Read it and Weep
What was the last book you read? Did you choose to read said book by choice? Or was it for something else like school or work?
When my sister and I learned to read, we didn't just read them, we DEVOURED THEM. I remember most of our Christmas gifts would be books and by the time Christmas break was over, we would have finished a good chunk (if not all) of the books we had just received. We would read everything! We read novels, fantasy, science fiction, history, historical fiction, and nonfiction.My sister and I are, unfortunately, increasingly rare specimens of people. In an age where consuming information at hyper-fast speeds is becoming more and more important, many people claim they don't have the time or the attention span to sit down and read an entire book. We favor online articles and social media to consume information, and to be honest, real life has gotten so ridiculous (American politics anyone?) that it may feel like you're viewing fiction every time you check the news.
But I still think reading full on books and immersing yourself in a story is important. The majority of books I read are nonfiction or science fiction/fantasy. And I think there is a huge benefit to reading a wide range of books for personal growth and development (and to be one of those pretentious show offs at parties). Below, I've outlined how I divide the books in my library and why reading books from each of these categories has more benefits than you might think.
Nonfiction books have obvious benefits. They usually fall into two categories: self-help or history/biography. There is much to be gained by reading these types of books. You can learn techniques to directly help your wellness, success, or productivity. Or, by reading history and biography books you can learn about events and people that have shaped the world into what it looks like today and can increase your understanding and perspective on your environment. I know people think these can be boring or cheesy, or like reading a dry, boring history textbook, but some of these are dynamically written and just as gripping as that tabloid article on that celeb that did that thing (you know the one). My personal favorites in this category:
Never Eat Alone (Keith Ferrazzi)
How to Fail at Everything and Still Win Big (Scott Adams)
Blink (Malcolm Gladwell -- actually everything by him is great)
GirlBoss (Sophia Amoruso)
Alexander Hamilton (Ron Chernow)
The Four Hour Workweek (Tim Ferris)
The next category is novels. I define novels as fictional stories that have realistic characters and settings. This category of book is important because it increases your thinking and perception about your world. Even though the stories told in this category are fiction, the struggles of the characters are usually very real and tackle topics that relate heavily with most people. This category of book resonates with me because it helps with my empathy and understanding of people. Going on a journey through a character's life helps you see things through their eyes, and even though they are made up, that skill can transfer to your own, very real, life. My personal favorites in this category:
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)
Fates and Furies ( Lauren Groff)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo ( Stieg Larsson)
The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini - this guy is a powerful writer ok?)
The Butterfly Garden (Dot Hutchinson)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)
Rich People Problems (Kevin Kwan, a guilty pleasure but a fun read nontheless)
The last important category in my repertoire is fantasy/fiction/sci-fi etc. I define this category as stories about things that are completely made up. The setting, circumstances, characters, and story are all completely fictional. These differ from novels because the setting is not real. This is my favorite genre because reading these books is kind of like watching a film for me. They tell these fantastical tales that my own brain can't imagine and immerse me in a world that doesn't exist to tell a story that ends up being highly relatable. These books are also my favorite because not only are they the most entertaining for me, I feel like they combine the best of the first two categories into one. Their characters are still intensely relatable which adds the empathy element found in novel studies, and they also encourage outside of the box thinking. In order to truly enjoy a fictional world, you have to understand the fictional rules and workings of that world and that thinking forces you to expand your mind and think about your own world more creatively. My favorites (I have so many here so I'll only list a few):
The Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling, this is a classic)
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
Enchanted (Orson Scott Card, honestly I've read all his books)
Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin, another expected one, but the books are honestly amazing)
Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)
Queen of the Tearling (Erika Johansen)
The Selection (Kiera Cass)
The Veldt (Ray Bradbury, this is a short story, but I love it)
I have been a reader all my life. I LOVE books, I'm such a nerd for all kinds of reading so I might be a bit biased, but being a strong reader definitely carries over into other elements of your life. Many people don't want to spend the time reading or they claim school ruined reading for them, but reading should never be a chore and there are MILLIONS of books out there so there is something for everyone. Reading novels and books not only offers the benefits I described above, but it also drastically improves your thinking, writing, and vocabulary skills. I know I sound preachy, but there is literally NO downside to reading more books. Comment if you can think of one and we can have a lively discussion on the topic!