What It Really Means to Be a Reader
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies…The man who never reads lives only one” - George R.R. Martin
When I think about what it means to be a reader, it’s never about how many books I finish in a year. It’s not about keeping up with #booktok trends or racing through the latest bestseller before spoilers end up on TikTok, Instagram, or Reddit.
For me, being a reader is about connection - the bond between my mind and the words on the page, the way stories slip into my life and stay there long after the last chapter ends.
This year, after a 14-year break from reading for fun, I decided to download a little book to my Kindle called Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I didn’t know it then, but a story about dragons and their riders would spark something in me I hadn’t felt in years - a need to read again, to disappear into new worlds, to feel that thrill of getting lost in a story.
A Childhood Built on Stories
As George R.R. Martin wrote, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies…the man who never reads lives only one.” Looking back, this was true for me, even as a kid.
My earliest adventures began with the Magic Treehouse series. Those books were my first passport into other worlds - dinosaurs, knights, ancient civilizations. From there I discovered the magical world of Harry Potter and how a boy who lived could take down a man whose evil knew no bounds.
To add some comedy and romance, the life of Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries led me to daydream about what it would be like to wake up and discover you were royalty. Every story opened a new door, each one letting me into a world that I could have not imagined on my own.
The High School Reading Years
By high school, my reading taste had shifted. Gone were the magic spells and diary entries; instead I devoured legal thrillers and political dramas by John Grisham and David Baldacci. I also explored religious mysteries through Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code.
When these books were adapted into movies, I loved seeing the characters come to life on screen. Around the same time, Harry Potter, The Princess Diaries, and The Lord of the Rings because instant film classics. Even though I hadn’t yet read The Lord of the Rings, the films made me want to explore the books to see how the stories compared.
Working in my local city library gave me access to endless shelves of stories, but thrillers and political dramas remained my favorite.
When Life Gets In the Way
Eventually, life got in the way of reading for fun. . While I kept up on the news through reading newspapers or online articles- college, work, and other responsibilities became priority. What used to be my escape became something I told myself I didn’t have time for.
Before I knew it, 14 years had flown by without me opening a single book purely for enjoyment.
Rediscovering the Joy of Reading
Then came Fourth Wing.
After coming across #booktok and seeing glowing reviews, I downloaded the book a whim to my Kindle, curious to see what the hype was all about. I didn’t realize then that it would pull me back into the world of books with the same excitement I felt as a kid waiting for the next Harry Potter release.
Since then, I've rediscovered what makes reading so fulfilling - the late-night page turners, the slower books that take their time, the moments you have to stop and reread a single line, paragraph, or chapter because you can’t quite understand why that character death was necessary.
Reading again feels like coming home to a part of myself that I hadn’t realized was missing.
Why Being a Reader Matters
While I have always loved books and always will - being a reader isn’t about the amount of books you’ve read, the speed in which you read, or comparing what you’re reading to what everyone else is. It’s about the moments and the connections:
Laughing out loud at a witty remark your favorite male antagonist said to the female protagonist
Carrying a book or your Kindle in your bag ‘just in case’ you have a break to continue the story you were reading from the night before
Recommending a book to your friends or family saying “You have to read this.”
Sitting in silence, long after the story ended because you’re not ready to leave it behind.
The joy of reading comes from how books connect us - to characters, to authors, and to other readers who share the same story interests. Reading expands and promotes empathy, sparks curiosity, and opens windows into experiences we might never live ourselves. Reading allows us to immerse ourselves into worlds that can distract us from what is going on in the real world.
Living a Thousand Lives
When I think about George R.R. Martin’s quote and what it means to be a reader, it really comes down to this: books change us. They sneak into our thoughts, shape how we see the world, and give us opportunities to feel emotions we might not otherwise share.
Whether you read one book a year or a hundred, whether you highlight your favorite quote or passage or keep the pages pristine, being a reader means that we get to live a thousands lives while still living one extraordinary one.
Books do more than tell stories - they connect us. They build communities, spark conversations, and remind us that even though we read alone, we are never truly alone in what those stories make us feel.
This is what Bookmarked Moments on KLS Reviews is all about: celebrating the reading life, the joy books bring us, and the stories that stay with us long after we’ve closed the final page.
While KLS Reviews is mostly for reviews, Bookmarked Moments, is a chance to go beyond the star ratings and summaries. Here, you’ll find reflections on the reading experience, conversation about upcoming releases, essays on the literary world, and personal stories behind the books we love. It’s a space for the little moments that make reading meaningful - the ones worth bookmarking.
