The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it. James Bryce
For students who love a great book, reading is not about making themselves better writers (which it does) or putting themselves on the path to higher paying jobs (which it does); it is about losing themselves in another world for a while, having experiences they could never have, arguing with the ideas in a book and in turn discovering who they are.
Ann Lamott puts it best in her book Bird by Bird:
Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and how to die. They are full of all the things you don't get in real life--wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. And quality of attention: we may notice amazing details during the course of the day but we rarely let ourselves stop and pay attention. An author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift. My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I'm grateful for it the way I'm grateful for the ocean. (15)