The Quiet Joy of Reading Real books, and Why Reading is Good For Us.

A soul can breathe again among weathered shelves and warm light.

If you ever peeked at my bedside table, you’d find more than a lamp and an alarm clock. You’d see stacks of books. At least a dozen. Each one waiting for me to return to its pages. Some are half-read, some nearly finished, and some not yet begun. I love them all the same.

The joy of reading real books starts with sensing that there is something sacred about holding a book in your hands.

Not just paper and ink, but the book itself feels like a doorway. A threshold into a world beyond the laundry pile, beyond the deadlines, beyond the constant hum of everyday life.

Some stories lift us gently out of our ordinary and carry us somewhere extraordinary. They remind us that while we sit rooted in our chair, our hearts can still travel miles or galaxies away.

For me, that wonder began years ago. I love all kinds of books, even science fiction. I can still remember curling up in a quiet corner, cracking open one of these novels, and feeling like I’d just stepped into a universe that was waiting just for me. I didn’t know it then, but those books were teaching me how to imagine, how to hope, and how to see the world with new eyes.

British therapist and author Adam Eason once shared that one of the reasons we love science fiction is because it expands our imagination. I couldn’t agree more. Whole sagas among the stars have carried me into galaxies I never dreamed existed, leaving me with a quiet awe that lingers long after the last page.

Maybe this was why I also chose to write a six book sci-fi series.

Because yes, reading different genres entertain us, if its what interests us. But it also does something deeper.

It allows us to travel, learn, dream, and even heal without ever leaving home. We slip into the lives of characters who think differently, love deeply, struggle fiercely, and somehow endure. And in walking with them, we not only escape for a while, but we also grow.

Sometimes, we even remember what it feels like to be filled with wonder.

Eason also notes that reading science fiction can soothe anxiety, giving us a sense of meaning and steadiness in the middle of our own complex existence. As a therapist, I find this deeply comforting. And as a reader and a writer, I know it to be true. There have been seasons in my life when turning the pages of a story or writing a passage gave me something solid to hold on to—a reminder that light and hope could still be found, even in dark places.

Books also teach us empathy.

Brené Brown reminds us that empathy isn’t about sharing an experience. It’s about connecting with the emotions beneath it. And that’s exactly what happens when we read. Whether we’re following a starship across galaxies or a quiet character down a country road, we are practicing presence. We are learning to listen with our hearts.

And in the process, we don’t just grow more empathic. We grow more human.

Science confirms what the soul already knows: reading is good for us. Research shows it strengthens memory, keeps the brain active, and even leaves a stronger imprint when we hold a physical book instead of a screen. Perhaps that’s why tucking a paperback into my bag feels a little like carrying a trusted friend.

Just a girl and her book.

And maybe that’s enough reason to keep choosing pages we can hold—to let words imprint not just our minds, but our hearts.

So wherever you are, I hope you find a story worth lingering in. May your next book stretch your imagination, stir your soul, and remind you gently that you are never too far from wonder.

If you’re looking for a place to begin, you might enjoy my Galactic Heritage series by Matt Coleman (my pen name). It's a six-book series with galaxies to get lost in and truths that feel closer to home than you’d expect.

Until next time, keep the porch light on and the pages turning.

Lori