I use books as a shield against boredom, often carrying around an unwieldy stack, stuffing too many in my suitcase case, adjusting my driving habits so they don’t slide across my dashboard. Books give me something to look forward to. People in my books keep me company and inspire me. Through them I can relate, coming to understand two opposing perspectives on the same civil war. Books allow me to remotely access minds across time, place, and culture. Reading frees me from old roadblocks, like an icebreaker cracking through previously impenetrable barriers. Without books I would be much more alone. Books are a technology full of dynamism and liberty.
Phone books used to be put on chairs so that little kids could reach their plates at the dinner table. When my older son was very little we lived in Zambia and he took his favorite Dr. Seuss book to church. He shared it with an African girl about his age. She took it, turned it over, and did not know what to do with the book. And so she sat on it.
I can't imagine a life without books 📚. I've been reading since I was tiny and don't even remember learning, but I know it was Dr. Seuss who taught me. I still have those books over half a century later. 😍😍😍 I prefer physical books, but I use and enjoy a Kindle also.
I use books to bring me joy. I find that when I spend too much time on my phone, or just away from reading, then I get super bored and feel the need to doomscroll or whatever. Reading books keeps me off my phone and makes me realize how much time I’m wasting when I could be doing something much, much better.
Books are like relaxation to me now. My favorite authors I have to really slow down to read, take in each sentence as it is, slowly eat the paragraphs. It's a meditation, a long walk, my favorite thing to do before bed. I also use them to study writing, story, form, character, and to see my own reactions and learn about myself. So magical :D
Enjoyment, knowledge, curiosity, building of empathy, cure boredom, to get lost out of this world, build imagination, set an example (to my kids), build humility.
I have always used books for entertainment and instruction, often at the same time. I also use them for decoration - a nicely arranged bookshelf really does brighten up a room. Occasionally, I have used their weight as a clamp for gluing.
My parents use thick books to create hills under the cotton batting snow for their Christmas village - they keep the village up several months, and it sometimes happens that during that time, someone is looking for the thesaurus, dictionary, etc. and unable to find it, having forgotten the book is currently forming a hill.
I use books as a shield against boredom, often carrying around an unwieldy stack, stuffing too many in my suitcase case, adjusting my driving habits so they don’t slide across my dashboard. Books give me something to look forward to. People in my books keep me company and inspire me. Through them I can relate, coming to understand two opposing perspectives on the same civil war. Books allow me to remotely access minds across time, place, and culture. Reading frees me from old roadblocks, like an icebreaker cracking through previously impenetrable barriers. Without books I would be much more alone. Books are a technology full of dynamism and liberty.
I love reading your interviews where you end with the question of having lunch with three people of your choice. Time and language are not barriers.
Books are my lunch conversations with groups of people. Inside my head, they interact with each other, while I introduce them to each other.
Phone books used to be put on chairs so that little kids could reach their plates at the dinner table. When my older son was very little we lived in Zambia and he took his favorite Dr. Seuss book to church. He shared it with an African girl about his age. She took it, turned it over, and did not know what to do with the book. And so she sat on it.
Mine are for entertainment and research, as their authors intended them to be.
I can't imagine a life without books 📚. I've been reading since I was tiny and don't even remember learning, but I know it was Dr. Seuss who taught me. I still have those books over half a century later. 😍😍😍 I prefer physical books, but I use and enjoy a Kindle also.
To hold weigh down warp threads, holding them taut, while winding on by myself. Also to prop up my computer for Zoom calls.
Oh...you did you mean how do I use reading????
I love hearing that! Who’s to say a book’s only purpose is reading? I use books to prop up my computer for Zoom calls too!
I use books to bring me joy. I find that when I spend too much time on my phone, or just away from reading, then I get super bored and feel the need to doomscroll or whatever. Reading books keeps me off my phone and makes me realize how much time I’m wasting when I could be doing something much, much better.
Books are like relaxation to me now. My favorite authors I have to really slow down to read, take in each sentence as it is, slowly eat the paragraphs. It's a meditation, a long walk, my favorite thing to do before bed. I also use them to study writing, story, form, character, and to see my own reactions and learn about myself. So magical :D
Enjoyment, knowledge, curiosity, building of empathy, cure boredom, to get lost out of this world, build imagination, set an example (to my kids), build humility.
I read for enjoyment. Then, I have so funny notions about what is enjoyable. I read quite a bit of non-fiction.
I love my fiction crime books. Takes me away to another world with rich characters and is good for my brain.
I have always used books for entertainment and instruction, often at the same time. I also use them for decoration - a nicely arranged bookshelf really does brighten up a room. Occasionally, I have used their weight as a clamp for gluing.
My parents use thick books to create hills under the cotton batting snow for their Christmas village - they keep the village up several months, and it sometimes happens that during that time, someone is looking for the thesaurus, dictionary, etc. and unable to find it, having forgotten the book is currently forming a hill.
I used to be a massive fiction reader up till recently but now I've suddenly got into self help books. The one thing the internet can't replace.