Why we read
I grew up an only child.
Now, before you assume I was a spoiled brat with unrealistic ideals of the world (you’re not entirely wrong, but that’s not what this is about), you should also know that I was raised by a single mother in the South — Louisiana, to be exact. There wasn’t always a lot to do, and my mom didn’t let me out of her sight too often. So, I had to find ways to entertain myself.
After many hobbies that didn’t stick and plenty of quiet evenings after school, I eventually found myself lost in a book. I wasn’t picky. I loved them all — fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, even the random educational ones I probably didn’t understand at the time. I just loved a good story.
As time went on and I got older, reading slipped away. Between school, activities, friends, and everything else that fills your teenage years, books got pushed to the back burner. Then one day, years had passed, and I realized I hadn’t picked up a book just for fun in what felt like forever.
But that’s the thing about stories — no matter how far you drift, they’re always waiting for you. When I finally found my way back to the pages, it felt like coming home. The characters I once loved were still there, waiting for me. New ones were ready to pull me into their worlds. And somehow, even after all that time, it felt like we’d never been apart.
So, why do we read?
We read because books can take us anywhere. We read because the pages can hold space for us when we need a little escape. We read because it’s fun, because it’s comforting, and because it connects us.
The only thing better than a plot twist you didn’t see coming is sharing that gasp, that laugh, that moment with someone else who gets it. That’s what makes reading more than just a hobby — it’s a shared experience, one that binds us across tables, timelines, and even generations.
And maybe that’s why Page & Pour exists — to remind us that stories are meant to be shared. Over a glass, a cup, or whatever your pour of choice might be.