Newcastle University

Does the experience of reading affect the way that you feel in any way?

Yeah, I think, when I said it’s comforting […] I think it keeps you in good spirits. I think it’s a good thing to do with solitary time. […] I think you can be careful, because you can read a lot of depressive literature, and I think you have to balance it and be sensible, because I think that books affect your mood, emotionally. So sometimes when I’ve read particularly sad literature – there’s quite a lot of that about, isn’t there, at the moment [laughs] – and I’ve thought, ‘right! now I need to read something totally different.’ So I think they can affect your mood, and you have to be careful. But yeah, I think they just bring me pleasure, they bring me enjoyment, and … when I’ve read a travel book, it’s almost as good as going out there. That’s a quote, isn’t it! [laughs]