Proper Reader? | A Discussion Inspired by BookTuber Ariel Bissett

I just watched BookTuber Ariel Bissett latest video and it has very much inspired me to talk about this topic, just like the Twitter post she saw inspired her to make her video.

Proper Reader? What is a proper reader? How much do you think a person should read in a single day, in a single month, in order to be a proper reader? Ask yourself this, why is it that this generation feels the need to categorize every little thing? Do you really feel the need to have to read every spare second of the day in order to be a reader? The answer should be NO! Why? Because everyone is different. Not everyone might read at the same pace as the person standing next to them in the bookstore. Not everyone has as much free time in their day to read as much. So why is it if you read more than the next person, you are more of a reader?

Has anyone ever told you that it is okay in life to have other hobbies and interest? Do I feel bad at the end of the month when I noticed I only finished two or three books? No, because I read something and it is more than some people can say. Do I feel the need to read nine-ten books in a month? No, because I know, as a slow reader that is never going to happen for me. Life gets in the way and that is okay. The sooner people start to realize that, the better. Forget about Goodreads, forget about keeping track. Just read to read, read at your own pace, read what you want when you want. I am saying don't read, no, read, but one your time, not everyone else's. It is okay to enjoy all the little things in life.

Now, I don't want people to take this the wrong way. I LOVE to read! I have always been a reader, since I was three years old and I learned to read my mini-mouse book, then when I was five, when I read my first ever Dr. Suess book, Green Eggs and Ham to my little brother, reading has been in my blood. What I am trying to get across is, you don't have to read or even buy eight-ten books a month to be a reader. The more important question here is, did you like the book? Did you like it so much to share it with your friends and family? Would you recommend it to someone you know?

I, like Ariel said in her video, don't read as much as everyone thinks I do. Why? Do I not enjoy reading? No. But I like other things, I like watching my handful of shows I enjoy on Netflix. I enjoy sitting with my fiance at night and watching a movie. Does that make me a bad person if I would rather watch a movie or go out and do something one night instead of read? No, it doesn't, because I am human.

Be you. Do you.