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As March is National Reading Month, now is a good time to focus on the everyday reading we already do, while thinking of fun ways to add more into our routines.Whether it’s a child reading an assignment, a teenager reading social media or an adult reading through their mail, there are always new ways to focus on reading for enjoyment.Tips to choose your next bookReading can be an immensely enjoyable activity, and one with notable benefits.
According to Basmo, a reading tracker app, a couple hundred thousand books are published each year. The sheer volume of material to choose from can make it challenging to find a good book.Readers can pursue many avenues to find new books.
Here are just a few ways to find the next book you won’t want to put down:Your local library has many great offerings and personnel who can help you find a book that will prove to be a good match. (Photo courtesy of Metro Editorial Services)• Visit the library. With so much content at your fingertips, it may be tempting to turn to the internet to find a new read.
Instead, go back to where many people first fall in love with reading. The local library has many great offerings and personnel who can help you find something that will prove a good match.• Visit a local bookstore.
If you’d rather purchase a book, your local bookstore is an ideal place to get feedback on books. Whether it’s a chain store or an independent retailer, many bookstores employ individuals who are book lovers themselves. Ask for recommendations.
• Try an app. Options like Whichbook enable you to find your next book based on various qualifiers, such as emotion, geography or type of character.• Go with a classic.
Browse a list of classics and find books that you haven’t read yet or even ones you may want to reread now that you are older. There are reasons these books have withstood the test of time.• Ask family and friends.
Query the people in your life who love to read and find out what they are reading. You may be introduced to an author that you weren’t familiar with or a book series that is right up your alley.• Join a book club.
A book club will expose you to a rotation of new books for as long as you are a member. Since books tend to be suggested by members each go-round, you won’t fall in the trap of only choosing one genre or “safe” titles that you are used to.• Go with authors’ recommendations.
If you like a particular author, research who he or she is reading. Some authors recommend others in the industry. While some of these recommendations may be for compensation or publicity, many are legitimate suggestions.
• Let your reading history dictate. Reading services like Amazon’s Kindle will recommend new titles based on your reading habits; otherwise, search for “books like (name title)” online to discover books that have a similar theme or style.How to start your own book clubC.
S. Lewis is credited with saying, “We read to know we are not alone.” Though reading is often a solitary activity, sharing and discussing books can serve as an even greater reminder that we are not alone.
For those who say they do not love to read, they probably just haven’t found the right book yet. One way to be exposed to different literary styles and authors is to be part of a book club. Readers might actually want to start their own club.
A book club can include your friend group or it can pull relative strangers together. By reading with others on a deadline, you may be more likely to stick with reading and retain more of what you’ve read.Here are some simple ways to start a book club of your own:• Start small.
If you’re inexperienced, it is best to begin small when setting up the book club. Privately reach out to a few different people you know enjoy books and see if they would be interested. Ask them to invite a few other people to help the club grow.
• Stay organized. Digital tools can help book club organizers stay on top of things and inform the club. Many clubs utilize social media platforms like Facebook Groups.
Bookclubs is an application designed especially for book clubs. Make an account to organize your book club, receive book recommendations and view discussion guides.• Identify your intentions.
The motivation behind a book club is to read, but you might want to narrow that even further. Perhaps you want to make new friends? Or maybe you want to explore a certain literary genre exclusively? Create a book club business plan of sorts where you fully express your intentions for the club.• Choose the vibe and meeting style.
Some book clubs are rigid with a set schedule and firm deadlines. Others are more relaxed with meetings being shuffled around to accommodate everyone’s lives. Create a game plan of where you will meet, how often you meet and how books and discussion points will be selected.
• Select your first book: Look to Goodreads, Amazon reviews, and other book-related resources to find a popular book. Various celebrities also have their own book club recommendations, so that may be a safe place to start.• Opt for a slow weeknight for meetings.
People tend to be busy on the weekend with other social engagements, so book clubs may be best hosted on a Monday or Tuesday evening. When establishing the book club, poll potential attendees to see what the majority want. Try to be consistent with the meeting day and time to keep the book club rolling along.
• Prepare discussion questions. It’s easy for a book club meeting to veer away from the book or for there to be a lull in conversation unless it is guided along. A discussion question list will help keep people chatting about what’s important: the book.
• Be open about costs. Some book clubs are free and others require a fee to join to help pay for meeting spaces or refreshments. Be upfront about how costs will be absorbed.
How reading affects childrenEarly childhood is a critical time for personal development. During this period, many intellectual, physical and emotional changes are taking place in a child’s body at a rapid pace. Parents want to give their children the best opportunities for success in life, and encouraging children to read is one of the ways they can help youngsters develop intellectual and emotional maturity.
Data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development project, an American national cohort study with more than 10,000 participants across different ethnicities and varying socioeconomic statuses, found that reading for pleasure in early childhood was linked with better scores on comprehension cognition assessments and better educational attainment in young adolescence. It also correlated to fewer mental health problems and less time spent on electronic devices.Encouraging children to read is one way to help youngsters develop intellectual and emotional maturity.
(Photo courtesy of Metro Editorial Services)Reading is a learned activity, and reading early on with a child is a bonding activity between caregiver and child. The Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children says reading has the potential to increase academic achievement by improving vocabulary and learning comprehension. Interactive reading also helps increase mental imagery and language processing.
It’s important to note that reading can positively affect the body physically, as well. Children may experience less stress by reading, as reading is thought to be even more calming than listening to music or even taking a walk.In a study published in the journal Psychological Medicine, researchers found that 12 hours of reading a week was the optimal time linked to improved brain structure and good brain health.
When researchers examined brain scans from those who had been reading from an early age, the scans showed moderately larger total brain areas and volumes, including in regions of the brain responsible for roles in critical cognitive functions.“It’s widely accepted that (reading) inspires creativity, increases empathy and reduces stress,” says professor Barbara Sahakian from the University of Cambridge..
