Whether by a teacher, parent, or peer, you’ve likely had encouragement to pick up a book and read. You’ve probably heard that reading is beneficial, but what do you gain from the activity? For some, enjoyment is reason enough to partake in the written word. Others find more appeal in the knowledge gained from books, whether learned from textbooks and self-help or gleaned through an interesting factoid from their favorite novel. Apart from the more obvious benefits of entertainment and education, reading can reduce stress, increase empathy, build critical thinking, improve sleep, aid memory, strengthen writing, and teach social skills.

Perhaps the most discussed side effect of consuming literature is strengthened writing. Since the activities are closely tied, reading and writing sharpen each other with practice. Exposure to quality texts naturally improves vocabulary and sentence structure, bolstering compositional skills,* but enhanced essays aren’t the only upgrade to communication. Reading offers insight into the minds of others. The resulting empathy, built from putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, betters your understanding of the world and can improve your relationships.** Concentration also receives a boost from enjoying a book since the area of your brain responsible for focus is exercised while engaged in reading. The cognitive workout can strengthen attention when practiced regularly, and it can enhance your critical thinking abilities at the same time.***

Reading boosts your brain in more ways than the ability to concentrate and communicate effectively. One health benefit is better sleep. A trial conducted in 2021 instructed one group of people to read before falling asleep while the control group didn’t. Those who opted for a book before bed self-reported improved quality of rest throughout the night.^ As an alternative to screen time, partaking in the written word allows you to wind down for your evening routine without exposing yourself to blue light from an electronic device. Enjoying a book may help calm the mind and reduce stress, which in turn helps you physically relax and fall asleep easier.^^ The process of reading is beneficial for sleep and also aids memory and cognitive function.*** Your brain’s activity of encoding new information creates connections between neurons; meanwhile, immersing yourself in the story and creating a mental picture activates the sensory areas of the mind, also strengthening recall.**

Reading has a host of benefits that can improve your lifestyle when incorporated into your everyday activities. Still, it can be intimidating to pick up a book if you’re out of practice or if you never enjoyed the activity in the first place. Thankfully, it doesn’t take a lot of reading to see its effects. Even a few minutes or a couple of pages a day can help. There are ways to make the popular bedtime activity more enticing. For example, an adjustable base reduces the need for additional pillows to prop yourself up, or you can enjoy your favorite novel as an audiobook. If you don’t know where to start, we can lend a hand! We asked our team to provide recommendations from their favorite books, and our curated list can be found below. Happy reading!

Wool by Hugh Howey

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.

Sum (Forty Tales from the Afterlives) by David Eagleman

At once funny, wistful, and unsettling, Sum is a dazzling exploration of unexpected afterlives – each presented as a vignette that offers a stunning lens through which to see ourselves in the here and now.

In one afterlife, you may find that God is the size of a microbe and unaware of your existence. In another version, you work as a background character in other people’s dreams. Or you may find that God is a married couple, or that the universe is running backward, or that you are forced to live out your afterlife with annoying versions of who you could have been. With a probing imagination and deep understanding of the human condition, acclaimed neuroscientist David Eagleman offers wonderfully imagined tales that shine a brilliant light on the here and now.

Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason. Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

This improbable story of Christopher’s quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Four mothers, four daughters, four families whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who's "saying" the stories. In 1949 four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, begin meeting to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk. United in shared unspeakable loss and hope, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Rather than sink into tragedy, they choose to gather to raise their spirits and money. "To despair was to wish back for something already lost. Or to prolong what was already unbearable." Forty years later the stories and history continue.

With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan examines the sometimes painful, often tender, and always deep connection between mothers and daughters. As each woman reveals her secrets, trying to unravel the truth about her life, the strings become more tangled, more entwined. Mothers boast or despair over daughters, and daughters roll their eyes even as they feel the inextricable tightening of their matriarchal ties. Tan is an astute storyteller, enticing readers to immerse themselves into these lives of complexity and mystery.

Sources

* https://www.artsandmindlab.org/mental-health-benefits-reading/

** https://www.95percentgroup.com/insights/reading-importance/

*** https://www.saberhealth.com/news/blog/benefits-of-reading

^ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8740874/

^^ https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/reading-before-bed