Reading books is so valuable to roleplaying well. Since forum sites are meant to have more longform posts, (at least, the good advanced roleplays do) it's important to be able to write well. And you only learn how to write by reading. A lot of my own writing has been influenced by what I read, I try to use the words that I find in Jack Vances writing, and when I'm playing a Cyberpunk RP, I'm going to be thinking more about what I read in Altered Carbon, Neuromancer, and Snow Crash.
Reading and roleplaying are both equally important, roleplay is a more freeform and social form of storytelling, while a book is basically a single person roleplaying by themselves... Which is a little weird, but that's okay, since what they write down is really neat, and the characters all interact really well, and rarely do they go off the tracks.
And roleplaying is like writing a book, a really gonzo, sorta batshit book where plot coherency often gives way to rule of cool, characters go off on tangents that are pointless to the main storyline, and oftentimes there isn't a main storyline worth following!
TL;DR:
Dont be silly. Both are forms of storytelling, and if you want to have an appreciation of one, it's advised that you have a basic understanding of the other. Those who have an appreciation of both, however, are doubly blessed, since they get to enjoy two amazing forms of storytelling.