What do you do when you have free time? Many answers would be along the lines of, “I go on my phone.” However, if you do too much of anything, it’s not good. Sometimes, you can try something different, like read. 

Even though it may not appeal to you at first, there are many benefits of reading. They can include an increased vocabulary, the knowledge of current events, the knowledge of current trends, cool facts, and sheer excitement. 

Before looking at these benefits specifically, what can you read? As it turns out, there is a lot more than just books. Novels are generally long and fictitious, while encyclopedias are also long, differing by the fact that they are non-fiction. Biographies are shorter than encyclopedias and tell about a person’s life. Poems are even shorter and usually rhyme. Short stories are basically much shorter novels. Magazines are short as well and inform you about a myriad of subjects. Newspapers are generally longer and tell you what is happening in the present. Online books are, well, books you can read online. These are generally novels, short stories, or non-fiction books shorter than encyclopedias. 

So what exactly are the actual titles of these reading content? I recommend reading “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien or maybe the “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling. An encyclopedia that I like is the “Britannica All New Kids’ Encyclopedia” by Christopher Lloyd. The “Who was…” series from James Buckley, Megan Stine, Jim Gigliotti, and more is a good biography series. “The Raven” is a famous poem from Edgar Allen Poe. “The Lottery” and “The Monkey’s Paw” are popular short stories from Shirley Jackson and W.W. Jacobs, respectively. Good magazines and newspapers are TIME and New York Times. 

Reading has an immense multitude of benefits. For instance, when you read, you can increase your vocabulary. As you get older, people want you to learn more complicated words. If you read, then you will probably encounter new words. If you look up the definition or use a dictionary, you can use a more age-appropriate vocabulary. You will encounter this when you read anything. 

Another benefit, found mostly in newspapers, is the knowledge of what is happening in the present. Newspapers give you the information of today, including sports, business, obituaries, the weather, and more. For example, if the news forecasts 90° weather, you can prepare yourself for the heat. 

Yet another advantage of reading is knowing what current trends are. This is mostly met when reading magazines. Magazines can inform you about anything from cars to climate change. They can be useful if, for instance, you are designing clothes. Reading the magazine, you can learn what kind of clothes people like to wear, and capitalize on the fact. Many magazines are also available online.

Still another benefit of reading is learning enthralling facts. When reading encyclopedias or biographies, you may find something you have never known before. For example, did you know that a king cobra can about ⅓ of its approximately 10 foot long body? That’s over 3 feet! You never know, sometimes you can come across a really engrossing fact!

Finally, you can just enjoy the fun of reading a short story or novel. They can be frightening, adventurous, startling, or just amazing to list a few. What I like to do is pretend to be the main character. Wouldn’t that be fun?

From novels to newspapers, reading can provide a nearly innumerable amount of benefits. You don’t have to do it constantly, but sometimes, you can use that little free time in the library.