Whether we realise it or not, we read constantly; it’s simply unavoidable. That’s because words are everywhere: in school, on billboards, shampoo labels, and, of course, this very page. Yet, unfortunately, some of us haven’t cultivated a love for reading.

By now, it’s no secret that I’m a bookworm, a fact everyone who knows me is familiar with. I grew up with my nose in a book. I read when I was supposed to, when I was not, while waiting for food, and in the car. I read until I had to wear glasses, and I get car-sick easily now, but both are worth the many hours I spent reading. I don’t have as much time to read now, but I still passionately love it. Reading is as much a part of me as writing is, they’re one and inseparable, shaping so much of who I am.

Literature has been around for more centuries than we can remember, and for good reason too. Reading is not only fun, it’s also a way of educating ourselves on the era in which the text was written. It teaches us important life lessons through its characters.

These are some of the reasons why I wish more people would read. I want to share my love for reading with others, and the only way I can do that is if people give books a chance to reveal the worlds they hold between their pages, show us how beautiful words can be, and make us feel emotions we otherwise would never know.

It isn’t hard to find the time to read. It’s just a matter of not playing video games for as long, or spending less time on Facebook. One doesn’t require too much time either — just fifteen minutes is all that is needed to unwind at the end of the day, and immerse yourself in a good book. Eventually, you might just find yourself looking forward to those few minutes, and fall in love with books, just as I have. When you do, or if you already have, please share your love for reading with your friends, so that they can experience its joy too.