I find myself revisiting this question over and over again. Reading is not like watching movies where, is there's a big enough film. You can always find enough people to sit with you and talk about it. I guess you can do that with some books like HP and HG, but even then, are you discussing books or movies?

I used to go to book clubs, but then nobody would have read the book or they'd be reading a book I didn't care about that I had to force myself through and couldn't say my real thoughts because they all loved it. I've explored some sites like Goodreads and Reddit or even fan fiction for the community elements, but I've just accepted that there's not much conversation coming from my reading.

Instead, there's partially the escapism, but more the questions of what if. Could I make it in a different reality, or under different circumstances. What if I were to not talk for 3 years, or if I were on trial for a crime I didn't commit, or had great musical or athletic talent.

That's why I can't get through some badly written books. I place myself in the protagonist's shoes and say what would I do. And if I can't reasonably make their decision, it becomes a tough read. Meanwhile, I may have constructed a whole alternate story in my mind. Well written books let me become immersed in the artificial world until it ends. Maybe I'm the protagonist for a while, or the antagonist, or their love interest, or just a spectator.

But it's most fun when there's elements that are similar to my own life. I gravitate towards runaways and orphan stories of at minimum just stories of people making it from little to nothing for that reason. Even if making it just means not dieing.

Anonymous wrote:Escapism. Fun. I live vicariously through the characters in the books. I confess that I love romance novels, the ones you guys think it’s trashy. I can’t imagine myself submitting to a man as property/chattel… if I traveled through time and found myself stranded in Medieval times, I would probably be killed within the first week, either by charges of heresy or by fighting a man beating me up/raping, etc.

But nevertheless, I love the books!!!! The fantasy


It is pure escapism to me.

I love romance, too. Most of what I read has heroes who are good, responsible, and eager to please (in many ways) and if they are jerks, they have a redemption arc. It’s funny when people say romance gives women unrealistic expectations. Like wanting someone who is a kind and enthusiastic partner is asking for the moon.

Anonymous wrote:I can't fall asleep without reading first.

Same. Without a book, falling asleep takes forever.

Escapism. Fun. I live vicariously through the characters in the books. I confess that I love romance novels, the ones you guys think it’s trashy. I can’t imagine myself submitting to a man as property/chattel… if I traveled through time and found myself stranded in Medieval times, I would probably be killed within the first week, either by charges of heresy or by fighting a man beating me up/raping, etc.

But nevertheless, I love the books!!!! The fantasy


It is pure escapism to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a shame this thread is on the book forum. Most people are on the book forum to discuss BOOKS because reading is the same for us as breathing, sleeping, eating, it's something that is so integral to life that it's a necessity.

I find it boring and reductive to have to define "why" a person reads. Why does a person ever do anything? Its just not interesting hearing about this, I'd rather hear about the books themselves.

Thanks for gatekeeping the DCUM book forum. Please share the link to your book forum where this nonsense doesn’t exist so we can bask in the superiority complex.

It's not gatekeeping, it's my OPINION which you are now are attempting to shut down, like a, oh yeah, a gatekeeper.

NP, listen PP, I find this topic dull as all get out. Saying that is not really an answer to the OP though, and if people want to get all into their motivations, more power to them. It's really okay for us to skip these threads and just head to the ones about actual books.

[for those ask, i avoided this thread when it was originally posted but was curious why it has been #1 all day].