Why should you read fiction?
Thirteen-year-old me was completely immersed in fiction. Young adults and fantasy were my go-to genres. I would spend hours reading books like The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. On my way to school, in between classes and before going to bed- I always had a book with me. But as I grew up, many told me that I should read non-fiction as fiction books are nothing but silly stories. They said that I was wasting my time reading fiction and that they were written solely for entertainment. I decided to shift to non-fiction books. I read autobiographies, biographies, and various self-help books, and I learned many valuable lessons. But something was missing. Was it the curiosity to know what happens to the character that engulfs you? Was it the twists, turns, and sudden revelations that change the course of the story? Or was it the beautiful description of characters with hazel eyes and chestnut hair?
I realized that not only non-fiction but fiction also is necessary for our pursuit of growth. It is not merely entertainment. Fiction is full of knowledge and information, and it teaches us how to live our lives best. Let’s discuss some more benefits.
Perspective
When you read fiction, you completely immerse yourself in the character’s mind, and you look at the world through their eyes. This allows you to be someone you would never be otherwise-different age, gender, or even different nationality. You look at the world from a different perspective, which helps you understand things you didn’t before. Hence, every book you read shapes the way you look at the world.
Another advantage of a different perspective is that you learn from your character. Whether it is their response in certain situations or their ability to solve problems, you try to incorporate these positive skills of the character in your behavior. An important lesson I learned from the book Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon was that we should never let little things scare us.
Companionship
Whenever I am alone and have some free time in my hands, I grab a book and start reading. I believe that books are our best companions. They help us be “productively engaged.” They are a great time pass, and as I said before, we learn a lot from every book we read. So it’s a win-win situation. You learn even in your free time.
Another important reason is that books promote inner peace. According to a study at the University of Sussex, if you read for even 6 minutes a day, it will reduce your stress level by 68%. This is why it is advised to read books before going to sleep. It helps you reduce your screen time and disengage from all your daily activities. This is a great idea, but it is better that you read fiction before bed. Why? It’s because non-fiction encourages planning and thinking about the future. No one can relax this way. Hence, read something fun and simple so that you can enjoy and relax while reading it.
Creativity
The authors of fiction books use their imagination and creativity skills to create a whole new world of their own. This clearly shows that fiction books are the perfect example of art for our imagination to thrive off. We use our imagination to interpret the book in our way, and this develops our creativity. An important factor here is our level of interest in the book. The more absorbed we are in the book, the more it will stimulate our creativity and imagination.
How books can open your mind- TED talk by Lisa Bu
My Reading List
Some must-read fiction books from my reading list:
1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
2. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
3. The Kite runner by Khaled Hosseini
4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
5. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
For more reading suggestions, visit the following sites:
1. Goodreads
2. LibraryThing
3. Book Riot
4. Bookish
What’s next?
Reading fiction has all these benefits, but it depends on whether you want to take advantage of them or not. So let me make this a little simple for you. Here are some ways you can avail all the above-mentioned benefits:
1. Choose the right book: Make sure the book is about something that interests you. When I started rereading fiction in college, I was really into crime and thrillers, so I decided to pick a book in this area even though I had never read a book of this genre before, and this was the best decision I took.
2. Make a reading list: A reading list contains all the books you want to read. You can make separate lists for fiction and non-fiction to avoid confusion.
3. Read every day: Make sure that you dedicate some amount of time to reading. It can be anything from 15 minutes to 2 hours, and it depends on your schedule for the day. An important point to note here is that you read to make sure that there are no distractions. No phone, no laptop. Just relax and read.
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” — Albert Einstein.
