The late, great Bill Hicks (an American stand-up), once delivered a perfect piece which included the line ‘Whatcha reading for?’, he went on to highlight the fact that he was not asked ‘What are you reading?’ Needless to say, I found this hilarious and it has stuck with me ever since.
When we’re children we are taught the mechanics of reading. It’s a life skill which we need, not only to jump through the various educational hoops which are placed in our path, but also a necessary skill. I know that there are many who get by without being able to read, but the reality is, it’s a lot easier out there if you can. Our daily lives are full of text, which we need to decipher, from instructions to filling in dreaded forms.
What I would like to do is to explore why people read, aside from necessity. Some read a book to ‘escape’ from the real world, others to develop themselves and seek new knowledge and others just read for pleasure. Pure and simple. Reading relaxes us, it may challenge our thinking (which is a good thing) and it expands our world.
So, I’m asking you, ‘Whatcha reading for?’
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