Five Reasons to Pick Up a Book on World Book Day

With World Book Day on the horizon, what better excuse to share something bookish? There are few things that make me happier in life than devouring copious amounts of words written on a page. Put a book in front of me and I’m smiling, put me in a lovely library and I’m ecstatic, put me in a second hand book shop and I’m LIVING MY BEST LIFE….you get the picture. But just in case you don’t yet share my love of all things bookish, I’m here to offer a few of the reasons why perhaps you should!

READING ENCOURAGES KINDNESS

There are few activities that immerse you in someone else’s viewpoint in the manner that reading a book does, and standing in another person’s shoes for 4 to 400 pages is a great way to encourage empathy, which in turn leads to being kind. Reading is also a great way to model behaviour for children and help promote kindness at the outset. A fantastic way to get children involved in reading is to take part in the Summer Reading Challenge which we love doing every single year.

IT’S MINDFUL

In our fast-paced, high-tech world, it can be hard to remember that some of life’s greatest pleasures are also the simplest. Reading is a relaxing activity that also encompasses the principles of mindfulness – encouraging focus and concentration and keeping you in the present moment with every turning page.

IT DEVELOPS KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING

Reading can help develop knowledge and understanding in all sorts of ways – through learning about different people, different cultures – or even just expanding your language skills. I keep a notepad by my bed where I jot down any words I haven’t previously come across. It’s a fantastic way of developing your vocabulary, and if you want to improve your writing skills, reading widely is almost guaranteed to do that too!

IT CAN BE FREE

Reading doesn’t have to be expensive – in fact it can be absolutely free if you join a local library and benefit from all the lovely books (and often activities and events), they have on offer. Life is more fun with a library card, ain’t that the truth? Why not pop in and visit your local library today?

IT’S FUN!

Last but not least, why not just read for the sheer fun of it? Reading takes you to all sorts of places and lets your imagination soar. Whether you’re a fan of romance, crime, memoir or page-turning thrills you’ll find a book to inspire you.

In case you need any more inspiration, here are a few of my own personal favourites you might enjoy delving into… And you can also find lots more on my favourite books from the last couple of years right here on the blog here and here.