Reading Rundown: Benefits and Recommendations
Article by Julia Siiatski
Reading is not only a stress-reliever but also has many surprising benefits for the brain through biological workings. A significant one would be how reading can improve your memory, much more so than watching or listening to any other media. How can reading do this? According to ongoing research occurring at the Haskins Laboratories for the Science of the Spoken and Written Word, the brain practices increased mental activity when reading by taking extra time to process the words and envision a narrative. Through the aforementioned increased mental activity, your memory is kept sharp.
Reading also allows one to biologically and figuratively put themselves into a character’s shoes. This is done through activity in the region of the brain responsible for primary sensor motor activity being increased. To elaborate, neurons in this part of the brain are activated so that the sensations of the characters within a book are being biologically experienced by you. For example, the neurons activated during the physical act of running would also be activated if you were to read a book with a character running away from a dangerous situation. Alongside my recommendations below and interesting plot lines, these benefits definitely provided more motivation for me to keep adding to my book list and I hope you feel the same way!
My Book Reads, Thus Far, of 2021
Books That Were Based on or Recount True Events
Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood
Alias Grace is a historical fiction written by Margaret Atwood, and is inspired by the events of two murders occurring in 1843 around Upper Canada. James McDermott, twenty years old at the time, and sixteen-year-old Grace Marks were charged for the murders of Thomas Kinnear, the owner of the house they worked at, and Nancy Montogmery, his housekeeper and presumed partner. The book does not provide any definitive answers regarding Grace’s role in the murder or the events that occured leading up to it. However, through recounting the events from Grace’s perspective, Margaret Atwood adds significant dimensionality to the murders that left many perplexed at the time of their occurrence.
Bad Blood - John Carreyrou
Bad Blood is a non-fiction book, and the author, John Carreyrou, who works for the Wall Street Journal, started to investigate the story of the - at the time - astounding start-up called Theranos. Theranos was a start-up that promised needle-free blood tests, and although many eventually started to look into its credibility, John Carreyou was able to blow the lid off of the company’s shortcomings in 2015 with a front-page article featured in the Wall Street Journal.
Self-Help Books
Atomic Habits - James Clear
As evident through the title, the author’s goal with this book is to aid the reader in changing their habits. Specifically, he wants to help readers instill beneficial habits and eliminate negative ones. He did this throughout the book by introducing the fundamentals, 4 different laws, and advanced tactics which all target a certain goal and make it not only achievable, but also enjoyable. What I liked about this book,aside from the advice given, would be the examples provided. An example from his book that I found useful would be a study conducted in 2001 with three groups of students. The first was a control group, and these students were asked to record the amount of times they exercised in a week. The second group was deemed the “motivated group”; they were also asked to record the number of times that they exercised weekly but were additionally encouraged to read materials about the benefits of exercise. In addition to the extra materials, researchers explained how exercise improves heart health to the second group. Finally, the third group received the same material as the second group; however, they were also asked to write down their goal in the form of a statement similar to: “I will exercise for at least 20 minutes on [DAY] at [TIME] in [PLACE].” At the end of the experiment, the researchers found that 35-38% of people exercised at least once a week in the first and second groups. However, in the third group, the number of people exercising at least once a week was as high as 91%. This experiment showed the effectiveness of the “implementation intention strategy”, which involves instilling a habit through writing down and deciding how they would achieve the goal (behaviour), as well as when and where they would do so (time and place).
Light but Heartfelt Reads
Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry
The premise of Beach Read surrounds two characters with writer's block and who both on a whim decide to switch their usual writing genres. In competitive spirit, they make this into a competition. The two characters then established the terms of the competition which cited that whoever’s book was sold first, won. Although I thought this was going to be a very light read, I soon realized that I had actually misjudged the book. Emily Henry expertly wrote realistic and captivating dialogue, a setting filled with characters I quickly gained an affinity for, and a backstory that intertwined with the present to create an ever-intriguing plot. Her descriptions were so immersive that it would feel as though I was watching the narrative instead of solely reading it.
People We Meet on Vacation is as immersive as Beach Read, with the premise surrounding two friends, Poppy and Alex, who had a falling out two years ago on their annual summer vacation. That summer, Poppy invites Alex for another vacation, with a week to try and repair their fractured relationship. The writing style existent in this book is interesting since the chapters jump from the present to the past. Specifically, the subsequent chapters describing the past start from ten years ago and are dispersed amongst the chapters occurring in the present. These ten chapters eventually lead up to the event that caused their falling out. Although at first glance the book could be immediately perceived as lighthearted, the depth the author was able to create through the character’s backstories and dialogue make for an extremely heartfelt and hard to put down novel.
A Wild Sheep Chase - Haruki Murakami
The book’s premise is centered around an advertising executive who receives a postcard from a friend with a picture containing quaint scenery of grazing sheep and mountains. However, the photo also has an image of a mutant sheep with a black dot on its back. Prior to realizing this, he is approached by a mysterious figure, working for “The Boss”, who gives him an ultimatum of either finding the mutant sheep or facing the consequences of failing to do so. This then launches the protagonist on an adventure to find the elusive mutant sheep. Although this book is very slow-paced and contains little description into the other character’s backgrounds or journeys aside from the protagonist’s, the book uniquely sets the reader up for an interesting turn of events at the end. I listened to this book as an audiobook and preferred it to the experience of reading the hard copy since, although the plot is interesting, it is quite slow-paced. Thus, it is ideal to listen to when driving or pursuing a hobby.
Overall, I’d encourage you all to pick up any of these books if you’re interested in doing some reading over the summer, either for educational purposes or enjoyment. When choosing a book, my final recommendation would be to choose one you have a genuine interest in and to avoid being confined to one category of books. And lastly, if you happen to read any of the mentioned books here, feel free to share it with us!
Sources
https://www.bustle.com/p/what-does-reading-do-to-your-brain-these-5-effects-are-pretty-astounding-74676
https://www.willowandthatch.com/is-alias-grace-true-story/
https://www.theringer.com/2018/5/22/17378494/bad-blood-theranos-john-carreyrou-interview
https://jamesclear.com/heal-yourself
image: https://unsplash.com/photos/9DaOYUYnOls