I believe/ reading books is important. /I have three reasons for that. /First, /though it’s quite simple, /reading books is a lot of fun. /In a bookstore, /I can pick out a book I get interested in /or sometimes by the whim./ I think/ this process, I mean, the moment I am browsing through or choosing books, is interesting. /Of course, /reading books when I’m on a train, in my house ./ Like watching TV, /playing sports, and listening to music, /reading books is one of my favorite hobbies./

Second, /I can learn so many values from books, /for example,/ novels impress me /and give me an opportunity /to rethink about things around me, /criticisms give me a new way of thinking/ every time I read, /biographies tell me how /intelligent or courageous people in the past behaved /in the face of adversity. /Every book has different characteristics, so/ I think it’s better to read various kinds of books./

Third,/ we are in a democratic society, /so the smarter individuals become,/ the better the society will be, /like philosophers and Sophists were born in Athens./ In addition,/ Society is functioning thanks to the government, in other words, bureaucrats, and for them, it’s easier /to manipulate stupid people. So people must get some proper knowledge to watch whether our government have a right policy or not. /I’m sure to be among stupid people now,/ but I don’t want to be like them and I want to be a person of knowledge in the future. In order to attain my goal, /I think books are really effective.

_Though /I have spoken several high-sounding opinions so far, /as a conclusion, /to be honest, /I read books just because it’s fun. I read books for myself. /It is the biggest reason why I believe reading books is important.