The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Novel idea: Expand your world through books
A richer vocabulary, a deeper understanding of others and a longer life span (by nearly two more years, according to a 2016 Yale School of Public Health study) are all at your fingertips if you do one simple thing: Read a book for at least 30 minutes a day. The habit has also been shown to reduce symptoms of depression, make us feel part of a community and help stave off dementia. For children, the rewards are even greater: A 2013 British study found that reading for pleasure has more impact on the cognitive development of adolescents than their parents’ level of education. And for humans of every age, it offers an instant escape, opening doors to faraway worlds and experiences. But here’s the most surprising fact of all: 24% of Americans didn’t read a single book last year.
As science continues to illuminate the power of reading, a handful of organizations and resources are making it easier to discover wonderful books, access them instantly and spread the word to your friends — as well as foster that same passion in your kids.
Nurture your mind
Redirect some time: For starters, replace clickbait with an engrossing thriller — or memoir, or whatever lights up your neurons — while you commute, stand in line or wind down at bedtime. You’ll be polishing off a book a week, and feeling positive results, in no time.
Join a club: “Reading is a solitary enterprise, but it can also be collaborative,” says Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation, in New York City. When you’ve finished a book you love, “you talk about it; you tweet about it.” To be a part of that buzz, become a member of a book club at a local library or bookstore, or a digital one such as Our Shared Shelf, the feminist group started in 2016 by actress and United Nations representative Emma Watson (it has 215,765 members and counting).
For good recommendations without a commitment (and to delve into genres you’re not normally drawn to), explore what Lucas calls “the bookternet,” and find blogs like parnassusmusing.net, from Nashville’s Parnassus Books owners Ann Patchett and Karen Hayes; brainpickings.org, by Maria Popova; and lithub.com, created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature. The site themillions.com previews noteworthy releases and does monthly top 10 lists. And podcasts such as “Book Riot” and “What Should I Read Next?” feature lively literary discussions. Then pay it forward — and become the book whisperer in your circle — by sharing your picks on social media or goodreads. com, a site that lets you track what you’ve read on a virtual shelf, upload reviews and correspond with other bookworms. (Kids can log onto biblionasium.com, a similar community for children.)
Revisit the library: Supporting indie bookstores is always worthy, but for an endless feast of free reads, head to your local temple of literature, the public library. Even more instantly gratifying: Download the e-reader app Libby, which lets you link multiple library cards and borrow both audiobooks and e-books (which you can enjoy on your smartphone or Kindle).
Another effortless idea: Do regular swaps with friends and co-workers to keep your reading momentum going. And if you’re a fan of subscription services, consider the Book of the Month Club (tag line: “Read. Love. Repeat.”), which is 92 years old but thoroughly modern. It costs about the price of a paperback per month, and members get to select from five recently published, smartly curated titles.
Spread the word: In cities across the country, the National Book Foundation is working to get books into the hands of low-income kids and families. Its Book Rich Environments initiative distributes free volumes, donated by publishers to public-housing authorities, who then give them out at housing units, libraries and community centers so all children can lose themselves in a story. And the foundation’s BookUp program hires authors to lead after-school reading groups and bring middle schoolers on field trips to libraries and stores, even giving them a stipend to fill up their own shelves at home. A donation of $100 will buy a semester’s worth of books (about 12 titles) for a child’s personal collection; go to nationalbook.org for more information. LET US HELP YOU Email your questions to askmartha@marthastewart. com, or send them to AskMartha, c/o Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 805 Third Avenue, 25th floor, New York, NY 10022. Please include your full name, address and daytime phone number. Letters and messages become the property of Meredith Corp. and may be published, broadcast, edited or otherwise used in any of its media. By submitting your questions to Ask Martha, you are agreeing to let us use your name and hometown in connection with our publication of your questions.