Arts & Literature

Fiction is a guilty pleasure–an escape from reality. I believe everyone should read fiction on a regular basis. Everyone should always have at least one fiction book sitting on the night stand at any given time. Escaping from the problems of daily life can help bring stress relief.

As someone who loves to read, I find it difficult to imagine someone who doesnt want to grab a book in his spare few minutes and devour it. However, I have one son who hates to read and a boyfriend who could care less about reading fiction. To me, they are aliens from another planet, but then, thats me writing fiction again.

Reading Can Reduce Stress
Fiction can provide an escape from the real drudgeries and worries about life. Children can be encouraged to read while waiting in the doctors office or waiting for the bus. Getting a child interested in reading may be easier if you can figure out what he likes to read. My bookworm son loves fantasy, adventures, castles and battles. He loves Harry Potter and C. S. Lewis. Many kids have been turned on to reading because of the Harry Potter books. A few years ago, children started to read again because of the Goosebumps books.

The issue boils down to finding books that cater to a childs specific interests. If your daughter loves cats, find her fictional stories involving cats. The same goes for any kind of animal. There are mysteries and horror books as well as historical books and books with messages, so you dont have to worry about compromising the quality of reading material to find a genre that interests your child.