Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body

I watched my "Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone" DVD this afternoon again. I'm prepping myself for the release of the next movie in a few weeks. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the Harry Potter series? I love these books. I felt like a kid again reading them - Rowling is an exceptionally talented writer and just pulls you into this magical world. She makes you BELIEVE these things could actually happen. She makes you care about Harry and his friends. Again, I LOVE these books. I would have liked to have had these books growing up ... what a great way to get kids interested in reading! I grew up on Nancy Drew, the Hardy boys, The Sweet Valley Twins, the Babysitters Club, etc. I also remember when I READ about kissing for the first time in "Forever" by Judy Blume ....haha.

Reading is an escape for me. Reading allows me to travel to places I might not ever get to go to in real life -- it allows me to learn about other countries and cultures in a way that no regular school textbook could ever teach. Reading allows me to put away the stresses and annoying stuff that goes on in every day life .... sink my teeth into a nice novel ... and get swept away into the story. I think it will always be my favorite "hobby" .... and to end my rambling about my love of reading -- here are some neat quotes about it:

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. ~ Joseph Addison ~

I often feel sorry for people who don't read good books; they are missing a chance to lead an extra life. ~ Scott Corbett ~

There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island. ~ Walt Disney ~

Never judge a book by its movie. ~ J. W. Eagan ~

If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

To read a book is for me not merely to get an idea of what the author says, but to go off with him and travel in his company. ~ André Gide ~

The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. ~ Elizabeth Hardwick ~

The libraries have become my candy store. ~ Juliana Kimball ~

Books are so much more than books -- they are dreams and knowledge, they are a future, and a past. ~ Esther Meynell ~