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Read More.

Benjamin Sanders | 12 January 2018 | reading

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I can remember the very first book I read all the way through. It was “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”. I remember the day I decided to start reading the Harry Potter Series. It was right after I had seen the first film. I guess I wanted to be immersed in the Harry Potter universe even more.

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Ever since those days though I haven’t really read a whole lot other than the occasional blog posts. Which, I suppose, is still reading and you can still get the same benefits as reading a book. I just haven’t taken the time to just sit back, relax, and take a journey with a nice book in a while.

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You see since the start of 2018 I have been thinking about reading more. Well, not just reading more but writing more as well. I am aware that I wrote several posts in 2017. I just want to try to write much longer, more meaningful blog posts. Sort of like short stories but on the web. Carefully crafting a story that would take the reader on an adventure with each and every word.

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I want to try to take my writing to the next level by taking the reader on a journey in their own mind. Sort of the way a good book does when you sit down to read it. Like how you start imagining what that world would be like to live in.

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I’m going to stray a little here to say that I have been trying to find my niche on YouTube. I had recently found the BookTube community which seems to go with what I want to do in terms of reading and writing more. Hell, I might even actually write a novel one day. Wouldn’t that be great?

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So, where is this all going, I hear you ask yourself.

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Well, here in 2018 I would honestly like to read more. Starting with Emma Blackery’s “Feel Good 101”. I don’t like setting a certain number but I’m going to say I’d like to read 20 books in 2018. Mostly books I already own which include: Egghead and The Fault in Our Stars.

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Why Read Though?

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Some people might say something about how you can get the same relaxation from watching TV or a YouTube video. The problem with that thinking though is that it still requires you to stare at a screen. I love the idea that reading allows you to put away your computer and phone for a small, to large, amount of time.

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While you can read on, say an iPad, you’ve still got the notifications coming through interrupting your reading. I want to read because it’s a way to fully escape the world into a whole different one. Even reading non-fiction books can help you escape. It can conjure up what it must have been like to live in the times that book is talking about.

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I like the way that Paul Stamatiou worded it on his blog.

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“Reading forces you to go one step further and not even let your mind wander a bit. If it does, you’re punished by having to read the paragraph or page over again to understand what’s happening”

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That’s very true I can attest to have been reading a book and my mind started wondering about something else. Then next thing I knew I was lost and didn’t know where I had left off.

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Reading isn’t just about relaxing though it also allows you to see things from a different perspective. If you are set in your beliefs on one thing reading can give you a new perspective on those beliefs. You may or may not change what you personally believe but at least you have a better understanding of someone else’s point-of-view.

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What to read?

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As I’ve mentioned above I’m starting out with Emma Blackery’s book since that is the most recent book I bought. I do have several books in mind that I have been meaning to read myself. One book is “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson. I will also be keeping an eye on Bill Gate’s, Gatesnotes, blog for ideas on books to read.

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Thankfully, as mentioned previously, I found the BookTube community which led me to make a Goodreads account. So, that’s another place I’m sure I’ll find great books to read. Really, there should be no excuse for me not to read 20 books in 2018.

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Conclusion

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My final thoughts are that I’m hoping I can actually read 20, or more, books in 2018. I’m sure it will lead to me having a greater knowledge of the world and ultimately help improve my writing. Who knows? Perhaps by November of this year, I will actually participate in NaNoWriMo and have a published novel. :)

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