5 Reasons to Celebrate Reading!

Today is the National Education Association's Read Across America Day, a holiday celebrated in schools nationwide. It also happens to be the birthday of Dr. Seuss, a beloved favorite author of many, including yours truly, as well as World Book Day.

So, in honor of World Book Day, I thought I'd count down the reasons reading is a wonderful thing. Grab a book and pull up a chair, and feel free to add your reasons in the comments!

It Transports You To Places You'd Probably Never Get To Go Otherwise: I've traveled to Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, thanks to my love of books. Oh, and I've been to outer space and other universes and many realms of fantasy, too. I love to travel without paying tons of money or leaving my home!

It Helps You Escape Life's Problems: Let's face it. No one's life is all daisies and tulips. If I couldn't escape from my problems for a few hours by diving into a good book, I'd probably be living in a padded room and wearing straight jackets.

It Introduces You To New Friends: I'm speaking both fictional characters and real people here. I'm pleased to have Nancy Drew, Katniss Everdeen, Harry Potter, and a whole host of other characters in my life, and I kind of consider them to be friends at this point. Plus, my love of reading has connected me to other people who love to read, and those friendships are solid.

It Makes You Smarter: At least, I'm pretty sure it does. It doesn't matter if you read nonfiction or fiction, you're bound to learn something new when you pick up a book.

It's Make You Empathetic: If you can get inside another person's viewpoint, you're bound to come out the other side more empathetic and compassionate. Personally, I think that's something the world needs more of these days.

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Angela Campbell is the author of the psychic detectives series from Harper Impulse. Learn more about her and her books at www.AngelaCampbellOnline.com.