Enhance Your Life by Reading More

The summer solstice will be arriving not too soon enough, signifying the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.  To me, that means lazy days in the gazebo where I get to delve into the latest book on the New York Times Bestseller list.  

Can you remember the last time you relaxed and picked up a magazine or book?  Was it in school?  You may not realize it, but our brains are craving new information.

I’m one of these people who love to read and also have turned into a news junkie.  You either like to read or you don’t.  As a child I often spent time among the stacks of the library, and one could always find me reading the latest Nancy Drew series.  If you’re not into reading, perhaps the reading material is the problem.  Some material is more boring than others and we all have our favorite magazines and genres.  My favorites are Utopian women’s mysteries. At one point in time wanted to get my Masters in Library Science.

Whenever you read a good book, it’s like entering a new world of sound and sight – seize the opportunity to find out what types of reading material sparks your senses.  As real as memory, characters play out their parts and our imagination will conjure up the scenes.

Benefits of Reading

Once in your lifetime, at least one book should give you the experience of reading a book that stays in your mind.  Through books, you’ll be able to travel vicariously to new lands and learn interesting tidbits and factoids.  You can bet that game contestants who are prize winners on television shows such as Jeopardy are huge readers!  Trivial information tidbits, in some way, can enhance and positively accentuate your life.

Try scanning the table of contents when you pick up a magazine and then see what you can learn by reading it.  Start a book list and try to add something new every day to read – whether reading a book by a favorite author or article in a magazine newspaper or blog. 

Besides being entertaining, reading helps to increase our vocabulary.  My English professor spoke of “writing for your reader.”  Newspapers and magazines are traditionally written with an 8th grade reading comprehension level.  People will stop reading or stop reading articles if the words are too hard, which is their loss. If you’ve ever typed on the computer using Microsoft Word, you can easily check your own writing level and style via a tool to see what grade-level you write at.

Besides frequenting Amazon, I like to pick up books from tag, garage, yard and library sales.  Antique or used book stores fascinate me and I could spend hours on end browsing around. Such antique stores are usually high on my must-see list when I’m traveling or out for a day trip!

New products such as Kindle make it easy for you to read your favorite magazines and books while waiting for your appointments at the business meeting, doctor’s office or spa!

If you have a stack of books or audio books sitting around that you’ve been meaning to read, turn off the TV and try winding down your day before you drift off to sleep by reading a book.  Expand your horizon via new ways of thinking.

Reading might even increase longevity by keeping your mind sharp and cobwebs from appearing from lack of regular stimulation.

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/logu

Bio: Cindi is the author of Moomette’s Magnificents where she offers WAHM tips and Product Reviews where she shares her personal musings and observations of a Baby Boomer Wife, Mom & Grandmother from New England. She also authors Moomettesgram’s Favorite Recipes blog.   Follow Cindi on Twitter

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