By Samantha McKenzie

I am an avid reader.

I grew up watching my father read books, magazines and the newspaper everyday of his life. He would read for hours and hours and it showed. He was a walking book of knowledge and could speak intelligently on almost every subject. As a child I thought he was the smartest person I would ever meet. This made an impression on me. It actually rubbed off on all of the children. My siblings and I would read to master our school work, read for pleasure, and read some more to feed into the on-going, sibling rivalry.

Today, I read to stay inspired, to grow my understanding on a subject or just to learn something new. I could write a long list of the benefits of reading a good book, but instead, I’ll offer you just one reason: Hope hides in the pages of a book.

Go find it and enjoy!