I have recently fallen in love again with an old hobby - reading. There is something magical about being so lost in a book and how it actually takes the reader to the setting of the novel and makes the reader feel like they are there or looking through the eyes of the narrator. I can't for the life of me sit through a two-hour movie without getting distracted, but I have no problems reading a good book for hours on end.
Reading seems to be a dying art but people don't realize how many of the greatest television shows and movies are actually based on books. And in my opinion, the book is always better than the movie/television series. While reading, you are provided with more details and information on the main characters that make the reader either love/hate them more passionately than you ever would when watching them on a TV. You picture a world in your head that the characters reside in and what each character looks like and how they behave. When a book is recreated for television, details have to be let out and the directors vision never matches or lives up to your expectations.
Besides the entertainment benefits, there are other health benefits that accompany reading a book regularly and hopefully these encourage you to pick up a book and get reading.
1. Reading exercises your brain
People who regularly read can slow down the process of Alzheimer's and dementia since reading exercises your brain power and keeps it stimulated. Reading is also a fun way to keep your brain stimulated during winter break, spring break and summer break between semesters. (Huffington Post)
2. Reading reduces stress
Getting lost in a book is a great way to distract yourself from whatever is bothering you in real life. Depending on what you are reading, there are plenty of positive and self-help books that may ease depression.
3. Reading can save you money
Books are usually about $8-15 give or take. One book can be hours to days of entertainment depending on how slow/fast you read. Let's not forget about the public library where you can take out books for free. Compare that to the price of going to the movies or the amusement park for the day.
4. Reading can make you more empathetic
While reading, you are putting yourself in somebody else's shoes and it encourages to think a way you may not have if you didn't read the book. It helps enhance your ability to understand other people's feelings.
5. Reading enhances your vocabulary
Studies have shown that humans learn five-15 percent of all the words they know from books. (Huffington Post)
6. Reading helps you sleep better
An established reading routine can help calm your mind to help you fall asleep faster. Plus, it is better than look looking at bright lights from electronic devices or TVs, which stimulate your brain rather than indicate it is time to sleep.
So now, are you ready to get reading? There are millions of choices to pick from between magazines and novels and series. Here are a couple of my favorite books to help you get started.
"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
This is one of my all-time favorite books that I had to read in high-school. It starts in Afghanistan during the 1970s before the Taliban and war with America. It is about a friendship between two boys - Amir and Hassan. Amir is the son of a wealthy man and Hassan is the son of their servant. They are the best of friends until an unspeakable act wedges between their friendship and haunts Amir for the rest of his life. "The Kite Runner" is a novel that will help with your empathy when you see the way Amir is treated when he moves to America.
"The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah
This is a historical fiction novel set in France during World War II that I just read recently and fell in love with. The story follows two sisters, Vianne and Isabel, and the two couldn't be more different. Isabel wants to do whatever she can to fight against Hitler and save France, while Vianne is more content following the rules. It is a story of history, romance, suspense, a little bit of everything, that I highly recommend to everybody.
"Burying the Honeysuckle Girls" by Emily Carpenter
A mystery novel I recently read about a family full of deep, dark secrets the main character, Althea, is desperate to find out. She's quickly approaching her 30th birthday and the woman in her family have a history of going crazy and dying on their 30th birthday and Althea has no idea why. She goes on an adventure based on the few items of her mother's that she has left, while trying to avoid her brother who is dead-set on putting her away in a mental institute so she cannot find out the truth. This novel leaves you on the edge of your seat until the end.
"The Maze Runner Series" by James Dashner
If you liked "The Hunger Games" or "Divergent" series, then this is a must read. The books start with Thomas who wakes up in an elevator with no clue of his past or how he got there or where he is going. The elevator brings him to the glade, a little town of boys who rely on the elevator to bring them the supplies they need to sustain life, while they try to find a way out of the dangerous maze that surrounds their living space. With three books in the series, read on to find out why they were put there, why their mind was erased, and what is going on in the outside world that they had to be sent there.
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
A classic, must-read for everybody. The novel is set in a small town in Alabama during the Depression. The novel is told from the eyes of an 8-year-old girl, Scout Finch, and tells the story of a trial regarding a young black man accused of raping a white woman. The novel tackles quite a few big themes and is a book people of all ages will fall in love with. Also, if you like this, Harper Lee's sequel to "To Kill a Mockingbird" just came out, "Go Set a Watchman."
