Title: Why We Read    
Author: Shannon Reed   
Genre:  Nonfiction    
Rating:  4.2 out of 5

We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human.

Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader, and New Yorker contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. From the varied novels she cherishes ( Gone Girl , Their Eyes Were Watching God ) to the ones she didn’t ( Tess of the d’Urbervilles ), Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them, and the surprising ways in which literature can transform us for the better.

I enjoyed this book! Nonfiction can be hit or miss for me, but this was definitely a hit. I loved the class anecdotes from the author’s teaching career, and all of the tidbits about her own reading life. She even made The Great Gatsby sound fascinating—and I don’t care for that read at all. This book encourages readers to try something new—and to think about old favorites in a new way.

Shannon Reed grew up in Pennsylvania. Why We Read is her newest book.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review.)

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