Will's Word: How reading became my 'catch-up university'

You know what my favourite pastime is? Reading.

I love to read. I spend way too much time reading, perhaps.

And someone recently asked me why I read so much, especially a whole lot of non-fiction. Political and economic books I devour. And it got me thinking.

And the truth is, I think it's because I never went to university, right?

And so reading became my way of catching up. It's how I filled in the blanks, the lectures I never attended, the essays I never wrote.

The books I've been reading over the past few years have helped me understand the world a little bit better.

And more importantly, given me the confidence to hold my own when interviewing political leaders or discussing complex issues on air. And that's why, for some bizarre reason, that's why I like interviewing, say, Winston Peters, for example.

Because, aside from getting information out of Winston, it's also in some ways a bit of a history lesson for me in testing my historical knowledge on someone who knows New Zealand's political landscape well.

And so reading has quietly become my favourite way to unwind. It slows everything down.

Something is grounding about sitting still with a book with no notifications or noise competing for attention.

And I think non-fiction gets a bad rap for being heavy.

I weirdly find it comforting. Real stories about how the world works, the people who shaped it, the messy human decisions behind every policy or headline.

Real stories about how the world works and the people who shaped it.

So I guess that's why I love reading so much. It's not about looking smart or chasing productivity. It's about curiosity, wanting to understand things for myself.

And so the point of this Will's Word this morning is if you have the time, pick up a book.

I know that we live in an increasingly busy world where we all live busy lives and time is, well, not abundant for many of us.

But I cannot overstate just how wonderful reading can be if you've got the time and you've got the patience.

In a world that's always shouting, I think there's something pretty special about the quiet of a turning page.

That's Will's Word.