Why Read? Compelling Reasons for Reading More Books
Why read? It’s the beginning of a new year, and I am obsessed with reading and reading goals. I want to make it easier for others to read. I want to convince others why it’s important to read, and the benefits they will enjoy by reading more books. I have a few blog posts, articles, and lectures that I would like to share with you, hoping they will build a case for why it’s important to read. I may convince you, or I may do a lousy job and miss the mark, but I have to try.
Why Read?: Building the Case to Read
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: The Essential Value of a Classic Education: This is a lecture given by Jeffrey Brenzel, the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Yale University. According to Brenzel, “My argument will be that reading the right old books in the right way is better than reading only new books, much less using only new ways of learning that have nothing to do with books at all…. I'm not claiming that you should read only old books or that old books are better because they’re old or that you should never read any new books or that new books are worthless. Only that you should read and learn how to read some old books, but which ones would those be?” In the lecture, Brenzel offers five criteria to identify which books are the right old books to read.
C.E.O. Libraries Reveal Keys to Success: This 2007 New York Times article by Harriet Rubin profoundly impacted me, and that’s why I keep on referring to it over the past six years. The article supports what I have always believed – the most successful people do not read business books, they read books that make them think.
Why Reading More Books Should Be a New Year’s Resolution: In this post, Joelle Renstrom (@couldthishappen) writes about the results of a small research study that looked at the impact of reading on the brain – quite interesting. Fast Company also wrote about the same research study in Why You Should Read More Novels. Here is yet another take on reading and the mind How Reading Lights Up Your Mind. To experience the impact that reading has on the brain, you have to be intentional about it, carving the time to read, and taking the time to read deeply.
The Importance of Reading for All of Us: This is Huffington Post article by Anna Leahy, which is very in-depth, and uses research to build the case for reading.
Leaders Need to Be Readers: In this blog post, Stephen Lutz (@stephenlutz) writes about his experiences reading, and he tracks the books he reads each year. I have been tracking the books I read since 2002. There was a couple of years when I was not intentional as I could have been recording the names of the books. What I found most interesting about the post was the information Lutz included about people reading less and less deeply.
Lessons I Learned from Reading More than 100 Books: This is a worthy goal to set a target to read 100 books in a year. The books are not the classics – they are contemporary books – but you’ll get a list of books to read. The title of the blog post is very misleading. What I expected was some information on key lessons learned from reading those books. I would think that certain themes emerged. To find the lessons mean that you would have to read the reviews of the 108 books. Despite that, Kenna Griffin (@profkrg) offers great insights when you read her reviews of the books. I read only a few of the reviews and would have loved a summary of big five lessons she learned that were common among the books.
How to Find Time to Read
Tips and Tricks to Add More Reading to your Day: In this blog post, Ashley LaMar (@ClosedTheCover) provides useful tips on how to carve out time to read each day.
Why read? Although there are other compelling articles on why reading is important, several of which I have already included in blogs posts, I am hoping that I have convinced you to read more this year. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Liked this post? Share it and subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Author Bio: Avil Beckford, an expert interviewer, entrepreneur and published author is passionate about books and professional development, and that's why she founded The Invisible Mentor and the Virtual Literary World Tour to give you your ideal mentors virtually in the palm of your hands by offering book reviews and book summaries, biographies of wise people and interviews of successful people.
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