by Grace Pappadellis ’29 on January 22, 2026
Opinion - Entertainment & Society
Ever since I was a small child, I have been fascinated by books. I try not to sound trite when I say this, but I have always found a profound ease in getting lost in a good book. To delve into the characters, the setting, the interpersonal relationships and deep honesty of a good author—it is reading and learning and understanding that has made me want to become an author of books myself.
I can understand that the concept of reading is not thrilling to every person, especially in college when various majors require tedious forms of reading, other strenuous types of work, or simply no reading at all, and therefore one could be unaccustomed to the beauty of an enjoyable story. However, I wholeheartedly believe that with the right amount of exposure to impactful, high quality books, anyone is bound to find their own significance and relevancy to their life in reading.
Reading brings me a sense of peace that feels only perceptible to me. It feels like a massage for my brain, a reset, a reminder that words can hold so much meaning, they just need to be paid attention to in the same way everyday stimuli are given our time and attention. I was raised around books; I was told that reading can only strengthen my brain, and it also opens your brain to collections of knowledge that cannot be attained by a quick web search or skimming a couple pages. Reading takes time and requires a meditative, comfortable state of mind that every person should enter, even if reading is not part of their routine or required within their work.
I strive to write books that anyone can lose themselves in, regardless of their prior opinions of reading. It is perfectly reasonable not to get excited about reading in the same way that I do, but I am a firm believer that one who dislikes reading is one who has not found the right book. Every day we aim to find meaning, of any sort, whether we find it through our
friends, our families, the places we travel to, the things we study, or even the food we eat. What means the most to us is what pushes us to be better for ourselves, thus we are better friends, siblings, students, employees, and overall people. To find meaning is to be open, honest, and
receptive. There is so much to read, so much to learn, even if we are reading a simple, direct news article about the state of the world today or a 500 page novel by our favorite author.
I will forever thank my parents for insisting that I read, because without the development of that skill, I wouldn’t have learned how much I enjoyed writing. There’s an
excitement in reading, a burst of happiness and inspiration I feel when I know the characters and they represent a part of my life that I haven’t been able to put into words myself. Even if my assigned reading for school doesn’t fully align with this feeling, I promise myself that I will do the best I can to dig into the words with the same alacrity that I give to the books that I choose
for myself. No matter how successful I am, I am guaranteed to gain something from what I am reading—a new meaning so slight that it can mean the whole world.