1. Why do you do what you do?
First of all, to escape. Something all dedicated readers have in common is this driving force of their somewhat addictive pass time. I feel that the power behind a novel, and the ability to get lost in the words of an author, is something only a reader can understand. To devote yourself to a story that isn't yours, to read the thoughts of another person, and to render your mind to the pages of a book is the truest form of nirvana that I have ever felt. No matter how nice your life is, it is always nice to inhabit another one for a while.
Secondly, if you have a beating heart, pulsating blood, and a wandering mind, then you have felt the overwhelming feeling of wanderlust. After traveling through space in the dystopian world of "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card and traveling back to Kabul, Afghanistan, during 1963, in "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini, I can honestly say that my need to travel has been momentarily satisfied. I was able to defy space limitations and understand a world I was born after and a world I will not be alive to see.
Thirdly, I learned how to analyze and compare. Both of these books take place in the minds of two, very different, introverted boys who both experience things far beyond the capacities of their six-year old minds. After reading these books one after the other, I discovered how to connect and compare the minds of two boys living hundreds of years apart. I learned how to analyze novels, ideas, the past, and the future. These skills are key elements that will help me question and explore things for the rest of my life.
Fourthly, a little common sense never hurt anybody. If you've ever had a conversation with somebody who's read an array of books, you will understand when I tell you: They are smart, inquisitive and thirsty for knowledge. Reading, whether fiction, non-fiction or sci-fi, opens up so many doors when it comes to conversations. It helps you contribute during discussions, gain and share knowledge, and expand your vocabulary. A reader is a person whose mind has being given the chance to come alive. Where's the downside?
Good answers. You have managed to not only explain why you read, but also offer the admissions officer an insight into the reasons you enjoy reading on an academic and social level. I would suggest that you don't end the essay with a question though. That is not something done in formal academic writing. You would need to offer a response in relation to the question if you pose a question towards the end of the concluding paragraph. Why don't you close the essay instead with an example of how being widely read has helped you both socially and academically instead? Playing on the common sense aspect that you wrote about and proving that being widely read has tremendous benefits on all fronts. I believe that your essay will greatly benefit from that kind of revision or addition, depending upon your word count :-)
I like the essay a lot but I believe it would be better if you don't start all of your sentences with words like "Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Fourthly" It's fine if you use it once or twice but also have different ways to start sentences.
