I hate to think that people don’t read anymore; far too many of us are putting down books on a more and more permanent basis. Believe me ladies, I like TV as much as the next girl, but I still think there’s more to be gained from the written word. Here are nine good reasons to get stuck into a story …
Regular reading improves your vocabulary, your grasp of grammar and your spelling. Good language skills are a vital part of so many jobs today, and nothing puts a potential employer off more than spelling errors and broken sentences in a CV.
Books introduce you to new ideas – new philosophies – and good ones will flesh these out, allowing you time to meditate and ruminate as you go. What you read invariably sticks in your mind more permanently than images flashing before you on a screen, and so in this way, books help to expand your general knowledge.
I have to say that probably most of what I know about history and how people lived in the past comes from reading the classics. Books written hundreds of years ago are windows into another time and an older mindset, and most of them can be a gripping today as they were at the time of publication.
Being well-read can come in very handy if you ever need to show people you’re an interesting, intelligent person. A few choice quotes here and there, the name of a famous character mentioned in passing, and voila: you’re a culture buff. Simple as that.
If you don’t read girls, you can’t be in a book club. Admittedly, these social gatherings are usually more about wine than novels, but the beginning of every meeting is, at least, dedicated to the books and, ladies, if you haven’t read anything, you’ll find yourself pretty bored.
Girls, we use our imagination more often than we think for mundane things like visualising the perfect outfit, deciding on a haircut or, if you’re in a creative job, working out a new campaign. Like everything else, without regular use our imaginative faculties slowly but surely get weaker and, ladies, reading a book is the perfect way to keep them in shape.
Rather than sitting on the bus, mouth open, staring out the window, stick your nose in a book and give your mind a work out in preparation for the day. Trust me girls, it’s (almost) as good a wake up as a double espresso!
Many of us watch TV before we go to bed which is, experts tell us, the worst thing we could do. Apparently, the quick flashing images stimulate activity in the brain which defies sleep and so a quick episode of Ugly Betty before bed could be contributing to your insomnia. Rather read a book; unlike TV, this helps the brain to power down and is far more likely to lead to a good night’s sleep.
Girls, I don’t care what anyone says; reading IS fun and it can be breathtakingly exciting. A good book will possess you until you literally feel that you can’t put it down.
Do you enjoy a good novel, ladies? I’d love to hear your opinion on reading in the 21st century; let me know what you think?
Top Photo Credit: stacy michelle