Fae Friday is an awesome new weekly post created by Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. I’m super excited to participate in this (and to have been an avid supporter of it from the beginning)! A topic is provided each week, and Kristy is so welcoming to ideas from others. If you have any ideas for topics, reach out to her through her blog or on Twitter (@caffeinatedfae).

Here’s the rules:

• Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
• If the prompt idea comes from another blog, link to that blog as well.
• Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other!
• Participate when you can and have fun with the prompt!

It’s Friday! That means it’s time to sprinkle some pixie dust around and answer this week’s prompt! Why do you read? 

I’ve never actually sat down and really thought about this before.

But since I’ve been reading for so much of my life, I have identified a few reasons that have kept me reading. At first, my mom taught me how to read at a really young age (when I was just 4 years old!) because I asked so many questions and she needed a break. However, reading has given me so much.

• It’s a great way to learn about basically anything. Books have taught me important skills, provided information, and opened up doorways to history, places, and other cultures that I may not have ever gotten the chance to see the way people who live them can depict.
• Reading is a healthy coping skill for me to manage stress. In today’s world, with stress at an all-time high, healthy escapes are in high demand. And as I always tell people, at least I’m not doing drugs.
• Books have been a great way for me to connect with like-minded people. People who read similar books are pretty much guaranteed to have at least one thing in common, and I’ve met some seriously awesome people on book twitter and bookstagram. Which is also really important, since it has helped me feel connected during these isolating times.
• I fully credit my love of reading with fostering a strong imagination.

Why do you read?