What's On Your List

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook a list of 100 well known books of which the BBC says most people will have read only 6.

If you do a search of "100 best books", you will find many such lists. Because these lists are subjective, they will likely share some of the same titles, but will not be identical.

After complaining to my friend that her list favored Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, and lacked some of my favorites, I realized that there is only one list of 100 books that is essential, and that is the one you build yourself. Everyone should have a list of at least 100 works of literature that they have read.

The National Endowment for the Arts recently released a survey showing that over the last six years, the percentage of adult Americans who read works of literature has increased by about four percent. According to the N-E-A, more than half of adults read fiction, poetry, or drama. While this may show a good trend, it still means that nearly half of American adults never pick up a book, read a poem, or enjoy a play.

These days our minds are occupied with Facebook, Twitter, movies and television, and video games. So why is it important to read? The problem with entertainment is that so much of it is passive, not requiring our minds to be engaged. When I watch a movie, I don't need to use my imagination to picture the scenes because that's already been done for me. I may have the impression that I am engaged, but the fact that I don't remember the movie I watched last week tells me I was only being amused.

A literary work, on the other hand, asks me to get involved, to use my imagination and exercise my memory. And it asks me to make judgments on what I've read.

Another benefit of reading is vocabulary building, which has been linked to intelligence. Think of it as growing your brain in order to hold more words. Exercising your mind, by reading or some other mental stimulation, has also proven to ward off dementia.

One advantage technology has brought us, is the availability of great literary works in digital form. When I purchased my iPad, I did not have this benefit in mind, but with iBooks (Kindle, etc.) I now carry an entire library of books wherever I go. Now, when I find myself standing in line, waiting on my doctor, or flying on a plane, I can open any book in my library and make good use of the time. And even more wonderful, many of the books that you will find on these "best books" lists are now in the public domain, and can be downloaded for free!

So if you don't already have a list of your own, use one of the "100 best books" list as a place to get started, or ask a friend for recommendations. The important thing is to get started. And if you've already got a list, keep expanding it.

Ray Bradbury's book, "Fahrenheit 451", tells of a time when books are outlawed and burned, and the only way books are kept alive is for an underground organization to "become" books by each member memorizing one. It's ironic that today, if all the books were burned, nearly half the population wouldn't miss them.

Remember, "The person who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the person who can't read them." - Mark Twain