Just over 6 months ago my buddy Mack Prioleau and I set up a book club with a few other friends and the main reason behind it was to encourage us all to read more. The book club was actually Mack’s idea and it is a great way to motivate you to read, and then enjoy the experience by sharing what each person in the group felt about the book.
Last week we had a chat about how everyone felt the club was going, and we all had very similar experiences in the past 6 months, purely as a result of us reading more. It is easy to consume videos in this day and age but there is still so many reasons why we should be reading too.
Vocabulary
One really noticeable difference which I have recognized is the increase in vocabulary usage when I am speaking, and the rest of the boys in the club have said the same. I have noticed this mostly when I am sending voice messages to a friend of mine, this is noticeable because in the past I used to get concerned about the lack of fluidity when I spoke, with too many ums and ahs.
Now when I speak it is fluid and my range of vocabulary has most certainly increased.
Creativity
What I love most about reading is that unlike a film or TV show, the creativity is all about you and your mind. The scene or the character will be described to you of course, but the rest of it is down to you and your mind to create, and that spurs on a more creative mind. When we chat at the end of reading a book there is always that moment of ‘oh you saw it like that’ which happens when we all picture something a little different.
Books are far more open to interpretation than anything visual and this can help us with our own creativity.
Intelligence
When you get stuck into a book you are opening yourself up to new ideas, new words, theories and new thought processes, and all of this contributes towards you being a much smarter individual.
There has always been a link between those who read more and those who are smarter and more successful, and I have certainly felt sharper in my mind since I have been reading more and more. Much of the reason for this is that unlike watching a movie or TV show where the whole thing is handed to you, reading a book requires you to think and you to work by reading and crunching the information which you are being given. You can’t lazily read a book in the way that you can a visual performance, a book needs you to put in the work too.
Why not do what Mack and I did and get a little book club set up amongst friends? It will help you read more and give you something fun to talk about.
