Be honest: how often do you read? Growing up, I was always surgically attached to a book, sneaking tomes and torches under the covers to read well past my bedtime. However, reading has sadly slid down the list of priorities in recent years. Somewhere between children, work and countless school WhatsApp groups, I paradoxically find it hard to make space in my life for something I logically know I love: reading. By the time I finally have an hour to myself, the temptation to switch my brain off and doomscroll on my phone while watching the latest true crime documentary usually wins.
We all know the psychological, intellectual and cognitive benefits that reading can bring, so why do so many people put it off when life gets busy? Why can it feel so hard to make space in your life for books? What happened to just being able to read for fun? Stats back this up: only half of UK adults say they read regularly for pleasure, while 35 per cent of adults say they are “lapsed readers” who used to read regularly, but have stopped, whether because of difficult life events, mental health issues, or, a major culprit, too much time spent on social media.
