Status Updates From Every Day I Read: 53 Ways t...

“Books bring colour to my simple life and if I have a book in my hands, it feels like I'm always connected with the world. Whether I'm bored, lonely, upset or depressed, books soothe me and everything feels all right again. What would I do without books?”

“Because I feel closer to people who've read the same book as me than to people I've known for years, I often recommend books to my friends.“

“I, who am always curious to know what a person is reading, especially if I'm meeting them for the first time, and while I may be too shy to ask, the thought will continue to linger in my mind even after I come home.“

“Indeed, if books disappeared, readers would exist no more. That means a part of me would disappear. I, who spend hours leafing through pages, annotating with a pencil, so completely absorbed that it's past midnight when I finally get up to turn off the lights.“

Author, Andrew Piper, says: “I can imagine a world without books. I cannot imagine one without reading?”

In a text titled A Letter to Borges, Susan Sontag responds to his sentiment by saying:
“Some people think of reading only as a kind of escape: an escape from the real' everyday world to an imaginary world, the world of books. Books are much more. They are a way of being fully human.”

“When everyone else is asking ‘What movie did you watch recently?' and 'What drama are you watching now?’ I want to ask, 'What book have you been reading?' I hope to make a space, however small, for books in our conversations. I want to open the latch in my heart when I'm with you.”

“The doorway to self-reflection that's hidden inside us opens, and we grow to become a person who understands introspection.”

“The question, ‘What have you been reading?' seems to have the power to open a latch in our hearts. The moment we welcome books into ourselves, were bravely opening the door to our hearts. We confess our loneliness, our weaknesses, uncertainties and worries as we open up about the values and worldviews that each of us holds close to our hearts.“

“And when such books touch something deep inside our hearts, it feels like we’re reading them afresh each day.”

“There are some books we meet in life that feel like falling in love; we think of them all the time”

“I learnt that to carelessly judge a person and their situation is violence.”

Paul Kalanithis When Breath Becomes Air: “We live as though life will go on for ever, but death is always hovering…face(d) death bravely. He knew what he wanted and what was important to him, so he lived with passion until his last breath. It makes me wonder how I should live my life, so that when the moment of death comes, I can say that I've lived a good life.”

Jean-Jacques Sempés Sincères amitiés: “Friendship is more challenging than love. It's all in the details, yet many things aren't spelled out. Friendship demands care, but also distance. The book makes me realise that I'm not the only one who finds it hard. But despite the doubt and uncertainty, all of us still crave genuine friendship.”

Kim seonju's Etiquettes in Parting: “I love the self-reflections in this one. Instead of blaming materialism, we need to look into ourselves instead.'

Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich: “It narrates a truly horrifying incident. There was so much I hadn't known…And it gets me thinking about how to tell someone's stories and to capture their voices."

Kim Ho-dong's historical atlas series-the volume on Central Eurasia: “Seeing how people in the past used to travel great distances makes me think that perhaps life isn't just about staying put in one spot for the rest of our lives?”

The Lady with the Dog by Anton Chekhov; “It's a gripping collection; we see the dark side of humanity, the raw anxiety. The characters make me realise that perhaps I don't have to put up a perfect facade in life. Life doesn't have to be a bed of roses. It's a good reminder that each of us is a unique individual. And these days, I've been thinking about how to live my life?”

Kim Jiyoung, Born in 1982 by Cho Nam-ju: “It helps me take a step back to objectively look at what I had thought were my "responsibilities". All the things I was supposed to do just because I'm a woman. How is it that I readily accept everything as my obligation? Now, I'm no longer sure. What does it mean to be a woman?”

“You can't imagine my relief when I read the book. It’s as if it knew exactly what I was going through. I felt understood. I'm not the only one who thinks this way. My feelings are valid.”

‘Alain de Botton's The Course of Love: “I've been struggling with balancing my identity as a mother…and wanting to be wholly myself again. Sometimes it feels like I'm fading away while motherhood takes over my entire identity. But I feel so guilty for having these thoughts. I keep asking myself: Am I being an irresponsible mother?“

‘Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina teaches us the importance of prioritising our own feelings. That's my go-to story when I struggle with despising what the ads say yet yearning to fit into the mould. And that's why I read: to collect stories that'll help me be myself.’

‘When I'm sick of the way society dictates how we view success, I remind myself of Somerset Maugham's The Moon and Sixpence, about a man who bravely pursues his dream even though his method is questionable.‘

‘When I feel a pang of deprivation looking at an ostentatiously rich house, I'll dispense the story of Living the Good Life by the couple Helen and Scott Nearing - a book about finding happiness in a simple life.‘

“The media is full of sensationalised stories and temptations. To fight against its influence, we need to build a ‘story vending machine' for ourselves. Each time we need something to lift our spirits, we can pick a story and let it play in our hearts.”

“Be aware of our own anxieties, know how to prioritise ourselves, understand and manage our inner desires, and books will help us find our way forward.”

“When we're feeling lonely, we shouldn't head to a shop but visit a friend. When we crave stability, instead of dreaming of a perfect home, we should find perfection in a simple life within our means.”

“That's why we should read books that preserve our sense of self. Not just to buy books, but to read them and understand the world. Instead of blindly following what the media tells us, we should find our own happiness.”