Why I love reading

I was reading a book on the way home from work today and I started to think about why I love reading. There are many reasons why I love reading but I suppose the main reason is that I enjoy escaping to a different time and place; to be transported to a place or a time that doesn't exist in my own world, that is a part of my daily routine. I sometimes love being transported to a warm, summer's beach on one of the many cold and rainy evenings during the fall and winter. I like being transported to a time that I couldn't possibly even go back to and to a place that I can only dream of visiting. I sometimes get a little sad when I have to part with characters that I have grown to love and cherish, almost as though they are a part of my own family and circle of friends.