So far, my series on why reading matters has covered general knowledge, empathy, imagination, mental health, and educational success. Compelling reasons for the potential growth and success of children, I’m sure you’ll agree.
But another reason trumps all these, and it isn’t anything useful or productive, as such.
It is, quite simply — joy.
Of all the available forms of entertainment, I believe reading offers the most enduring joy.
And of all reading forms, the one with the greatest capacity to incite joy is the novel. This may be my bias, but the enduring interest of the fiction novel (60% of all book sales globally in 20241) backs me up.
Reading a novel can be likened to enjoying an extraordinary meal, or returning to a fond holiday memory.
Last year I visited a tiny Japanese restaurant in Lisbon called Omakase Wa. All worthy Londoners are foodies, and I’ve had my share of gastro moments, but this one was right up there with the best.
The experience consisted of fifteen, delicately and perfectly formed courses that were prepared in front of the ten or so gluttons-I-mean-diners. There isn’t time to get to know one other much (another bonus) because for two whole hours you will either be eating food so good that it makes you want to cry, or you’ll be watching with fascination as the chefs explain their methods, where today’s catch is from, and how to eat Nigiri properly (twist and eat upside down if you were wondering).
If a tweet is like a doughnut (moreish but quickly damaging with excess consumption) a newspaper article is perhaps a salad (or a sausage-roll, depending on the newspaper).
Reading a novel can be compared to such a carefully prepared gourmet meal: nourishing, satisfying, and memorable. A ‘chef’s kiss’. In a word: joyful.
A good novel is also like a fondly remembered holiday — one you can revisit any time you like.
I read The Lord of the Rings most years, which some might consider excessive. The tale is so richly woven, the characters so enduring, and the story so hopeful, that I can’t help myself (and 150 million copies sold suggests I’m not alone). One of my favourite Substack accounts (Jokein with Tolkein) has 11,000 subscribers, proving the story still has jewels worth mining even seventy years after it was published.
Reading matters. And while it might be easier to compel parents and teachers with research-led arguments, if children can discover the joy of reading, the rest will follow.
A question for readers: what book gives you the most joy? Please let me know in the comments.
(Psst - from now on I’m uploading audio versions of these articles, too. Hope you enjoy!)
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/books-market