I was reading a book on salt this weekend.  Yes, I realize that "salt" is not a sexy topic.  Or is it?  In the first few pages I learned that many people thought salt could put that extra "zing" in their relationships (I somehow don't see chasing your latest crush down with a saltshaker as a good pick-up technique).  I also learned that salt was once more valuable than gold in some countries; that people thought you could drive out demons with salt; that there are many, many different kinds of salt, and many different ways of making it; that world trade wouldn't have taken off without salt;  and that the words "salary" and "soldiers" originally came from "salt" (so THAT'S WHY soldiers has that "l") because Julius Caesar often paid his legions in salt (see point #1).  Hmm.  Never thought of any of that.

Which is why I like reading.  There are some times when my life does not seem like an orderly dot-to-dot puzzle but rather a messy word search with half the letters missing and coffee spilled on the other half.  But I step into a book, and the world resolves itself into an orderly pattern.  I try out new ideas, soak up new knowledge. forget about the pressing problems outside, and, when I'm done, re-emerge a little more relaxed, a little more engaged with my world.  You could say that books add some flavor to my life...kind of like salt.

Why do you read?