I came across this question by French writer Daniel Pennac on Yahoo! Questions Reponses (the French Yahoo! Answers). Daniel Pennac was one of ny favourite authors when I was in highschool and he asked this question : "What do you mean when you say 'I love reading' ?"

I'd like to share my answer, which I translated in english for you :

I read like I eat, like I walk, like I breathe... Reading is a vital need for me. Reading makes me feel alive. I cannot imagine my life witout reading, and less without the lessons and the pleasure I draw from it.
Not only does reading enable me to withdraw in my soft and quiet bubble where I can escape to other worlds. It allows me too to be part of the world and understand it - when I read the newspapers or books about current affairs or instructions sheets.
I've been reading since the age - from my mother told me, I learnt by myself !! and I read almost everything that came at hand - labels of wine bottles or cereal boxes, the TV guide, dated magazines at the doctor's, the backcovers of novels, even if I did not understand what it was all about... I even read texts in foreign languages, even if I did not understand a single word either. Now I can read in 3 languages (french, english, german) and can decipher texts written in italian, japanese and Irish gaelic. Thus I can extend my reading spectrum, savour the authenticity of foreign texts, expand my imagination and open my mind further.
Reading is more than a passion for me - it's a reflex, even an instinct. With such a love for reading came that of writing. Writing is certainly less easy but it is an exciting and enriching challenge.