Reading has always been a favorite pastime of mine. From wizards and dragons to real-life situations that feel all too relatable, books can cover it all. They can make you feel at home, or they can take you away from home for a little while to get lost in a fantastic world. In short, books are pretty much magic. If transporting your mind into a different world and character completely isn’t magic, I don’t know what is.

When I was really young, nothing was more exciting to me than when my parents would come to read books to me before bed. A book I really came to love was the first book of the Fairy Realm series. I remember every night my mom would read me a chapter or two just before I had to go to sleep. I know that is one of the many reasons for my love of reading.

A huge motivator for reading when I was a kid was the AR trips. Rollerskating, movies, and the biggest trip of all, Joyland, were all things kids just couldn’t miss out on. What was more fun than missing an entire day of school to go on a field trip? The fact that I was able to go do all these fun things for doing something I already loved seemed like a pretty sweet deal to me.

When I reached high school, everything got a little more stressful, and I felt there wasn’t much time to read. I can count the number of books I read my freshman year on my fingers. I found myself in a reading slump until about halfway into the first semester of sophomore year. That was when I started reading again because my favorite author was coming out with books from the most interesting series I had ever read. The series was The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, which is still one of my favorites today.

As with most great books, this series was supposed to become a movie. This is where the ever-present battle begins: books vs. movies. Which is better? Almost every single time I pick the book over the movie. The movie adaptation usually completely murders the book, and this case was no different. The only part of the cast I thought was fit for the role was Lily Collins playing the main character. The book just had so much more to it. When you read books, you pick up on the characters’ thoughts and not just what they say and do. Also, you can create the entire world in your mind just the way you want it.

Reading is not only fun, but it has also been very beneficial for me throughout my education. I know my vocabulary is much higher because I read. I love the words and the way they enable me to work my imagination. In my opinion, being able to create a little movie in your mind is so much better than seeing one on the screen.