continue again. I end up reading these set of books faster than if they were recommended.

I would therefore say I don't have a right time or place, I read anywhere and anytime, even in a noisy environment, I just don't care and the only exceptions are when the books I want to read are recommended to me.

_{Image by Mohamed_hassan From Pixabay}

2. What makes you enjoy a book?

I love the sense of adventure! No matter the genre, be it frictional or history books, I love when the author takes me on a journey, An example is one of my favourite books of all time "Eat that Frog" by Brian Tracy.

(Forgive the torn part of the book, it's been difficult maintaining it for years,I'd probably get a new one soon)

The first time I picked this book up,the first lines of the preface explains what I mean by "a taste of adventure"

Thank you for picking up this book. I hope these ideas help you as much as they have helped me and thousands of others. in fact,I hope that this book changes your life forever.

3. Do you like to read outdoors, before bed or on the bus on your way to work?

Before the answer would be, "I love to read anywhere" but now,I think I would scrap out the "before bed" as I don't like to read before I sleep anymore. Because I discovered I used it more as a lullaby than anything else, and the funniest thing is,I get to sleep very quickly when I pick a book to read at nights.

So, Outdoors ✅ , On my way to work ✅, On the bus ✅ but before bed ❌. Thank you.

4. Do you focus on character development, thoughtful messages, or the level of intrigue a plot generates in you?

Well, to be honest, I have never thought of this question before,it is a deep one!. I think I can't say I am not carried away sometimes by the level of intrigue a book gives me or the curiosity of how my favourite characters develop or can I say I don't pause when I read some deep thoughtful message.

Nevertheless, i think i focus more on the intrigue a book gives me. That feeling is so special! It makes me want to continue, when I was younger,I read multiple literature books at once. When I get to a point where I detect suspense, I drop the book to start another,that way i play massively with my feelings. While reading the new book,I multi task with my head calculating the possible outcomes of the previous book. That feeling and Game is just one of my best life feelings!

In Conclusion....

I am done answering and giving some insights to my life as a reader and why I love reading, I have many more to write but I will stick to the prompt for now and maybe do justice to some aspects another time.

This is a beautiful initiative I would love you all to participate in, @nonsowrites and @lizzyblue2 ,I believe you both could share your thoughts on your reading lifestyle and answer these questions too.

Written by @Samostically

Feel free to Join the Hive Book Club community

♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟

Thanks For Reading

_{The Images used in this article without a stated source were taken with my Samsung A21s Mobile phone.}