Why you should read novels online at all?

Why read at all?
After all, why does anyone read? What makes it different to music, films or documentaries? Why are book still relevant?
The question ‘why read novel online?’ is more complex than it appears. It is akin to asking ‘why learn about the world?’
Or ‘why seek alternative perspectives?’
Or ‘why appreciate something beautiful?’
Or even ‘why should we seek to grow as people?’
Reading fulfills all those purposes and more. It is more than a form of entertainment or education.
There are the benefits which science has illuminated. Reading free novels online is said to stave off dementia, reduce stress and improve analytical skills. There are practical benefits. Reading novels online can be done almost anywhere, special formats (audio books, braille, large print etc) make it accessible to most of us) and books are cheap, if not free. Yet anyone who loves books knows that the positive facets are not something which can be quantified.
Here are some of the reasons why I am such a vocal advocate for reading:
Reading is a form of training for living.
Books teach us how to think, how to relate to people, what to do, who we are and who we should be. For the most part, they teach us how to live. And as EE Cummings put it, nothing is as difficult as that. I have yet to meet anyone who does not flounder when it comes to figuring out what they want to do with their lives. Or who they are. Or who they want to be. We all need guidance and books have a unique knack for providing it.
Books enable us to garner more experience and knowledge than it would be possible to accumulate in a lifetime. We can learn from the mistakes and successes of others, applying their wisdom to our lives. As W. Somerset Maugham wrote: 'To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.'
The knowledge we gain from books has a curious tendency to compound over time.
With each volume completed, a mixture of words, images, concepts, ideas, beliefs and perspectives is integrated into what we already know. Connections form, making this even more valuable. The more we read, the more links we form and the richer our understanding becomes. I like to read as widely as possible to enhance this - philosophy, psychology, science, economics, business, fiction, essay collections, classics, manuals, guidebooks and more. Through careful practice, it becomes possible to draw links between disparate books, meshing ideas together to create new ones.
This practice is not only useful for those of us who write for a living. Everyone can benefit from it. Remember, this is about learning to live and growing as a person. Encoding what resonates with us in our memories creates a unique resource to refer to in any situation. No one can take this away. It is there for life. No matter what.
A beautiful explanation of why reading is so valuable comes from Rebecca Solnit:
'The object we call a book is not the real book, but its potential, like a musical score or seed. It exists fully only in the act of being read; and its real home is inside the head of the reader, where the symphony resounds, the seed germinates. A book is a heart that only beats in the chest of another.'
Read free novels online can shake up our world view.
I memorably experienced sudden paradigm shifts in my awareness of cultural relativism whilst reading Don’t Sleep, There are Snakes and Memoirs of a Geisha. My understanding of my purpose in life changed after Meditations and On Writing. My comprehension of human behavior altered after Practical Ethics and The 48 Laws of Power. The way I work was forever transformed by Deep Work, Anything You Want and Small is the New Big. Other books have changed everything for different reasons. Our favorite books serve as mentors, guiding our progress.
Reading requires a degree of focus which is unusual in the era of 9-second videos and tweets.
To complete a lengthy, complex or challenging book requires a degree of self-discipline. It is not easy to multi-task whilst reading (I do it at the gym but that’s as far as it goes.)
Reading can be a meditative process. When I sit down with a book, my mind first wanders off every few seconds to an incomplete task or commitment. I pull it back to the words on the page. After numerous repetitions, my mind clears and I can focus for hours. The capacity to hone in on a single, demanding activity for long periods of time is becoming unusual. It is also satisfying and rewarding. In almost any career, the ability to focus well is a valuable asset. My work necessitates the ability to concentrate on analyzing and interpreting information. This is not easy to do when my mind is scattered, so I am grateful for the practice I have gotten from reading.
Cal Newport's book, Deep Work (about the value of deep focus) emphasizes this: 'Human beings, it seems, are at their best when immersed deeply in something challenging.'
Reading novel online is both a solitary, inwards act and one that connects us to all which lies outwards.
Just by sitting still, staring at a page, we grow, develop, morph. It is an introspective activity, which provides perspective.
I don't believe in reading for the sake of sounding smart. Or because work/school demands it. Or to find a sentence which confirms something you already believe in. Or because a certain book is famous and sold whatever number of copies. Or because some blogger has made you feel guilty about not reading. As Nicholas Taleb wrote:
'Books to me are not expanded journal articles, but reading experiences, and the academics who tend to read in order to cite in their writing--rather than read for enjoyment, curiosity, or simply because they like to read--tend to be frustrated when they can't rapidly scan the text and summarize it in one sentence that connects it to some existing discourse in which they have been involved.'
Free novels online can be a means of survival.
James Baldwin read himself out of Harlem and into literary greatness. Malcolm X read himself through prison and towards a revolution. Epictetus read himself from slavery to the sort of genius which resonates 2000 years on. It is pointless to even try and list the countless other people who have pulled themselves out of tough situations through books. As Thoreau wrote: How many men have dated a new era in their lives from the reading of a book?
Proust wrote:
'Reading, unlike conversation, consists for each of us in receiving the communication of another thought while remaining alone, or in other words, while continuing to bring into play the mental powers we have in solitude and which conversation immediately puts to flight; while remaining open to inspiration, the soul still hard at its fruitful labours upon itself. '

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When was the last time you read free novels, or a substantial magazine article? Do your daily reading habits center around tweets, Facebook updates, or the directions on your instant oatmeal packet? If you’re one of countless people who don’t make a habit of reading regularly, you might be missing out: reading has a significant number of benefits, and just a few benefits of reading are listed below.

1. Mental Stimulation
Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase “use it or lose it” is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.

2. Stress Reduction
No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A well-written novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax.

3. Knowledge
Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge you’ll ever face.
Additionally, here’s a bit of food for thought: should you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything else—your job, your possessions, your money, even your health—knowledge can never be taken from you.

4. Vocabulary Expansion
This goes with the above topic: the more you read, the more words you gain exposure to, and they’ll inevitably make their way into your everyday vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great help in any profession, and knowing that you can speak to higher-ups with self-confidence can be an enormous boost to your self-esteem. It could even aid in your career, as those who are well-read, well-spoken, and knowledgeable on a variety of topics tend to get promotions more quickly (and more often) than those with smaller vocabularies and lack of awareness of literature, scientific breakthroughs, and global events.
Reading books is also vital for learning new languages, as non-native speakers gain exposure to words used in context, which will ameliorate their own speaking and writing fluency.

5. Memory Improvement
When you should free novels reading, you have to remember an assortment of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story. That’s a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous things and can remember these things with relative ease. Amazingly enough, every new memory you create forges new synapses (brain pathways)and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short-term memory recall as well as stabilizing moods. How cool is that?

6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills
Have you ever read an amazing mystery novel, and solved the mystery yourself before finishing the book? If so, you were able to put critical and analytical thinking to work by taking note of all the details provided and sorting them out to determine “whodunnit”. That same ability to analyze details also comes in handy when it comes to critiquing the plot; determining whether it was a well-written piece, if the characters were properly developed, if the storyline ran smoothly, etc. Should you ever have an opportunity to discuss the book with others, you’ll be able to state your opinions clearly, as you’ve taken the time to really consider all the aspects involved.

7. Improved Focus and Concentration
In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million different directions at once as we multi-task through every day. In a single 5-minute span, the average person will divide their time between working on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via gchat, skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone, and interacting with co-workers. This type of ADD-like behaviour causes stress levels to rise, and lowers our productivity.
When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the story—the rest of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every fine detail you’re absorbing. Try reading for 15-20 minutes before work (i.e. on your morning commute, if you take public transit), and you’ll be surprised at how much more focused you are once you get to the office.

8. Better Writing Skills
This goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of your vocabulary: exposure to published, well-written work has a noted effect on one’s own writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other authors will invariably influence your own work. In the same way that musicians influence one another, and painters use techniques established by previous masters, so do writers learn how to craft prose by reading the works of others.

9. Tranquility
In addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading free novels online, it’s possible that the subject you read about can bring about immense inner peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm, while reading self-help books has been shown to help people suffering from certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses.

10. Free Entertainment
Though many of us like to buy books so we can annotate them and dog-ear pages for future reference, they can be quite pricey. For low-budget entertainment, you can visit your local library and bask in the glory of the countless tomes available there for free. Libraries have books on every subject imaginable, and since they rotate their stock and constantly get new books, you’ll never run out of reading materials.
If you happen to live in an area that doesn’t have a local library, or if you’re mobility-impaired and can’t get to one easily, most libraries have their books available in PDF or ePub format so you can read them on your e-reader, iPad, or your computer screen. There are also many sources online where you can download free e-books, so go hunting for something new to read!
There’s a reading genre for every literate person on the planet, and whether your tastes lie in classical literature, poetry, fashion magazines, biographies, religious texts, young adult books, self-help guides, street lit, or romance novels, there’s something out there to capture your curiosity and imagination. Step away from your computer for a little while, crack open a book, and replenish your soul for a little while.

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