Inspire Reading on World Book Day

Today, April 23, is World Book Day. For any bookworm, any day is "world book day" because we love reading pretty much whenever we are granted the opportunity. I grew up reading. I was the "nerd" (but I'm not afraid to admit it) who would bring a book with her everywhere she went in case she was bored. Rory Gilmore of Gilmore Girls did the same thing. If Rory could do it, so could I.

Rory Gilmore reading on Gilmore Girls (photo/Lawrence Mode).

If you're already a book lover, I don't need to tell you twice the value reading has in one's life. You already know it. In fact, you're already living this truth every day. You probably end the day by reading a few chapters (or at least just one chapter) of a book before going to bed. You love to admire your books, and one of your favorite hobbies is going to a bookstore or library. You know reading is important--because you can't imagine your life without books.

But, if you're just an occasional reader, then I challenge you to add reading to your bucket list. Open a book and start reading. Like I have expressed many times on my blog, you never know if you'll like something unless you try.

Read for pleasure, not because you're required to read a book for a school assignment. You can read at your own pace. Even if it takes you several months to read a book, do it anyway. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to read a book. All that matters is that you're reading and learning more each and every day.

(photo/Sweatpants & Coffee)

When Rory Gilmore graduates from Chilton Preparatory School (AKA her high school), she delivers a beautiful, powerful valedictorian address--probably one that has inspired many real-life valedictorian speeches.

Rory remarks, "I live in two worlds. One is a world of books. I've been a resident of Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County, hunted the white whale abroad the Pequod, fought alongside Napoleon, sailed a raft with Huck and Jim, committed absurdities with Ignatius J. Reilly, rode a sad train with Anna Karenina and strolled down Swann's Way. It's a rewarding world."

Rory Gilmore's valedictorian address on Gilmore Girls (photo/Pinterest).

I have always admired this speech because it is very accurate and realistic to how a bookworm, like myself, feels about reading. We live in reality with actual people in our lives, but the second world--the imaginary world inside a book--is an amazing escape from this reality. You can go anywhere and become anyone within the pages of a book. You can witness Atticus Finch's trial in To Kill a Mockingbird. You can visit 1930s rural Georgia in The Color Purple. You can ride the Orient Express in Murder on the Orient Express. 

Do you want to travel to Paris but you can't afford it? Read a book set in Paris and you'll travel to the city in your imagination. You'll experience the city along with the characters. Do you want to be a princess, a life-saving surgeon, a teacher, an astronaut, or a sailor? In the world of books, you can do all of those things. You can do what you have always wanted to do...in a book.

(photo/Good Housekeeping)

Writers have created worlds for readers to escape to when they need a break from reality. These worlds are born out of their imagination, and that's the beauty of writing and literature. You can escape into a new world and have fun.

So, go to your bookshelf or a local library (once they re-open). Pick up a book that interests you. Open it today, on World Book Day, and begin reading. Escape into a new world. You might be surprised at what you will learn or how you'll feel more inspired than before.

Inspire reading today, and every day that follows.

-KJL-