Reading for me seems only useful when I'm bored or have nothing to do or when I've I want nothing to be do done. The former being say on the train to and from work, the latter being a break from the office at lunch time. I suppose then, in it's own right, reading is useful for those reasons. Sure, what I've read before has gained me a wealth of information however, at times , I'm not sure how useful this has been(and it probably has been).

but for the most part, reading seems like a way to forget about your surroundings such as on the tube to work and the details of thought . I'm quite fond of noticing the detail of life... So there are times that the thought of reading to ignore the world seems bitter pill to swallow for me. having said that and to have sworn my alliance with the beauty of detail, there are times that I get overwhelmed with detail, like a huge wave to a small creature. With too much detail I over absorb and analyse the world around me. This leads to sleepless nights and stress. it's is then that reading is useful - to release my from my world of high definition, curiosity and thought. Sometimes I wonder why these things have such a toll on me but reading certainly dulls it down.

so at the end of the day, reading it seems is a necessary escape, suprisingly.