Why We Read

On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out

By: Shannon Reed

Narrated by: Paige McKinney

A hilarious and incisive exploration of the joys of reading from a teacher, bibliophile, and Thurber Prize Semifinalist

We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human.

Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader, and New Yorker contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. From the varied novels she cherishes (Gone Girl, Their Eyes Were Watching God) to the ones she didn’t (Tess of the d’Urbervilles), Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them, and the ways in which literature can transform us for the better.

Why do we read?

This book does go over mostly why we read but everyone is different. I learned to read bc of my grandma and I actually felt a kindred spirit with the author bc of how she felt about books. Also how sometimes in Life makes our joy of reading turn to a chore of reading.

Meh

Not as wonderful as I thought it was going to be. Somewhat entertaining and somewhat disappointing. Not sure I can put my finger on why. Glimpses of really great parts and then parts … less so. I really wanted to love it. Perhaps my expectations were too high.