Open Thread #7: What Are You Reading This Summer?

Plus, 5 benefits of reading actual paper books

Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash

Hello, brain health ambassadors. It’s been a whole year since we had an Open Thread discussion about one of our favorite topics—books! So today, I thought it would be fun to talk about summer reading lists. I am always super interested to hear what the BHK community is reading. Whenever I am in need of inspiration, I dip into our last books Open Thread to check out all your recommendations. 

If you’re new here, welcome! Open Thread is a space to connect and chat about a topic. Everyone is welcome to join. Paying subscribers—I invite you to share your thoughts (and especially your book recommendations!) in the comments. 

But first, have you ever wondered if paper books have a brain health advantage over digital ones? 

Even though most of what I read is on a screen, I love the experience of reading a paper book. The heft of a real book is comforting, and I love using a bookmark to pick up where I’ve left off. I love how the paper feels when I turn the page. For me, paper books just seem to amplify the joy of reading. So I was curious to know what the science says about whether it’s actually better for the brain to read on paper than an electronic device. Here’s what I learned:

• Readers do absorb and remember more when reading a paper book.  In fact, one meta-analysis found that reading comprehension is six to eight times greater with physical books than digital ones.

• When reading on paper, people are less likely to get distracted. It’s no wonder reading comprehension goes up! 

• Digital reading, on the other hand, leads to a shallower kind of processing that invites multitasking and speed.  

• The act of scrolling on an electronic device may put an additional “cognitive load” on the brain in a way that takes away from comprehension. 

• When you turn the pages of a book, it not only creates a pleasurable immersive experience, it creates an “index” in the brain. This type of “cognitive mapping” links what you read to the page, making it easier to retrieve facts later. 

Digital reading isn’t going anywhere, of course. The good news is that you can apply some of the same principles to devices that you do to your beloved books. Reading without distraction is a habit that helps keep your brain cognitively strong, whether you are reading a book or on a tablet, computer, phone, or Kindle.

Here’s what I’m reading this summer

Each summer I splurge on a few hardcover books. Even better, if I am visiting my sister- and brother-in-law (both retired professors), I get to borrow from their massive collection. That’s how I discovered my current favorite—North Woods—as well as the earlier works of Abraham Verghese.

North Woods by Daniel Mason. I read that Mason got the idea for this novel—the story of three centuries of inhabitants of the same woodsy plot of land in Massachusetts—by watching his dog intensely sniff at the ground on a walk. “When a dog is in a forest,” he told Harvard Magazine, “the dog is not just experiencing it in the moment, but they’re experiencing the history of the forest.” I am currently immersed in this web of human stories centered in one place and I don’t want it to end. The last Mason book I read was The Piano Tuner back in 2002, which tells me I have a lot of catching up to do!

My Own Country by Abraham Verghese. I will devour anything written by Verghese, author of my favorite book of all—Cutting For Stone. But I had missed this 1994 account of him as a young doctor at the brink of the AIDS epidemic. Reading it now, it takes me right back to my own medical training in Chicago in the late 1980’s when entire hospital wards filled with patients suffering from rare infectious diseases I had only read about in books. I would be reluctant to relive this heartbreaking time if it weren’t for Verghese’s human stories that fill the book. 

Table For Two by Amor Towles. Every time I read one of Towles’ books, I am hoping to have that same feeling of falling in love with a story like when I read A Gentleman In Moscow in 2016. When I started this book on a flight from Dallas to Rome, I didn’t know it was a collection of short stories. As I got into the first story, I expected it to go on and on. I was disappointed when it ended, but then got to launch into the next one, and the next one. I can’t imagine a better book to read on a long flight, or during stolen moments curled up on a deck chair throughout the summer. 

The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza. This is about as beachy as my reading gets, and I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a woman who goes to Sicily after she inherits a plot of land. Piazza writes historical fiction and I really love how she paints a picture of small town life in Sicily in the early 1900’s. I didn’t realize it when I bought this book, but it is set in a town much like the one where my grandparents are from, and eventually fled to build a new life in New York. Piazza’s Author’s Note has led me to more books about this time that are on my summer reading list— Little Novels of Sicily by Giovanni Verga and Seeking Sicily by John Keahey—all require reading as I plan a trip to visit my family in the mountains south of Palermo before this October’s Brain Health Retreat. 

You Deserve Good Gelato by Kacie Rose. When my friend and BHK subscriber Mark C. tells me to read a book, I run out and buy it. I haven’t started this one yet, but am looking forward to reading about this expat’s account of what it’s really like to move to Italy. And because, for me, the next best thing to being in Italy is reading about it. 

Now I’d love to hear from you

What is a book you are currently enjoying? What is on your summer reading list? And, if you can pick just one, what is the best book you read in 2023? 

Thank you, everyone, for making these Open Threads such a treasure trove of information! I hope this summer gives you many hours curled up with a good book. 

Love,

Annie

Upcoming Brain Health Retreats

Ortigia, Sicily October 13 to 19, 2024: Join me in the ancient city of Ortigia in southeast Sicily on this culinary adventure. We’ll cook with local chefs, tour almond, avocado, and olive farms, and learn all about olive oil.
Palermo, Sicily October 27 to November 2, 2024: Join me in the vibrant city of Palermo and explore less-traveled western Sicily. We’ll visit farms and cook local dishes, while soaking up the beauty of ancient Greek temples, medieval villages, coastal salt flats, and maybe even get to see olive oil pressed!
Costa Rica, January 9 to 14, 2025. If a cozy cabaña nestled in the jungle near the beach is more your style, join me on this 6-day brain health retreat. We’ll enjoy energizing yoga, plant-based cuisine, waterfall walks and a comprehensive brain health education in this jungle oasis.