Your Summer Reading Escape A passion for books

Put down your phone and pick up a paperback to leave behind those everyday blues and find romance, fantasy or nostalgia

They say you’re never alone when you’re reading a book, and that’s never been truer than in this current climate, when we’ve had to curtail our activities and see so much less of our loved ones. No wonder book sales have soared by more than 30 per cent – with fiction stories making up the bulk of these figures.

Picking up a paperback can not only distract us from our fervent scrolling through scary headlines; the very act of reading takes us away from our domestic setting and immerses us in the lives and characters of other people.

That’s something that was recognised 80 years ago in another time of national crisis, when The Book Society founded the very first book club during WWII.

“When they become weary of news, people will turn to books as the best comfort,” said its founder. “Books may become more necessary than gas masks.”

There are so many benefits to reading other than just disengaging us from our current stress. Reading fosters empathy for other people, helping us to understand others and to see the world from a new perspective. It also makes us more tolerant – a sorely needed quality at present as we adjust to our new normality.

Studies show that reading eases the pain of isolation and loneliness – especially if you join a reading group – and can even make you happier.

And of course, a regular bedtime reading routine will help you to sleep better, so that you wake refreshed and ready for whatever each new day brings!

Books are still very accessible – from supermarkets, from independent bookshops (order online if yours isn’t open yet) or downloaded onto e-readers, both from online sellers and from libraries. Happy reading!