The more I read books—not just as a reader but also as someone who works with writers—the more I realise that fiction changes us in ways we don’t immediately notice. We can only look back after years and see how fiction has impacted our ways of thinking, our beliefs, and our emotional perspectives.
I’ve always been a reader. From the time my father would bring me beautiful picture books that played out the too-perfect fairy tales to asking my mother to buy me another Famous Five book on every store trip; and from borrowing dystopian books at my school library to my cousin recommending me The Vegetarian by Han Kang —the book that made me want to become a reviewer—and had me setup this blog.
Clearly, there is something about reading I love so much that it has become more than just a hobby, more than just a habit I wish to commit to. In fact, reading fiction brought me to something I absolutely love doing: helping writers with detailed feedback as a craft-forward beta reader. This post attempts to breakdown what makes reading such an intricate part of my life: eight reasons why I love reading fiction.
1. Escaping the uncontrollable reality.
Isn’t this the foremost reason for every reader? While the world crumbles around us, books serve as the magical portal we all want to escape into fictional realms through. There’s only so much we can control in the real world but if a book isn’t giving you exactly what you need in the moment, you can simply keep it aside and pick up a new story. Even in the midst of daily mundane tasks, audiobooks allow me to enjoy the things I simply need to do.
As years go by, I can also see how books beautifully bring us back to reality too. Like a journey you take back home. A character, a theme, or a dialogue can give you a better, improved perspective on something in your life or around you. I return to reality with more clarity when certain stories give language to emotions I couldn’t explain before—or courage, patience, faith, and other virtues one needs to witness to embody.
2. Growing empathy and recognising privilege.
While escaping from reality is quite fun, sometimes we need to—and should—reconnect with those who have lived or are living different episodes from us in this very same world. The struggles of a system, the pain of past, and the bitterness of present for some might be vastly divergent from my actuality, and reading works written by and through these perspectives can help me be more empathetic. Sometimes it also forces me to acknowledge the irrefutable privilege I hold in contrast to the unfair experiences others have been subjected to.
3. Learning made more interesting.
As someone who has always been enthusiastic about learning the world history, there’s no surprise that historical fantasy easily became one of my absolute favorite sub-genres. Whether it’s the 1937 Second Sino-Japanese War that The Poppy War takes inspiration from or the 1992 Rodney King Riots that The Black Kids is set during, the fictional stories surely propelled me to read more about the real occurrences they highlight. Reading not only allows me to wonder about the past but also ponder over the present: from systemic inequalities to religious prejudices that still exist in the society today, stories encourage me to keep educating myself.
Not only what can be seen but also the unseen can be explored through fiction. There’s probably a reason fantasy is one of the most loved genres—the idea of magic appeals to us all because I believe we’re indeed tied by a magical thread we can’t always see, but can surely always feel. Magic felt in a world, within one, and with someone, while reading a story helps us connect to the the beauty of the unknown.
4. Experiencing the impossibilities.
In the most fun way, reading allows me to live through some scenarios that would never play out in my world. Yes, I say this while focusing on romance tropes. Everyone loves enemies-to-lovers but come on, would that even happen? As someone who immediately cuts off anyone who doesn’t score well on my vibe test and would definitely not converse with anyone who clearly doesn’t like me, there’s no way—in any of the infinite parallel dimensions mentioned in Dark Matter—that I would fall in love with that person. But this trope does hold so much power. Reading is all about that! From marriage of convenience to childhood friends to lovers, you’ll find me cheering for such surprising happenstances.
5. Seeing my ethnicity or culture represented.
Like many readers of my age, I’ve grown up with stories that were primarily told through a Western lens. Every tale had white heroes and Aladdin singularly became the story for brown kids—not to mention how this fact perpetuated the incorrect idea of using South Asian and Middle Eastern culture interchangeably. Sadly, it wasn’t until I stepped into book blogging that I came across, and purposefully searched for, stories that unabashedly highlighted the culture I grew up in. From desi food references to seeing words added for readers like me, I began to fall in love with reading all over again for the comfort of similarity it now provided me.
6. Gives me a reason to continue blogging.
Speaking of book blogging, reading has certainly been the most important driving force for this passion project of mine. Of course, it’s all in the name: I basically blog about books because I love reading. But it isn’t always the easiest hobby to pursue, especially in terms of the time I must dedicate to everything from reading to reviewing to putting together lists or author features—and of course, my absolute favourite bit where I get to help writers with detailed feedback. Despite the very many posts that often make me proud, sometimes it’s just reading a good story that helps reignite my love for this blog.
7. Makes space for beautiful conversations.
Like many other readers, I’m always enthusiastic to talk about books—but I’m especially passionate about talking about how I felt what I felt and why I felt what I felt. Whether it’s a philosophical thread that the author explored in their dark fantasy, the way love triumphed against otherworldly villains in a romantic fantasy, or the many characters that made a collective impact despite their distinctness in an epic fantasy. No wonder I found my passion in helping writers see their story through a reader’s lens in this manner too!
After all, don’t we all read to feel? I enjoy recognising how and when the craft of storytelling makes way for a particular feeling, and I especially enjoy putting these reactions or hopes (or even disappointments) into words. Probably because it’s the perfect intersection of me as a reader and me as a writer. This has truly made space for some great conversations, whether online or offline.
8. Transcends and transpires emotions.
It’s difficult to keep a track of every instance when a book has pulled me anywhere along an emotional spectrum: from giddy happiness to teary sadness. Reading has always given what I sentimentally sought. Whether it’s the need to reciprocate fun through a summer romance or the need to feel the chills through a winter thriller, books have allowed me to absorb what they intensely wished to deliver. Bad days have turned around after a sweet contemporary and good days have been bettered with diverse SFF.
That’s it! Why do you love reading fiction?
As my years of reading fiction grow, I see fiction less and less as just fictional. These stories carry truth that help us hold love, hope, grief, longing, identity, change, fear, and possibility—sometimes before life asks those things from us. Picking up a fiction book is an opportunity to feel regardless of space and time, and an opportunity to confront ourselves. You can leave happy or you can leave sad, but you’ll always leave fulfilled because the story brings you the satisfaction of an end…while you continue living.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.