I read because it's a way of life. In fact, it's a way of living any amount of lives, because you place yourself in a character's shoes for as long as you wish, and you live his/her life to the full. You can live in different countries, planets, change your sex, your age and your own identity. You can be a villain or a hero, pretty or ugly. It doesn't matter but to you.
I also read because it educates me while I relax from my daily duties. Books carry information that nowhere else I can reach. One of my happiest memories is the day I discovered I could read by myself. I never stopped since then...