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Why Novel Reading Reduces Anxiety. “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.

Why Novel Reading Reduces Anxiety

It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.” ~James Baldwin, American author (1924-1987) In The Power of Myth, the late scholar and famous mythologist Joseph Campbell explains that stories help give us relevance and meaning to our lives and that “… in popular novels, the main character is a hero or heroine who has found or done something beyond the normal range of achievement and experience.” The simple act of reading a novel, then, can give us a psychological shot of courage, encouraging personal growth while reducing anxiety. In fact, there’s even a term for this phenomenon: bibliotherapy. Of course, the concept behind bibliotherapy is nothing new. Now, science is proving the mythologists, authors, and librarians right.

The Oscar Wilde Collection. The Best English-Language Fiction of the Twentieth Century - Alternative Rankings. C. 150-Point Scale. I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why. The Monica Bird, Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her... Reading for the Rushed. I read every day, and I'm a remedial reading teacher.

Reading for the Rushed

I keep my trusty book prop at the kitchen table to read a dead tree format book during lunch, about 40 minutes a day for fun. I also read ebooks, when hard copy is not available. If I'm away from home, I use my smart phone and Kobo reader to keep me in books while I wait somewhere, such as a doctor's office, or haircutters, or if I'm the passenger in the car. As far as reading faster, and with better comprehension, I suggest reading for enjoyment at a reading level just below your reading ability. Even when you read "easy" books, you learn new words, syntax, and generally get better at reading. The 26 Major Advantages to Reading More Books and Why 3 in 4 People Are Being Shut Out of Success. Introduction to the Great Books of the Western World.

The best way to understand the world you live in now is to read the Western canon. By reading these classic books, you’ll develop a deep understanding of why our society is the way it is, why our government operates the way it does, and how the great ideas of history have come to shape our beliefs. You cannot truly think for yourself if you cannot recognize where your ideas and beliefs originate from. By studying the works of Western history, you’ll see that even the “modern” belief sets have been developing for hundreds of years. Once you can recognize where your preconceived beliefs come from, you become free – free to accept the knowledge that has been passed on to you or free to reject these ideas.

The 80/20 Rule of Reading. Last month I created a new rule for myself: the 80/20 Rule of Reading. Now, 80% of my reading time is to be spent on books with only 20% left over for the internet and other sources. It’s been a difficult transition. How to Really Own Your Books. Read the introduction. Go ahead and multiply the number 8,388,628 x 2 in your head.

Read the introduction

Can you do it in a few seconds? There is a young man who can double that number 24 times in the space of a few seconds. He gets it right every time. How to read a lot of books. This post was republished on Lifehacker My girlfriend says I have a thing for books.

How to read a lot of books

I probably spend more money on books than any other expense aside from food. Walking into a bookstore with a good selection (like Strand in New York, or Pyramid Books in Princeton) makes me want to rent a truck and haul their entire stock away to pile in my house so that I can read every single one of them. If your goal is to read a lot – like mine is – there are a few obstacles to overcome: Wardshelley_scifiSmaller.jpg (3400×1826) We come from the future.

@djscruffy: And that's why you're a heathen and should be burned at the stake.

We come from the future.

@djscruffy: In defense of public schools, I would suggest that the reason many of these books are challenged so often is that they're frequently included in school curriculums and libraries. I grew up in a state that, according to these links, engaged in book-burning less than a decade before my birth. That makes me shudder. But I'm also the child of a public school teacher and am familiar with my mother's and many of her peers' views on children's reading materials.

Despite the generally conservative views in my community, my elementary school encouraged me to read A Wrinkle in Time and The Giver and Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret. I suppose I've wandered a bit. @djscruffy: To be fair, it's not usually the schools that want to ban the books, but the few overprotective parents who make wild assumptions about the books we try to teach. How books work. This generation.

How books work.

SCORE 195. 10 Ways Reading the Great Books Can Improve Your Life. The Master Course in Personal Development May Already Be Sitting On Your Shelf. 100 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month. April is National Poetry Month, four weeks dedicated to the celebration of verse. How are you going to enjoy the occasion? Try one of these poetry readings, projects, or resources. Whether you want to hear great poets share their work aloud or embark on a writing venture of your own, you’ll find dozens of links to help you gain a better understanding of poetry. – Get started by checking out “How to Read a Poem.” – Read “Introduction to Poetry” for a poetic look at how to understand verse. – Memorize a favorite poem. – Read a new poem each day, all month long, from the New York Review of Books. – Check out the poet.org collection of 2,500+ poems on your mobile device.