Reading for me, at its core, is just another medium of entertainment. I like watching TV shows and Youtube as well, but reading satisfies me in a different way. Of course, there’s the payoff, where a plot point or mystery that has been escalating reaches its climax and resolves itself in a dramatic fashion. If it’s a good book, you’ll have built an emotional attachment to the main character by now and relish in that triumph with them. By reading the book, you’re working for the reward, which makes it all the more satisfying when it comes.
Some more elements of books I enjoy:
The Worldbuilding: When it comes to Sci-fi and Fantasy, learning about the lore of a world can feel like clicking in pieces of a puzzle. You start off slightly overwhelmed and eager, being teased by hints of your surroundings and flashbacks of the past—then you get fed with what the author makes you want. There might be some pieces you’ll never find, and that makes the world seem all the more real. After all, we don’t know everything about our universe either.
The Romance:
Not really my thing, but well-written romantic relationships in books as side plots can be really good at tugging on your heartstrings. Since books get to convey romance through words, authors can paint a picture with flashes of images or outright describe the feelings from the point of view of the character in love, solidifying their voice. It can be just as much about the way the characters play off each other and develop as it can be about their chemistry.
The Feels:
I don’t want to ramble on forever, but I read mainly because I want to experience the tear-jerking sadness of sacrifice, the “oh, how did I not think of this,” and every other emotion. Reading might seem bland and dull compared to TV shows and moving, cinematic music, but there’s a beauty to words that form experiences in your mind unique to you. When the adrenaline fades, there’s no emptiness that has to be filled immediately with another book; reading leaves you deeply satisfied because it’s the journey that matters.
An excellent book leaves you friends with the characters and a healthy yearning for more. You might speculate on the future of a series even after it has ended, which is when you should probably join a fandom.
Don’t limit yourself, of course, but also consider picking books that you’re interested in. I gravitate toward sci-fi and fantasy, but you might like comedy or romance more—it’s up to you to figure out what you want to get out of a book.
Happy Reading!
Austin Wen