Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Reasons I Love Being a Blogger/Reader

'Top Ten Tuesday' is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Lately I've seen some other book bloggers being quite enthusiastic about this weekly meme, so I decided to join in with the fun and try it out myself as well!  

  Top Ten Reasons I Love Being a Blogger/Reader   Today's Top Ten Tuesday consists of a list of reasons why I love being a blogger/reader. Well, I think most of us readers and/or bloggers won't have too much difficulty coming up with some of the many various reasons why both reading and blogging are wonderful pastimes!
1) Reading provides a way to escape from real life  I love that feeling of the world just falling away, and it's just me caught up in another world. The escapism is probably something almost all avid readers give as a main reason for loving books and I have to say it's also something I absolutely would not want to be without, a way to get away from everyday life every now and again, no matter what.  
2) Blogging has made me become a part of an amazing community From the very first few days of my journey into the book blogging world I was amazed by the warmth and friendliness of other book bloggers, readers and authors. It is a wonderful community and I feel so lucky to be a part of it and to continue to meet new people who share my love of books every single day.
3) Reading gives me the opportunity to travel all over the world Books give me the chance to do a lot of virtual travelling. Since I started reading, I think I've been to places all over the world from amazing cities like New York and Sydney, to beautiful places like Hawaii and the North Pole. I probably won't be able to visit all these wonderful places in real life, but books definitely provide a great alternative. 
4) Blogging is a means to be busy with the one thing I love, whenever and wherever I studied English Literature at university and I absolutely loved my years as a student because it provided me with the chance to be busy with my number one passion all day long: books. However, after having finished my studies I wasn't able to find a job within the field of literature. While I am lucky enough to have an interesting job within another field that pays the bills, blogging gives me the chance to focus on the topic I'd prefer to be busy with 24/7!
5) Reading gives me the opportunity to travel back in time and to the future Besides travelling to all kinds of places all over the world, books also provide readers with the chance to travel to completely different era's. I'm a particular fan of Jane Austen's books and I love travelling back to nineteenth century England. Books can be really fascinating history lessons, usually with an addictive storyline to keep you focused!

6) Blogging has opened my eyes to try a different genre every now and again As a book blogger I am incredibly lucky to receive review copies of all kinds of books. While I particularly love chick lit, I am always willing to give a new genre a chance. Since I am sent all kinds of different review books, this provides me with the perfect opportunities to try out new things and discover new great books I otherwise perhaps would have never picked up. 
7) Both reading and blogging provide me with the chance to learn new things and improve my knowledge I mostly read English books and my blog is also entirely English, while my native language is actually Dutch. So, both reading and blogging help me to continually work on and improve my English. Next to that, there is also all kinds of knowledge I have gained by reading over the years, from recipes for delicious cupcakes to how to practice magic (if that would only work in real life)!   8) Blogging has made it possible for me to get into touch with authors I have to admit I'm quite easily starstruck and I'm still amazed whenever one of my favourite authors sends me a Tweet or leaves a comment on my blog. Blogging has provided me with the chance to actually get into touch with numerous brilliant authors, and it's undoubtedly one of the things that makes book blogging even more fun.
9) Books can take me on an emotional rollercoaster Books can give me the chance to feel whatever I want to feel. If I thoroughly need a pick-me-up, I can sit down with a feel-good chick lit novel, and when I feel like getting caught up in a bit of suspense, I can pick up a mystery or detective novel. And shedding the occassional tear while reading an emotional story can work quite therapeutic as well!
10) Blogging has provided me with the chance to share my number one passion, books, with anyone who is willing to listen Most importantly, blogging and reading are connected to one another because blogging has given me the chance to share my love for books with anyone who is willing to listen and perhaps even talk back. I love being a part of the blogging community, having found other book fanatics to share my love for reading with, and I can't wait to find out what the future holds when it comes to my book blog and the opportunities it will give me! :)