Reading is important in so many ways. It can play a major role in several developmental stages in a child’s life. This development continues throughout life. There are many stages and milestones connected with childhood, but the opportunity for further maturity is available. Reading is one of the many tools with which a person can mature. This does not make the characters, or the books, more important than the events around the person, though, there are other factors that can make it so, which will be presented further into this article. Here are some examples in which reading can help at various stages in life:

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Emotional Development

In early childhood, there are several factors surrounding reading and being able to read to that can contribute to a child’s emotional development. The feelings of security when an adult is close to a child and paying attention to them provide an absolute base for emotional development. The characters and events in the story also provide the child with the problem solving skills, models, and concepts the child needs for healthy emotional development.

Many children stop reading for pleasure by the time they reach high school, which is an incredibly unfortunate thing. Reading can be invaluable through this tumultuous emotional period. When a teenager can relate to a character and what they are going through, the connection can provide a platform for improved problem solving and emotional clarity by reading about the process of and the conclusion to the character’s situation. When a similar situation occurs in the teen’s life, they will have had more resources to base their choices on. Of course, it is also important that they are reading stories in which negative actions equal negative results and positive actions equal positive results.

For adults, the problem solving can work in much the same way. In fact, while popular belief would have the teen years as being the most emotional, the adult years are arguably more so. There are marriages, children, jobs, divorces, and series of complex relationships in every area of their lives, not to mention the fact that they have to face the mortality of their friends, loved ones and themselves. Reading and the characters involved can be a reprieve from these issues. Reading about characters in similar situations can not only help the reader with problem solving in their own lives, but give the reader the feeling that they are not alone in facing certain types of situations.

Intellectual Development

Many of the intellectual benefits of reading in early childhood are obvious. Through the visual aids of children’s books, they learn name recognition. Their vocabulary is increased, their speech patterns are improved. Their memory is improved through repetition. Their understanding of situations and events is improved through story line. Their specific skills are improved through the book’s subject matter. If the book is about math, the child learns more about math, and so on.

In the later years of childhood, reading is just as important for intellect. There are of course, text books which communicate and enforce specific intellectual information. On top of this, visual and textual information is easier for the brain to process and remember. There are fewer steps involved in the intake process and that process is easier to control. You can’t keep asking a teacher to speak slower, but you can read slower. Reading is often more articulate and definitely more finely edited.

Adults can also process written information better. They are generally out of a classroom structure and their best opportunity to learn is through written work. They are also freer to choose their field of study. Because of this freedom, they are also more willing to learn and because of their social, emotional, and intellectual experiences, they are more open to many forms and tones of intellectual works.

Emotional and Psychological Problems

As previously stated, there are some emotional and psychological issues or stages that can create a reader to develop unhealthy attachments to characters of books. These issues, stages, and attachments can be temporary or permanent.

Emotional Stages

There are definite emotional periods and stages that can cause unhealthy attachments for readers. This can occur when someone moves and goes through a shy, withdrawn period. It can happen in a divorce when the children or adults need a way to ‘get away’ from real life. There are hundreds of reasons such a situation can arise. There is nothing wrong or unhealthy with seeking escape through reading, but there is a point where it can become unhealthy: when reading takes the place of real life.

There are many ways in which books, and the characters in those books, are important, if not essential, to human development in all stages and ages of life. They help you problem solve, learn specific facts, sort out emotional, social, and intellectual situations through role play. Though reading can be unhealthy for some, it is an invaluable tool for most.

Some time back, I came across a list of books that were recommended for all people to read before they die.  After examining the list, I realized that I had not really taken the time to read the majority of the great classics that are out there. So I copied down that list and have been working through it ever since.  Regardless of what any list out there tells you, though, there are some classic novels that everyone should take the time to read whether it is their favorite kind of read or not. These are books labeled as classics for their writing style, their authors, the impact they have made on time and the generation.  These are also books that stood the test of time, continuing to be read year after year, through decades and centuries and they still make an impact on people’s lives. That is what makes a classic.

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Some of the required reading throughout our schooling will lead us to some of the classics.  I know I had an extensive list of books to read through my Humanities class in high school.  Some of those books are books that I would recommend again to others. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place on the Mississippi River.  Although it is full of adventure and humor, it also brings forth quite a few questions that humanity battles with every day. The Catcher and the Rye and The Complete Sherlock Holmes were both riveting novels; however, Crime and Punishment also touches on the moral convictions of one man’s choices.  After murdering an old woman for her fortune, he struggles the rest of his life trying to cope with what he had done.  It really makes you think.  The Grapes of Wrath was set in the time of the Great Depression, so it was very interesting.  Actually, I might re-read that now just to compare it to what is going on in today’s world. The Great Gatsby, Moby Dick, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Lord of the Flies are other names that I’m sure most everyone has heard at some point before, but wouldn’t have picked up if it hadn’t been required reading.

There are also novels that you hear of through the ‘grapevine’ as ‘classics’ and are still very readable. I have read several that I think should be read, or at the very least tried out.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is a classic that I think everyone should read at least once.  As my mother has always said, this novel was written before it’s time so it has gained more understanding and popularity throughout the decades.  This novel is a lot about women empowerment, morals and the journey one woman takes down her road to evolving into someone she wants to be; however, it does hold a lot of romantic qualities that pull at the heartstrings. Pride and Prejudice is another novel that has a lot of romantic qualities, but is more of a comedic tragedy than anything else in my eyes.  As one of the most popular writers in English Literature, Jane Austen put forth many other greats, such as Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Mansfield Park.  Start with Pride and Prejudice, though.  If you enjoy her style of writing, you will want to read everything else she has to offer.  Another writer that has been acclaimed for years is Ernest Hemmingway.  One of my favorites of his is The Old Man and the Sea.

Some of the older novels are more difficult to read because of the style of wording they use. English has evolved so much throughout time that we speak differently now than we did ten, twenty, fifty, or one hundred years ago.  Robinson Crusoe, written in 1719, uses a different tongue then than it would now; however, it was still an enjoyable read for me and I’m sure many others for it to become a classic.  War and Peace, Wuthering Heights, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin are all good reads.  Wuthering Heights has been referenced many times in other books and movies, as well.

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Most of these novels have been made into movies now, so you can enjoy them in all aspects of their greatness.  For me, though, it is a rare occasion that the movie is actually better than the book though.  On a regular basis, the book is a lot more descriptive and it draws you into what they are seeing and feeling a lot better than any movie can.  To keep a movie within a tolerable time frame, they have to cut out quite a bit from any book and sometimes the parts that are getting cut out take away from the totality of the story. Other times, it is working towards a happy medium. For instance: Gone with the Wind.  Amazing book!  But to me, the movie was better than the book. It cut out just enough to make it more understandable and not as drawn out.  The Scarlet Letter has been read over and over again and, yet, it has been made into beautiful pieces of artwork in addition to many different styles of movies.  The original book was written in 1850, but since then it has been turned into 11 different movies starting in 1908.  I think the look Nathaniel Hawthorne gives us on religious prejudice, sin, guilt, the different vantage points people take on what’s right and wrong, intrigues people in a way that won’t let mankind let it go.  Some authors, like Charles Dickens, wrote novels that people love to turn into movies.  A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol are two of his novels that people adore and love turning into movies.  A Christmas Carol has been redone so many times that it would take you all Christmas season to watch them all.  My favorite is the Disney version.  At any rate, it is always good to see a book brought to life through someone else’s eyes on the big screen.

Whether it was given to you as required reading in school or you just realized that there are books out there that people always talk about and you haven’t yet read it, there are some classic novels out there that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime.  On a side note, one of my favorite poets is Edgar Allan Poe.  His dark edge really sets the words on fire.  There are several novels out there that compile all of his works together.  His work is so heartfelt and full, it would be impossible for there to be anyone that wouldn’t be able to find at least one piece that they fall in love with.  Keep reading everyone!

Reading is one of the world’s favorite pastimes. Whether you are reading for entertainment or education, everyone has a reason for reading. One reason for reading is to help you relax.

There are many books available for your reading pleasure today that are written purely to teach you how to relax.  For instance: Stretching. Stretching has been proven time and time again to help people relax.  By releasing endorphins, the act of stretching can not only relax the muscles throughout your body, but it can also relax the largest muscle in your body: the human brain. Books on stretching can teach people to let go of the stresses and worries that are holding you back and fully concentrate on the lengthening and pulling of the muscles in your arms, legs, and the rest of your body. You don’t need to take a yoga class to learn how to do this; just read about it.

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In today’s day and age, there are all kinds of alternatives out there to help you relax and there are just as many books out there to teach you how to do it yourself.  Books on meditation, anger management, on which kinds of music will help you to relax, and books written by life coaches that will teach you how to live a more relaxed lifestyle are all examples of other ways people read to help relax.  All of these examples are following along the more educational pathway, though.

Some people prefer to read purely for pleasure.  I, for one, choose to read for entertainment and pleasure.  Whenever I am feeling overly stressed or my mind is bogged down with the regular worries of everyday life, I find myself a good book to take my mind away from it all. Usually, reading for any amount of time, will clear my mind, bring me back into focus and remind me of what is really important.  Doing so relaxes me in a way that not much else can.

Reading takes me away. It takes me away from my current situation and immerses me into another world. It allows me to see things from a different perspective. It even reminds me and will sometimes take me back to my own memories. Sometimes mystical, magical, fairytale books will allow me to escape into the unknown. Sometimes fictional books written with a historical background will teach me something, while allowing me to identify with the heroin. Sometimes the science fiction books will open my mind to all of the ‘what if’s’ that are out there. Even murder mystery books bring a certain element that can get me thinking while taking me away from the present.

Gone with the Wind is a classic that I think everyone should read at least once in their lives.  The details the writer put into this book make it so easy for you to see exactly what she is seeing. It allows you to feel the emotions of the characters in the book and helps you to really fall into the pages.  It is also very educational.  There are few books out there that can be entertaining while allowing you the in depth description of what that war was like for the people living through it.

A newer writer, Stephanie Meyers, though, can transport you to an entirely different world. I know almost everyone that hasn’t been living under a rock has heard of her Twilight trilogy. I really enjoyed these books because of the emotions that it reminded me of. I’m not one of those crazy fans that stalk the writer or pretend to be a vampire.  I just connected with the character’s emotions on love and loss. I fell in love while still in high school. It was instantaneous. We both knew right away that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and that we would do anything for each other. For a brief moment in time, my husband’s mother convinced him he was not good enough for me and that he should let me go my own way, so he broke up with me.  It was the worst three months of our lives.  But coming back together again, knowing the path we needed to be on, and rejoicing in our love was something I would never give up in a million years. Without the loss of him, I would never have known what it would have felt like to be without him. Stephanie Meyers’ books reminded me of all those young love feelings, the torture of losing the one you love, and the joy of being together again. Reminded me that although life has its struggles, the rewards will outweigh the struggles as long as you remain true to yourself and remember why you love the one you’re with. I always fall into this super romantic, relaxing bliss when reading those books.  All of my anxiety and stress fall away with those characters that remind me how I fell in love almost eighteen years ago and what our marriage of seventeen years has given me.

Books can relax the body, mind, and soul.  They can put you to sleep; which may prove to be a little too relaxing, so maybe you should change it up a bit.  They can take you down memory lane and they can educate a person into relaxing your soul.  Whichever way you choose to utilize books, it is always the best idea to use them to your advantage.  Decide for yourself what helps you to relax.  Escaping to a Hawaiian island and exploring the nature there. Slipping away to another planet to explore other possible cultures can even be relaxing. Finding your way into a Nicholas Sparks book so you can find romance through all of the funny little twists life takes a person on. Whatever key you choose to use, turn it in the right keyhole that will help you find your perfect way to relaxation. Find it in a book. Find it in turning pages and broaden your horizons.  Find it in you.

Here is my top ten recommended reading list.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

This book is a story of what the world is coming to, from the author’s point of view. In this book, fire fighters set fire, to books. All debate and politics have been taken out of the world. Now everyone only watches TV and only about things that people can’t get upset about, like facts and figures. Montag, the hero, is a firefighter who stops burning books, when he goes to an old woman’s house that is filled with the contraband and instead of letting them come in; she burns the house down including herself.

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Gone With the Wind by Margret Mitchell

The South, civil war, that dress and the fire. Oh, and Rhett and Scarlett. I know it just seems like a romance with a huge beast of a woman, and a silly story about the South, trust me, it isn’t. It’s about a girl who is frightened and a brat, who has to shoulder bringing her family and plantation back to life. She marries young, but never to the man she really loves. The North come through her town and takes everything from her. It also deals with the defeat and devastation war can bring to the losers, and how mankind treats their own just because they are on different sides. You will see firsthand what it really means to have nothing, and not even your friends and family can help you. The horrors of having to not only rebuild your whole life again, but also your whole town, is a struggle that most people wouldn’t wish on their worst enemies.

The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

This is more of an epic poem than a book. The story is very long, basically an old man is seen crashing a wedding and demanding that everyone there listen to him and his story. He was on a ship, and he shot a bird, an albatross, and from there, everything went wrong. Everyone on the ship dies, but him. There are some references that the bird he killed was, in fact, Christ.

Harry Potter Book 1 and Book 3 by J.K. Rowling

I loved book one, because it’s where all the magic started, and book three was great because something was always happening in every page and chapter. The old battle of good wizard versus bad wizard never gets old. These books aren’t just for children. There are real issues being dealt with in them, loyalty, friendship, courage, love, war, slavery, death, sickness, and also spells, and wands, and ghost and mermaids.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.

The end of the world is coming, evil is creeping into the world like a dark ominous cloud, and Meg must save her father, a great scientist working for the government who ends up missing, with only her younger brother Charles Wallace, and their best friend, Calvin O’Keefe. This book deals with time travel, alien planets, good and evil, and of course love and family.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

A man’s father, the king, dies, and his mom marries his brother, the uncle is now king. But the young man, Hamlet, suspects that his father was murdered by his brother. Is Hamlet crazy, is he right? An old fashioned whodunit mystery that only Shakespeare could create.

Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon.

Not even close to the movies that always have some kind of love affair going on between Anna and the King. The King wasn’t loving or endearing, or even likable. He was cruel, vindictive, ruthless, and heartless! She was a woman who knew more than the King’s concubines, didn’t know everything about the King as she should. Not only was she expected to teach the children of the place, but also all his wives. Needless to say, she had her hands full. Anna was a brave woman for going to a country that might as well have been another world, one where she had to keep her cool, and hold her head up high, because if she didn’t, she might literally lose it.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman.

Imagine a world where abortions are illegal, until the age of thirteen. The second civil war was fought for reproduction rights; the outcome – life is inviolable from the moment of conception till the ages of 13-18. If your parents see you as a waste of space, they can choose to have it ‘unwound’ where by all the child’s organs will be donated to different people, therefore, the child never really dies, but lives on in their (the donor’s) bodies.

Cover of The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Think of the Olympic Games as something that you’re forced to do every year. You have to put your name in a pot and see if it gets called every year from the age of 12 -18. What if this game was a fight to the death? Everyone would try to kill everyone, all for the sake of winning?  The world was split up into twelve districts, and a boy and a girl from each district is picked to fight in the hunger games; an event that is broadcast on live television sponsored by the current government. Katniss has been purposefully putting her name to the pot of the hunger games drawing every year, because doing so ensures her family gets extra fuel and food; however, when it’s her sister whose name is called for the next game, Katniss steps in to take her place.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

Would you destroy one person’s life to save the whole world? What if that life was a child? What if that child was a master war mind who killed many people throughout his childhood? What if he was the only chance the world had against an attack from an alien race?

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ‘Trilogy’ – Douglas Adams

Almost everything written by Douglas Adams is worthy of a recommendation as his sardonic wit saturates every word of every page and often the punctuation. There are few authors that exemplify dry intelligent wit and the appeal of British humor quite like Douglas Adams. His writings can equally be object lessons in absurdity or logic, but each imbued with pure hilarity. The five-book ‘trilogy’ that is the hitchhiker’s guide is a masterpiece in comedy and a nerd-prerequisite in popular culture. Revealed within are the secrets of Life the Universe and Everything, alien poetry, why you should always know where your towel is, and God’s final message to his creation.

Cover of The Color of Magic

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

The eve of the apocalypse, the horsemen sit astride motorcycle steed, the armies of heaven and hell march to war, but unfortunately someone seems to have misplaced the antichrist. An angelic and demonic representative are assigned to recover the child, but neither is particularly enthusiastic about it since they happen to like Earth and would hate to see it wiped out. From the opening moments where ‘the baby game’ is described (It’s similar to 3-card monte with three children and one of the children is the prince of evil), I spent the duration of the book laughing out loud. A cast of diverse and uniquely engaging characters populates an absurd fantasy romp through religion, popular culture, theology, philosophy and satire. Two storytelling masters complement each other so effectively in style and tone to compose a brilliant work and arguably the spiritual

Brain Droppings – George Carlin

One of the greatest masters of comedy and philosophy to ever grace the earth, the wisdom of George Carlin is invaluable to all thinking beings. An astute observer of humanity and master of linguistics, George Carlin’s insights and observation are often eloquent and profane simultaneously. Nothing is sacred, everything permitted, and nothing escapes Carlin’s astute analysis. His books are often an expansion of his stand-up observations, peppered with simple insight and commentary more philosophically bent. Another entry in which I can unreservedly recommend the man’s entire body of work, George Carlin was an unparalleled mind on this planet and will forever be missed. In the pantheon of comedy, George Carlin is forever part of the holy trinity.

Dave Barry’s Only Travel Guide You’ll Ever Need – Dave Barry

Dave Barry is an extremely funny writer, with distinct voice and deft skill at weaving together ludicrous ideas and phrasings into sensible and coherent commentary on the perils of travel and tourist hotspots. Barry covers international and domestic hotspots, with guides and useful trivia (some may say lies) about all manner of places. Some of the material is a bit dated and or recycled, but as an introduction to Dave Barry, this book is an excellent and uproariously funny read.

The Color of Magic – Terry Pratchett

The first of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, each and every book is recommended on a list for books to made one laugh. Point of fact, The Color of Magic is not remotely the funniest or best work in the series, but it was still uproariously hilarious and a wonderful introduction to the Discworld and its inhabitants. While initially a deconstruction and parody send-up of fantasy genre conventions, the scope of the Discworld functions as its own consistent, unique and engaging fantasy universe. Every book is certified laugh-aloud funny with special consideration given to any of the novels that feature the Discworld’s Death as the central character as this Death is fantastically rendered and laugh inducing whenever appearing.

All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten – Robert Fulghum

A quiet and introspective series of essays exploring insight and philosophy concerning the nuances of daily life. A novel that makes one question how much is ‘learned’ as we grow, and how much true wisdom and knowledge is lost to us with the death of innocence. The simplest lessons of enjoying life, living with each other, and taking pleasure in simplicity and joy of existence told with humorous flourish.  This book is a lovely read for all ages, and one of those books that one can take out at different points in life. As often as I found myself laughing out loud, I also spent in quiet contemplation of the lessons within. Resonant and thoughtful, funny yet poignant, each of Fulghum’s writings are beautiful work and recommended unreservedly.

A Spell for Chameleon – Piers Anthony

The first book in the ongoing Xanth series, this is a goofy and incessantly ‘pun-ny’ send-up of fantasy genre conventions. Like the Discworld series, Xanth assumed a life of its own and Anthony continues the series to this day, each entry is its own exercise in absurdity and humor. This first introduction to the series is a prime example of Anthony’s wit and style of writing and affinity for puns, a goofy romp through fantasy deconstructionism and an engaging coherent story in its own right.

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The Illuminatus Trilogy – Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea

Technically, this is a companion novel to expand upon themes in the ‘Principia Discorida (or how I found Goddess and what I did to her when I found Her)’, an equally hilarious deconstruction of religion and the foundation of Discordianism itself. The novel is an absurd romp through time and space, hallucinations, conspiracy theory, science fiction, postmodern deconstruction, counterculture and pure chaos itself. At one point within the Illuminatus trilogy, a bitter book reviewer gives a stark and unflattering review of the novel he inhabits. An epic in unparalleled high weirdness, so much hilarity can be found in this book if one can comprehend the disjointed narrative that often leaps between time periods, characters (real or imagined) and world events without any clue or explanation. Also peppered within is enough conspiracy ‘truth’ to make one wonder and question even while laughing incessantly. Learn the illuminated mysteries of the Secret Masters, the 23 enigma and law of 5, listen to the war-songs of dolphins, and learn to ‘see the fnords’.

All these books serve as good starting points into greater volumes of work that are guaranteed fresh and certified funny. It doesn’t matter who the person is or what mood he or she is in, within is some wit and observation that will consistently invoke laughter.

Here are some suggestions for leading a book discussion.

My favorite is the one I use every day: the method we use in Sunday school!  We usually have a teacher who discusses something from The Bible (or other church manual) and then the class asks questions, reads excerpts, or looks things up. This method can be modified to talk about any kind of book at all. It does not have to be religious in nature.

If you are wondering where to have such a discussion, a good place would be to go to your local library, and find out when they will be hosting discussions on books. You can join these discussions as a bystander and then when you’ve figured out a pattern, lead one of your own. (You can also see if there are any authors or poets having a signing event at a nearby college or bookstore for inspiration in the same manner.) To do this, you can recommend a particular favorite book to everyone you know, including your Facebook and My Space friends. Give them two weeks or more to actually have a chance to read the book then start thinking of doing one of two methods for getting them together to discuss the book.

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The first method is through Social Networking or any of the blog networks out there. Write a status or create an event on Facebook using that feature and then invite all your friends to RSVP to the event. If they are interested, they will join and discuss on their own. In the comments section, you can ask certain questions related to the things you want to discuss and the conversation will flow accordingly. Anyone who has read the book will usually chime in and give their input on it and the event will lead itself. This is practical if you don’t have a lot of local friends of family and they’re not hindered by distance. They can also do this at their own pace over a period of time. The drawback is that it’s not that fun and you’re limited to computer contact on it.

The other method is to do the old fashioned book club in the home or public place. There is a bit more planning involved in this method, obviously. You and all your invited guests who have read the book will have to agree on a time and day that will work best for their particular schedules. Refreshments and a meal will more than likely have to be served. A fun thing to do is plan a menu that fits with the theme of the book. For example, let’s say you’re going to get together to discuss Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg. You might consider serving up a batch of fried green tomatoes and decorate to make your home look like a cafe, with a checkered tablecloth, and some train themed items around.

This method is a lot more fun, because you can make it a potluck, chat, play games, or anything else tied into your book.  Even a field trip is a good idea. If you are discussing a bird watching encyclopedia then you may want to fill your bird feeders ahead of time, serve drinks out on the patio, and then sit around discussing the book and the birds you have seen in the book.

The possibilities are endless, but the key is to relax and enjoy!