3 Ways Reading Has Changed My Life

It’s been a year full of uncertainty and fear, and in my own little way, I want to share a bit of light with the world. Thus, The Bibliosmile Project was born. My aim for this project is to spotlight how books (+ the bookish community) have brought smiles, happiness, and positivity into our lives. Through an ongoing series of guest posts, different readers will share their stories of bookish happiness that will (hopefully) spread some much-needed positivity, joy, and bring a smile to your face. You can read more about this series in my introduction post where things get personal and you can catch up on previous guest posts here.

If you’re interested in writing a guest post as part of The Bibliosmile Project, then please contact me at my email, [email protected].

Eleanor’s Bibliosmile Story

Hi everyone! I’m Eleanor, from Wishing Upon a Star, where I wish for escapism in creativity, peace in creating art, and joy in sharing it all! I’m so honored to be here on the iconic Novels & Waffles, guest posting about how reading has changed my life, and I want to thank the lovely and incredible Kat for having me here!

Being a reader for as long as I can remember, I’m still in awe at how there is something so constant and timeless about a book, how words from a hundred years ago remain relevant today, how we can never outgrow the indulgence of escapism. To quote Anne Shirley from the fifth novel in the Anne of Green Gables series, Anne’s House of Dreams, “My library isn’t very extensive but every book in it is a friend.” 

Books have always been there for me, and I’m sure for you as well, when I needed them most. They have helped me out of funky moods, been a core part of me finding common interests with others and establishing beautiful friendships, and just enriched how I perceive things—something doing all this at once.

So…let’s get into it!!

3 Ways Reading Has Changed My Life

I think the reason we welcome escapism as readers is because through books, we obtain 1) our exit ticket out of the real world and away from the conflicts in our life to those of fictional characters, and 2) are able to bring perspective back to the real world. For example, in fantasy and science fiction, the experiences that the characters have are most likely inapplicable to our own lives. But their personalities, their strengths, their flaws, the reason they get back up again and again—we can draw parallels between them and us until that thin line is transcended entirely. Thus is the beauty of books. 

Truly finding ourselves in characters is a marvelous thing, when we embody them so that with every joy they feel, we do as if it is our own, every grief they face causes tears to slip down our cheeks, every hurt and anger that breaks them makes our fingers curl, and every fear they have is enough for us to pull the books to our chests in the hopes they will feel our hugs. And when we read the last page, turn it to see the acknowledgments, and settle down to release a long held in breath, a true smile curves our lips as we reflect upon the tapestry of words we have just read and the themes the author wove within. Those themes—silver threads in a picture of gold, we carefully unravel them, expand them, truly see them. And we thread them into our own lives, returning to our work, our life, and our problems with fresh eyes, with a new perspective, remembering the values of perseverance, dedication, determination, hard work, and kindness—just to name a few—that were enforced throughout the narrative.

What’s more, when we have formed insights that we’ve gained from the stories we’ve read, it’s only natural instinct to share them with others! From classmates to friends to family—I can’t count how many times I’ve started meaningful conversations with them about various pieces of literature, squealing about the characters, marveling over the world, gasping at the plot twists, and delving into the themes explored. I’ve stayed up late talking with friends about all books from the Warriors Cat series to Pride & Prejudice to The Three Body Problem to Six of Crows to Anne of Green Gables. Finding common bookish interests with others is like no other—it opens up a realm that, while still in the real world, is imbued through and through with the fictional characters and worlds and narratives we bring to it, and our own insights and analyses.

Before I discovered the blogging community, I actually didn’t have that many people to talk to about books, outside my family and close friends!! But meeting all of you has been a truly joyous experience, and I’ve loved talking with you about everything from character ships (!!) to crying over impactful quotes to gasping at the edges of cliffs as we wait for the next installment of a series. Sending lots of love your way!!

I’d like to end on this hopeful note! A big big thank you for reading, and again to Kat for this wonderful opportunity. I hope you were able to relate to and smile with this post, I had so much fun writing it!! And while the future is still uncertain, we are all in this together, and we must keep hope alive. Joining this community has been one of the best decisions I’ve made, and I look forward to connecting with you in future.

Have a wonderful day, lovelies!!

More About Eleanor

An Asian American teen, Eleanor has loved books for as long as she can remember, be it a classic, a contemporary, a science fiction, or a fantasy. When she is not reading or blogging, you’ll most likely find her spending time with family and friends, writing like crazy, goggling over quantum mechanics and string theory, doodling with imaginary numbers, playing the piano, or occasionally wondering what it would be like to have a purring cat on her lap while she sips at a caramel macchiato (she’s also in a phase where she refers to herself in 3rd person!).

ELEANOR’S BLOG • WRITER’S WEBSITE

Eleanor shared three ways reading has changed her life. Now it’s your turn!

Share three ways reading has changed your life in the comments!