Reading Books Makes You Smarter, Richer and Surprisingly Healthier

I love blogs. I love them so much that I built an entire online business off of one dinky blog. But there's no blog in the world that can ever compare to a book. You can't wrap a blog up and give it as a gift.

I've been on a particular Amazon binge recently, stocking up my shopping cart for the holidays. (Is it weird that I buy myself Christmas presents?) I've been getting so many heavy packages delivered to my door that it got me thinking: "Why am I choosing a book over the easy download?"

It's the object. The artifact. The fact that what I'm holding is a physical representation of years and years of toil and synthesis.

Reading a lot of books is prerequisite to being a great business owner, or great at anything. They're a cheap investment with a potentially infinite ROI. A world-class expert might work for 20+ years to figure something out, completely devoting her entire life to answering one particular question, which you get for the cost of lunch.

Even more thought-provoking, I realized, the physicality of the experience helps me remember. I have a hard time remembering which books I've read on Kindle or iPad, let alone their content. I can't remember a single blog post title I've read. Not one. So I started doing some digging to see if there was any evidence to support my experience of what we'll call, physical vs digital.  Here are my findings.

1. Print improves comprehension and retention.
In recent years there have been tons of studies comparing the pros and cons of reading something digitally or in print. In almost all studies the results show that "screen-based reading behavior is characterized by more time spent on browsing and scanning, keyword spotting, one-time reading, non-linear reading and reading more selectively."

This leads to lower comprehension of the actual material read and also a decreased ability to retain the information. Learning the price of a shirt is not something we necessarily want or need to commit to long-term memory. The content of a book, however...a little different. In comparison studies show that "the ‘real' experience that physical media provides means it's better at becoming part of memory."

Now I feel validated! This is exactly my experience. Essentially what the research shows is that if you want to understand and retain information, you should pick up a book.

2. Print is better for your eye health and sleep cycle.
Another benefit of reading physical media instead of digital media is the effect it has on your health. In a study out of Harvard, scientists "found the body's natural circadian rhythms were interrupted by the short-wavelength enriched light, otherwise known as blue light, from electronic devices."

Blue light has been proven to to suppress melatonin, which impacts your circadian clock and increases alertness when you should be winding down. Scientists note that "the use of light-emitting devices immediately before bedtime is a concern because of the extremely powerful effect that light has on the body's natural sleep/wake pattern and how that may play a role in perpetuating sleep deficiency."

Let's be real. As an entrepreneur, work never really ends. As a daily practice, we need to learn how to turn "off." Reading a physical book is a great mechanism to encourage that.

3. Print provides a sense of progress.
Some benefits of reading print media over digital are more emotional than scientific. Think about the last time you read an important book. Do you remember an acute sense of pride as you flipped the last page of the book?

One of the clear psychological benefits of physical media is the sense of progress we feel when flipping the pages back. When you read on paper you can sese with your fingers a pile of pages on the left growing and shrinking on the right. You have the tactile sense of progress, which just feels awesome. It's an experience. A journey.

It's not just the sense of pride. A book provides a reminder of your intellectual journey, and gives you something to display in your office or home that represents your interests. What we keep on our bookshelves and coffee tables are representations of our personalities. We talk about them, we look at them, we reference them. They help others get to know us better and are often great conversation starters.

I was talking to my friend Nathan, the founder of Foundr Mag, recently, about how excited I am to have a physical book being published in the spring, because I just don't think that blog posts are all that memorable. Nathan one-upped me and told me that Foundr is creating a book for the very same reason! They're even running a kickstarter to fund it, in true startup fashion.

Foundr started as a digital magazine three years ago with the intent to help entrepreneurs successfully launch their startups. Over the years they've collected some amazing stories and tips from legendary founders.

It's encouraging to know I'm not the only one with a successful blog who wants to memorialize the physical book!

On Saturday, we should all celebrate Bookshop Day

Small presses, libraries and independents are all under threat. No one wants to hear their child ask: 'What's a bookshop?'

On Saturday it is Bookshop Day. My heart always sinks a little when I hear that a day has been set aside to celebrate something I love: it too often feels like being put on a list of exotic endangered species – and indeed libraries, small presses and bookshops are all disappearing fast.

When my first book was published, there were no ebooks, no Amazon and most high streets boasted a bookshop. Chains and independents thrived equally – partly because book prices were fixed, which made for a level playing field. But with the demise of the net book agreement, the book world began to change. Independent bookshops could no longer afford to compete. The chains pointed to the free market – until Amazon appeared on the scene, when they themselves began to fall to online competition.

Now, only a comparative handful of bookshops remain. And yet, they represent so much more than an opportunity to buy books. Like libraries, small bookshops are a part of a wider society. A good local bookshop is quirky, individual; reflecting the needs of the community. Sometimes it looks more like someone's home than a place of business – there's maybe even a cat – and with staff who care about books, not just shifting units.

But in the face of powerful online and supermarket opposition, small bookshops have had to work hard to survive. They have had to be creative: reading groups; storytime for children; even ice-cream stalls and bookshop bands. They are also often the most enthusiastic organisers of author visits and signings. Small bookshops show diversity and individualism in a world growing ever more corporate.

They stand for community in the face of business expansion. They represent a protest against the offshore companies that are reducing our high streets to a series of empty shop fronts. That's why we must do our best to support them, not just on Bookshop Day, but every day. Because in 10 years' time, no one wants to hear their child ask: "Mummy, what's a bookshop?"

The Cheapest Way to Score E-Books and More

Q: I spend a fortune on e-books each month—and that's on top of subscriptions to Netflix and HBO Go, Audible for audiobooks and Texture for magazines. How can I trim my digital-media budget?

A: Have you browsed your local library's website lately? In addition to e-books, chances are you can also borrow audiobooks, digitized magazines and movies—and enjoy them on your smartphone or tablet for weeks at a time.

Overdrive provides digital content for 93% of public libraries, and its mobile app for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire is your hub for free stuff. Here's a quick tour of offerings often available to members:

Listen on the go. Using the OverDrive app, you can borrow audiobooks from your library and download them to your device for offline playback—which means you can listen to Tina Fey read "Bossypants" during your commute without eating into your mobile data.

Catch a flick. Many libraries offer feature films, documentaries and TV shows on-demand. These can be streamed using OverDrive's app or website. Want to watch on a proper TV? A Chromecast, Apple TV or similar device will let you beam the video over.

Browse the newsstand. Digital magazines are an often overlooked perk. Because the licenses for most digital magazines allow at least 25 patrons to read them simultaneously, you're likely find plenty of new titles available—everything from Cooks Illustrated to The Week. (Note that reading digital magazines requires the Nook app.)

Go easy on your eyes. With the OverDrive app, you can read borrowed e-books on your smartphone or tablet, but certain titles can also be delivered wirelessly to a Kindle with just a few taps. If you're a frequent borrower, the Kobo Aura ONE ($230) is another good e-reader. It has a crisp, large screen and allows you to search for and borrow library books directly from the device.

Once you're hooked, consider joining as many local libraries as you qualify for. (Some will issue cards to anyone who works locally.) This will give you access to a wider range of digital content. And since loans are automatically returned, you'll never incur a late fee.

Penguin boss admits the company read too much into the eBook hype

Penguin wrongly lost confidence in the power of the printed word and invested "unwisely" amid the rise of eBooks, one of the company's bosses has admitted.

Joanna Prior, the managing director of Penguin's general books, said the firm jumped the gun and incorrectly pre-empted a major shift towards digital books.

The "bad moment" means Penguin – one of the UK's biggest publishers – now takes steps "much more cautiously" than it would have five years ago.

The comments came after figures showed eBooks sales fell for the first time since 2014 last year. Experts said the data showed reports about the death of the traditional book had been greatly exaggerated.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Ms Prior said: "There was a definite moment when we all went shooting out after the shiny app thing and spent money on that and invested probably unwisely in products that we thought could in some way enhance the book.

"We somehow lost confidence in the power of the word on the page, which was a bad moment."

Ms Prior added that Penguin had been forced to "regroup", and that eBooks were now released "harmoniously" alongside physical copies.

Sales of eBooks declined  2.4 per cent to 47.9 million units last year, according to figures from five UK publishers.

In 2014, more than 49 million eBooks were sold. In comparison, just under 200 million print books were sold last year.

The biggest hardback seller – shifting more than 546,000 copies – was The Girl on the Train.

Clare Alexander, a literary agent who worked for 20 years as a publisher, said five years ago bosses at Penguin would have consulted "digital gurus".

"Now the rainmakers are the editors," she said.

Penguin is now focusing on providing app developments for picture books aimed at pre-school children, which Ms Prior believes can make money.

"There is beginning to emerge a financial model for that, I think it is an exciting way of getting very young children into reading," she said.

During the talk, the two women also suggested it was a good time to be a debut novelist, as publishers were looking for writers with "no track record".

They admitted this was sometimes bad news for authors who had already produced two or three books.

"If you are a brand new name it is fantastic, and success is bigger than it has ever been, but to be in the middle it is very difficult… talented people are in danger of being sidelined," Ms Alexander said.

13 Illuminating Books That Should Be Required Reading

Getting ready to go back to school? Looking to start a book club? Here are 13 timeless books to read this fall.

Good morning, class. Raise your hand if you actually read your summer assignments, Great Expectations and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Yes, raise your hand if you did read those books. Did read, yes. What's that you say? An extension, you say? Too hot outside to focus? Well. I don't know if I ― OK. But just this once.

Now that school's back in sesh, and the oppressive gloom of the heat dome is giving way to crisp, snuggle-inducing air, we think it's time for students and former students alike to push the boundaries of the usual syllabi and curl up with something new. Not that classics aren't classics for a reason ― although some, if we're to take students' words for it, are a little outmoded in their language and themes.

But the Western canon is largely made up of a monolithic scheme of writers (read: white, male), so adding in variety would not only expand readers' understanding of American life, it would better represent American readership.

We've rounded up a few books ― some of them new, some of them newish ― that we think should be required reading. Some directly confront women's issues like infertility; others are lyrical explorations of black life in America. Have a look, and read on.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Whitehead pulls no punches in this deftly structured, brilliantly written novel, which takes on slavery, the Tuskegee syphilis experiments, a white supremacist state similar to Nazi Germany, and the United States' full history of white brutality against black people. The Underground Railroad is a necessary antidote to sanitized histories of America's racial divide, as well as a stunning example of both historical and speculative fiction at their most powerful. ― Claire Fallon, Books and Culture Writer