Whether it’s a stop sign or a tome from the days of yore, reading does, in fact, save lives. I’m not sure why growing older makes me feel the need to throw out confessions, but here’s another from my archives. I wasn’t a big reader before college. My homeschool friends might disown me. Sure, I read for school, but not for fun. Who reads for fun, right? 😉 Let’s just say time changes perspective.

24. Reading Saves Lives.

Fast forward to now: I love to read! For professional and recreational reasons. Fiction, nonfiction, spiritual development, leadership, biography, history. ALL THE BOOKS!

Me before the joy of reading:

Me after I discovered the truth about reading for fun:

I’ve heard a bunch of motivational speeches over the years about why reading and books are so important. Here are a few gems they imparted:

“Leaders are readers.”

“Books change lives.”

Have you heard similar sayings?

One of my favorites is by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones:

“You are today who you’ll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

• George Washington Shows Us How Leaders Are Readers: 5 Lessons From America’s First Bookworm-in-Chief
• 5 Ways Reading Makes You A Better Leader: The Science Behind Reading and Influence

I have this terrible habit of collecting books, starting them, and then amassing an unfinished book tower of Pisa.

Occasionally, however, I’ll find a book or two that I just can’t put down. I’ll finish them in a flash. I might lose sleep over them because I’ll stay up far too late to finish them.

Here are just a few of my favorite (finished!) books:

• Pleasing People: How not to be an approval junkie by Lou Priolo
• Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and an Overcoming Love by Katherine & Jay Wolf
• The Magnolia Story by Chip & Joanna Gaines
• Eight Twenty Eight: When Love Didn’t Give Up by Ian & Larissa Murphy
• Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Dr. Richard A. Swenson
• Joni: An Unforgettable Story by Joni Eareckson Tada
• The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
• The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
• Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt
• On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (The Wingfeather Saga) by Andrew Peterson
• The Circle by Ted Dekker
• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
• Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope by Mary Beth Chapman

Here are a few of the many books that are part of my “in progress” book tower:

• Leviathan (The Antediluvian Legacy, Book 1) by R. M. Huffman
• The Sacred Search: What If It’s Not about Who You Marry, But Why? by Gary Thomas
• Between Heaven and the Real World: My Story by Steven Curtis Chapman
• For the Glory: The Untold and Inspiring Story of Eric Liddell, Hero of Chariots of Fire by Duncan Hamilton

What books are you currently reading? What’s your favorite book of all? How has reading changed your life?