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The Titan Submersible Disaster Shocked the World. The Exclusive Inside Story Is More Disturbing Than Anyone Imagined

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The Mayday Call: How One Death at Sea Transformed a Fishing Fleet

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“Love Is Blind creator Chris Coelen drops a new group of singles into his experiment—and wrestles with the lawsuits against the show.”

“You can practice a song a thousand times and still its first note sends you into the unknown.”

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12 English Reading Websites

The internet connects people in ways that were never possible before. It’s also a place where you can find some incredible English writing.

When you think of practicing English reading , you probably think of books or magazines . You might think of going online when you want to learn internet slang or talk to others .

But there’s so much more to discover online!

There are some amazing websites out there for native speakers that provide great content for when you’re learning English. Here are the 12 best English reading websites for you to try! 

Hobbies and Entertainment

1. a beautiful mess, 2. nomadic matt, fashion and style, 3. refinery29, 4. the everygirl, 5. mantelligence, news and current events, science and technology, 8. discover, 9. techcrunch, history and trivia, 10. atlas obscura, 11. mental floss, 12. lifehacker, how reading english online will help you learn , tips for english reading on websites for native speakers, and one more thing....

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What it is: Sisters Elsie and Emma share their favorite crafts, home decor and cooking projects in one of the most widely-read blogs online.

What to expect: The language is extremely upbeat and playful, and each blog reads as though one of the sisters is talking to you over a cup of coffee. Study their instruction posts to learn how to explain yourself clearly.

Sample article: “5 Easy Watercolor Techniques”

What it is: Matt has been traveling the world since 2006, and he shares his experiences and travel tips on this blog.

• Thousands of learner friendly videos (especially beginners)
• Handpicked, organized, and annotated by FluentU's experts
• Integrated into courses for beginners

What to expect: Matt uses very simple language so anyone can use his knowledge to plan their own trips. You can learn a lot about other cultures here, how to plan a trip of your own (without spending too much money) and other topics that would interest fans of traveling.

Sample article:   “How to Plan a Trip to a Place You Know Nothing About”

What it is: A huge online magazine mostly for young women. There are articles about style, fashion, entertainment and some current events from a different perspective.

What to expect: Refinery29 uses an informal writing style, and sometimes uses internet slang. This is a good place to get in touch with how younger internet users write and speak (and dress). You’ll find a lot of articles with lists on what’s trendy at the moment, including some longer articles about the personal experiences of the writers. 

Sample article: “The Return of the Perm”

What it is: A magazine for career women who are (or want to be) successful while still looking and feeling fantastic. Many different topics are covered such as careers, fashion and wellness.

• Interactive subtitles: click any word to see detailed examples and explanations
• Slow down or loop the tricky parts
• Show or hide subtitles
• Review words with our powerful learning engine

What to expect: Some articles are similar to Refinery29 , but they have a bit less slang in them and are slightly more sophisticated. They’re still perfect for intermediate and even beginner English learners. 

Sample article: “6 Ways to De-stress for Free”

What it is: Expert lifestyle tips for men, teaching how to live and dress like a gentleman.

What to expect: This is like the male version of the last two, but with a bigger emphasis on how to be classy (stylish or well-mannered). The language is somewhere between “intelligent man” and “bro.” That is, it’s a mix of more complex writing while still being friendly. Intermediate English learners should feel comfortable here.

Sample article: “57 Life Tips That Will Instantly Make You a Better Man”

What it is: Articles about pop culture, plus opinion pieces about serious current events and issues. Interesting things about the world we live in, and the people who live in it.

What to expect: Vice is not a typical media outlet, since it includes a lot of opinion in its articles, covers unusual topics and is targeted at young people. The writing is more complex, and may cause some trouble for early-intermediate English learners. Try an article: If you don’t get it, you probably need something a little simpler (work your way up to this!). 

• Learn words in the context of sentences
• Swipe left or right to see more examples from other videos
• Go beyond just a superficial understanding

Sample article: “It Used To Be An Oil Ship. Now It Helps Scientists Understand the Ocean.”  

What it is: News from National Public Radio, on everything from culture and current events, to art and music.

What to expect: Some of the articles on the NPR website are more difficult to read, as it’s a serious news and arts website. Many articles also include an audio clip, as well as a written transcript of the audio file, which makes this option perfect for English reading. Listen and read along, or read and then listen, to make sure you got things right.

Sample article: “ Honeybee Deaths Rose Last Year. Here’s Why Farmers Would Go Bust Without Bees.”

What it is: The latest news in science and nature, presented in articles for the average (ordinary) reader. 

What to expect: Discover takes scientific research papers and news, and turns them into enjoyable and approachable articles. You don’t need to know too many science-related vocabulary words to understand these articles, making them perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about the topic.

Sample article: “Honeybees Have Personalities (Sort Of)”

• FluentU builds you up, so you can build sentences on your own
• Start with multiple-choice questions and advance through sentence building to producing your own output
• Go from understanding to speaking in a natural progression.

What it is: A tech news website with reviews and articles about gadgets, new technology, AI and more.

What to expect: TechCrunch assumes its readers already know some things about technology, so expect to look up some new tech words. The articles are of varying lengths. Some are shorter and some are features (long articles) so you can choose what you’re most interested in. 

Sample article: “Age of AI: Everything You Need to Know About Artificial Intelligence”

What it is: Interesting stories about strange places around the world. Tales from history about curious people, places and events.

What to expect: The writing on this website is a bit more complex, but if you love history, food and culture, it’s worth working your way through it just for the incredibly unique stories.

Sample article: “Is This the World’s Most Beloved Asparagus?”

• Images, examples, video examples, and tips
• Covering all the tricky edge cases, eg.: phrases, idioms, collocations, and separable verbs
• No reliance on volunteers or open source dictionaries
• 100,000+ hours spent by FluentU's team to create and maintain

What it is: Trivia and interesting facts about everything from nature and animals, to people and history.

What to expect: Unlike Atlas Obscura , Mental Floss uses a friendly and simple writing style. Check out their language section as well to learn some things you might not have known about the English language.

Sample article: “A Cool History of Ice Cream”

What it is: Tips and tricks for making your life easier, one small thing at a time.

What to expect: Clear instructions and informative articles make Lifehacker useful to anyone. Some “hacks” (tricks or ways to make things easier) even involve language and learning, and might be especially useful for English learners. Others are just useful!

Sample article: “How to Study a Language So You Can Actually Understand It”

Let me start by telling you that there’s a place where you can improve your reading skills with a wonderful twist:  FluentU .

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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Reading online has many benefits. Online reading is:

• Portable: That means you can take it anywhere! If you have a device that connects to the internet, and an internet connection, you can read. No need to carry around a bulky book or a large magazine.
• Always updating: When you finish a book, you have to get a new one. When you finish an online article, you can just wait a day or so for more articles to be published.
• Well-written: Not everything online is written in internet slang. Many websites have great writers and editing teams to make sure what you’re reading is the best quality English.
• Easy to understand: Online articles and blogs are meant to be read by everyone, so the language is usually easy to understand.
• Fun: There’s a website for everything! You’re sure to find something that you find interesting.

Since you’re probably reading this online on an internet-connected device, you’re already halfway there. All you need now is to choose a website (or a few websites) to learn from. Before you go exploring online, though, it’s important to understand how these websites can teach you English reading skills.

There are a few different kinds of websites that can help you practice reading English.

• Blogs are more casual websites with writing on them. They’re often personal and run by a single person who shares their experiences or thoughts with their readers.
• Some websites are more like online magazines , which publish longer articles about certain topics.
• Others are news websites , which usually have shorter articles about current events (things that are happening now).

All these websites can help you learn, if you use them the right way. When you’re browsing through our list of great websites to learn from, keep these things in mind:

• Level of difficulty: The ideal website should be slightly challenging for you to read. This will help you improve your reading and keep pushing yourself to get even better. If you’re an advanced English learner , don’t use a beginner resource. If you’re a beginner, don’t use a website for advanced learners.
• Type of language used: Blogs usually use friendly, casual language, while news websites use more professional and business-like words. Magazines can use either type of language—it depends on the magazine.
• Frequency of posting: How often does the website update their content? A blog that updates once a month might not be enough to learn from. A website that posts four articles a day might be overwhelming (remember that you don’t have to read each article, though).
• Topic: You want to read about something you care about!

Once you choose the perfect website based on these factors, you can begin to learn. Here are some ideas for learning with online content:

• Skim before reading: Before you even start reading, take a look at the article. Many websites separate their writing into chunks using subheadings. You can get some sense of what you’ll read by looking at these subheadings, and glancing at the pictures. Doing this will help you prepare for the reading, and maybe even understand it better.
• Read and summarize: After you read an article, try to explain it in your own words. You can write down your summary, or pretend you’re telling a friend about it.
• Make word lists: You don’t have to understand every word in order to understand an article, but there are some words you’ll just have to look up. Instead of stopping to check the dictionary every time you find a word you don’t know, write these words down. Look them up after you’ve finished reading. Then read the article again. Do you understand it better now?
• Read the comments: When you finish reading the article, scroll down to the comments (if there are any). Comments are not always useful, but sometimes they can add more information or another point of view to what you just read about. Add your own comment and join the discussion.
• Click on relevant links: If you find an interesting link in the article, click on it and move on to the next article. This keeps you reading—the more you read, the better you will get at it. To keep yourself from getting distracted halfway through an article, open all new links in new tabs (right-click on the link and choose “open link in new tab”).

Use these tips and you’ll improve your reading skills even faster!

The best thing about reading online is that you can start at any of these websites, and explore other related topics and websites from there.

Find your new favorite website, and practice your English reading skills with something you actually enjoy and care about.

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss

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My Favorite and Most Impactful Reads from 2021

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This post will share the most impactful articles and books that I’ve read in the last 12 months.

If you’d like to learn more about how I read, keep track of things, and review highlights, you might enjoy this YouTube video :

The below descriptions originally appeared in my free newsletter, “ 5-Bullet Friday ,” which I send out every Friday. It’s a short email of bullet points that describe the five coolest things I’ve found or explored each week. “5-Bullet Friday” often includes books, gadgets, quotes, experimental supplements, and useful stuff from all over the world. To sign up and join 1.5+ million other subscribers, please click here . It’s easy to unsubscribe anytime.

MY FAVORITE AND MOST IMPACTFUL READS FROM 2021

What I’m reading (longer) — (week of December 28, 2020) The Art of Seeing Things: Essays by John Burroughs , edited by Charlotte Zoë Walker ( @czwalkergil ). How do you sharpen the eye and mind? How can you more fully experience the vibrant details of nature? John Burroughs writes beautifully on these and many other topics. He can be heavy on the bird references, but the essay that is the namesake of this volume—“The Art of Seeing Things”—is simply outstanding.

What I’m reading (shorter) — (week of December 28, 2020) “ 100 Tips for a Better Life ” by Conor Barnes ( @Ideopunk ). This is a surprisingly good list, despite the generic headline. Thanks to Ryan Holiday ( @RyanHoliday ) for the recommendation.

What I’m reading (longer) — (week of January 4) Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez . This is probably my favorite nonfiction book of the last five years. I received it as a Christmas gift, I devoured it in one week, and nearly every page is covered in highlighter. It’s truly that phenomenal. Barry’s mastery of structure and the written word echoes of John McPhee , and the beauty of his prose reminds me of Mary Oliver . Repeatedly, I found myself saying aloud, “Wow. How does someone DO this?” Here’s the description, edited for length: “Humankind’s relationship with the wolf is the sum of a spectrum of responses ranging from fear to admiration and affection. Lopez’s classic, careful study won praise from a wide range of reviewers, became a finalist for the National Book award, and forever improved the way books on wild animals are written. Of Wolves and Men explores the uneasy interaction between wolves and civilization over the centuries, and the wolf’s prominence in our thoughts about wild creatures. Drawing upon an impressive array of literature, history, science, and mythology as well as extensive personal experience with captive and free-ranging wolves, Lopez … immerses the reader in its sensory world, creating a compelling portrait of the wolf both as a real animal and as imagined by different kinds of men. A scientist might perceive the wolf as defined by research data, while an Eskimo hunter sees a family provider much like himself. For many Native Americans the wolf is also a spiritual symbol, a respected animal that can strengthen the individual and the community. With irresistible charm and elegance, Of Wolves and Men celebrates careful scientific fieldwork, dispels folklore … explains myths, and honors indigenous traditions, allowing us to understand how this remarkable animal has become so prominent for so long in the human heart.”

What I’m reading (shorter) — (week of January 4) “ What Is Death? ” (Sunday New York Times ) by BJ Miller ( @bjmillermd ). Dr. BJ Miller has helped more than 1,000 people to die. He is a hospice and palliative medicine physician as well as author of A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death . When people ask about episodes of my podcast that deeply affected me, I often mention my podcast with BJ , which was hilarious, heart-wrenching, and transcendent. I still remember many of the lessons, even though it was recorded in 2016. His new NYT piece is an outstanding revisitation of death, alongside the opportunities that lie within our collective and individual experiences of COVID. Here’s a sample: “The cumulative effect [of COVID-19] is shock fatigue or numbness, but instead of turning away, we need to fold death into our lives. We really have only two choices: to share life with death or to be robbed by death.”

Book I’m reading — (week of January 18) Art Is the Highest Form of Hope . Special thanks to the amazing Susan Cain ( @susancain ) for sending this beautiful book to me, which is full of bite-size philosophy and much-needed imagination. These days, a little light goes a long way. From the description: “Advice, strong opinions, and personal revelations by the world’s greatest artists—exclusively researched for this new book.”

Essay I’m reading — (week of January 18) “ Still Alive ” by Scott Siskind, better known as “Scott Alexander” ( @slatestarcodex ). This really struck a chord, and if you are considering growing your audience or “platform,” make this essay part of your required reading. This bullet will be a bit longer and more heated than usual, as it reopened old wounds.

Some of my dear friends are journalists, and they’re wonderful people. They measure twice and cut once. They are thoughtful, unrushed, and considerate, despite organizational pressure and incentives to be the opposite. That takes extraordinary discipline, and it’s fucking hard. It isn’t the path of least resistance, and I admire the hell out of them for doing what is right, despite the uphill path. This includes some amazing humans at the NYT. This praise doesn’t mean that they write fluff pieces; it means they aim to be fair and humane and take the time necessary to think about ethics and the Golden Rule .

That said, there is a great-to-terrible spectrum for any professional group, including surgeons, elementary school teachers, politicians, hot dog vendors, and, yes, even journalists. There are people in all walks of life who are spiteful, narcissistic, harried, or simply uncaring. They do what is easiest and best for them personally, and what is expedient, without thought to those vulnerable to their mistreatment. Perhaps it’s from fatigue, perhaps it’s from outside pressure, perhaps it’s from ill will, but the outcomes are often the same. Sadly, there are journalists who earn a living by repeatedly earning trust and betraying it; they are a minority, but they clearly exist. I don’t say this about anyone referred to in Scott’s essay, as I’m not in the know, but based on my personal experience with hundreds of interviews over 10+ years, plus other authors’ similar experiences. There are great people in the unlikeliest of places, and there are bad apples at even the best publications. Don’t assume a good masthead means you are in safe hands.

This entire essay by Scott can serve as a cautionary tale about public exposure, fame, privacy, and living life. The “don’t kick me in the balls” section speaks to deeper truths and risks of the spotlight. Personally, I’ve been misquoted by tier-one newspapers and even threatened by one writer at a newspaper of record. Why was I threatened? Because I asked that he only include my answers if he quoted them in full, instead of pulling single sound bites out of context, which he’d done before. This was for an online piece, so there were no space constraints. He got very upset and wrote directly, “You are not in control,” and proceeded to explain the power dynamic. Endearing, eh? I immediately saved and drafted that exchange as a just-in-case blog post, which I still have. Thankfully, I didn’t need it then, and I can only guess that he realized the liability of explicitly typing what he did. That’s an edge case. There are tougher cases that don’t leave as obvious a paper trail. For example, I’ve had fact-checkers at a magazine famous for fact-checking *not* make the corrections I provided via phone, which resulted in a grossly inaccurate profile that will sit in Google results for years and probably decades. Lesson learned: only do fact-checking via email. For these reasons and more, I rarely do print interviews any longer, and if I do, I use email or insist on also having recordings of the conversations. Pro tip: ensure you ask to record on your side and have your own audio (via Skype, QuickTime, Zoom, or other), as I’ve also had several writers promise to send their audio and then never do so, despite multiple follow-ups. As Mike Shinoda ( @mikeshinoda ) says in Fort Minor’s “ Get Me Gone ”:

“After that I made it a rule:

I only do E-mail responses to print interviews

Because these people love to put a twist to your words

To infer that you said something fucking absurd

Now I’ve got the interviews on file

Which people said what, which number to dial”

Again, in the world of media, as in any group of humans, there are the good, the bad, and the ugly. There are some beautiful humans and some deplorable humans, and a vast majority fall somewhere in between, depending on which side of the bed they wake up on. Plan accordingly. And if you want more scary bedtime stories, alongside some tactical points, consider reading 11 Reasons Not to Become Famous .

Fame, even micro-celebrity, is like a razor-sharp scalpel with no handle; it easily cuts both ways.

[Just for the hell of it, I turned the above bullet into a short blog post here .]

What I’m reading — (week of January 25) Meet the 19-Year-Old From Kazakhstan Who Remixed ‘Roses’ Into a Hit (NYT) . Sometimes it seems impossible to beat the odds. And sometimes the ruts seem too deeply dug. But when you come across someone like Imanbek Zeikenov, you gain a little hop in your step and a little optimism in your spirit. From the NYT: “Imanbek Zeikenov [ @realimanbek ] is 19 years old and lives with his parents in the small village of Aksu in Kazakhstan. He studied railway engineering at school, and until last December, held a day job at his local train station. But everything changed in the summer of 2019, when he discovered a song called ‘Roses’ by the Guyanese-American rapper and singer Saint Jhn .”

What I’m reading (short) — (week of February 8) Ketamine for Depression: What the Treatment Reveals About the Brain by Lauren Tanabe ( @lauren_tanabe ). This is one of the best pieces on ketamine therapy that I have read. It covered some familiar ground for me, but it also surfaced several possibilities and combinations that I’d never considered. One such combination is ketamine plus rapamycin, an immunosuppressive drug widely used for organ transplants, which also happens to have profound life-extension implications in many species:

“He [Chadi Abdallah, MD] and his colleagues recently published a study that found that giving rapamycin, an anti-inflammatory drug, to people prior to intravenous ketamine, prolonged the antidepressant effects; at two weeks, remission rates were higher in the pre-treatment group. Rapamycin may have protected new connections by reducing inflammation, but it does other things too that could potentially explain the findings. For example, it can increase autophagy, ‘the process through which cells remove toxic materials and dead elements in tissues,’ says Abdallah. In other words, it helps to clear the neurons of any junk, which may also help to preserve new synapses.”

What I’m reading (long) — (week of February 8) About This Life: Journeys on the Threshold of Memory by Barry Lopez . I have fallen in love with Barry Lopez’s writing. If you’re new to his work, I would suggest reading Of Wolves and Men or Arctic Dreams first, as they are nonfiction at its best. About This Life is a mostly autobiographical collection of essays. In descending order, my favorites thus far are: “Learning to See,” “Orchids on the Volcanoes,” and “Apologia.”

What I’m reading — (week of February 15) The Moth Presents Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible . I love The Moth ( @themoth ), and you get a snapshot of pure genius and pure emotion in this collection of short stories (i.e., hit talks). I’ve been reading 1–3 chapters per night, right before bed. Here’s the description: “Carefully selected by the creative minds at storytelling phenomenon The Moth, and adapted to the page to preserve the raw energy of stories told live, onstage and without notes, Occasional Magic features voices familiar and new. Inside, storytellers from around the world share times when, in the face of seemingly impossible situations, they found moments of beauty, wonder, and clarity that shed light on their lives and helped them find a path forward. From a fifteen-year-old saving a life in Chicago to a mother of triplets trekking to the North Pole to a ninety-year-old Russian man recalling his standoff with the KGB, these storytellers attest to the variety and richness of the human experience, and the shared threads that connect us all. With honesty and humor, they stare down their fear, embrace uncertainty, and encourage us all to be more authentic, vulnerable, and alive.”

What I’m rereading — (week of February 22) The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr. I’ve long been fascinated by Mary Karr ( @marykarrlit ), and I originally picked up her book on the craft of memoir writing after a recommendation by Michael Pollan . It applies to much of life, and I’d consider it a philosophical guide in many respects, replete with the dead serious (e.g., how to communicate past abuse) and spit-up-your-coffee funny (e.g., catshit sandwich metaphors). If you work with the written word in any capacity, I highly recommend. For more Mary, check out my recent podcast interview with her.

What I’m reading — (week of March 1) The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life by Boyd Varty . This is a wonderful and short book. It found me at exactly the right time, and I read it in two afternoons. Here is my favorite tracker maxim from its pages, from Renias Mhlongo: “I don’t know where we are going, but I know exactly how to get there.”

Articles I’ve been reading, all themed around NFTs — (week of March 8) “ Banksy Work Physically Burned and Digitized as NFT in Art-World First ” and “ The Non-Fungible Token Bible: Everything you need to know about NFTs ” (especially sections 1, 2, and 3, as a lot has happened since this piece was published).

“ NFTs are a dangerous trap ” by Seth Godin . Quick note and questions related to Seth’s post — The current energy costs of crypto/blockchain appear to be enormous. For the crypto-literate engineers out there: How should we think about the promise and feasibility of Proof of Stake as a remedy, and how much of the energetic costs might that mitigate? The creator of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, recently discussed concrete timelines for some related scaling here . One more question for the same engineers: Do you expect most “modern” blockchains moving forward to use PoS, as Top Shot has done, to name just one example? How else might we otherwise think about solutions for the known problem of ecological/energy costs? If you have thoughts, please let me know on Twitter @tferriss and use #blockchain so I can find responses. Thank you.

Last, if you want a very quick definition of NFTs, you can listen to this 90-second clip from Katie Haun .

Book I’m reading — (week of March 15) The Overstory by Richard Powers . This unusual novel has been recommended to me multiple times. I made two attempts but put it down each time because the first pages made little sense to me. Finally, it was Hugh Jackman who, during our conversation on the podcast , gave me the best advice on how to approach this book: “Stick with it. It works on you in the way nature does. It’s patient, and it’s in no rush. It’s slow and it’s steady and it’s true.” Now, I’m in the middle and enjoying it tremendously. Here is a shortened description: “ The Overstory, winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, is a sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of―and paean to―the natural world. From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds, Richard Powers’s twelfth novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.”

Articles I’m reading (short) — (week of March 15) “ Oregon Is Blazing a Psychedelic Trail ” or “ Can Magic Mushrooms Heal Us? ” ( The New York Times ) by Ezra Klein ( @ezraklein ). Both links go to the same article, as it has had two headlines. The subheadline is “A very promising mental health experiment is taking shape in Oregon,” and the entire piece is excellent. Five-minute read.

“ Sounding the Alarm on Compass’s Interference with Oregon’s Psilocybin Therapy Program ” by David Bronner . This combines well with the above to provide a fuller picture of what is at stake and what is possible.

What I’m reading — (week of March 22) The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy ( @charliemackesy ). This short and beautiful book was gifted to me by my mom. “This book is for everyone, whether you are eighty or eight,” as the Introduction puts it. It looks like a children’s book, and you can read it in 30 minutes, but it’s replete with wisdom for adults. To give you an idea of how popular this book has become, it has 88,245 ratings on Amazon and an average of 5 stars.

What I’m reading — (week of March 29) “ Lost in Thought ” by David Kortava for Harper’s Magazine . I would have dismissed this article were it not for my personal experience with retraumatization and breakdown at a silent retreat in 2017. I recount this experience at roughly 12:11 of my podcast episode on healing from childhood abuse . This is a very well-researched piece on the largely ignored risks of meditation and, more specifically, the enhanced risks of longer retreats for some populations. I still regularly meditate, but I do find there to be a point of diminishing returns, as well as a point (i.e., extended retreats) where the risk-benefit ratio can change dramatically.

What I’m reading (short) — (week of April 5) “ The Four Buddhist Mantras for Turning Fear into Love ” by Maria Popova ( @brainpicker ). Thanks to JZ for the recommendation.

What I’m reading (longer) — (week of April 5) “ This Oddball Chef Wants to Serve You Wild Animals ” by Daniel Duane ( @danielduane ) for Outside . Josh Skenes and I became friends circa 2011, just before the creation of The 4-Hour Chef , and he appears extensively in its pages. I love his unorthodox approaches to both cooking and life. He’s still pushing the envelope. Trigger warning (pun intended): if you’re vegetarian or vegan, this article might not make for the most compatible reading. But if it whets your appetite, you can find more wild tales from Josh in my podcast interview with him .

Article I’m reading —  (week of April 12) “ A Tiny Particle’s Wobble Could Upend the Known Laws of Physics ” ( The New York Times ). The subheading gives you the gist: “Experiments with particles known as muons suggest that there are forms of matter and energy vital to the nature and evolution of the cosmos that are not yet known to science.” To dig deeper, or if you have issues with the above link, visit this link and see the accompanying short video.

Breaking news that I’m exploring —  (week of April 12) “ Magic mushroom compound at least as good as antidepressant in UK study ” (Reuters) and “ Psychedelic drug worked for depression as well as common antidepressant, small trial finds ” (NBC News). These articles discuss the first head-to-head comparison of psilocybin therapy and the antidepressant escitalopram, also known as Lexapro. There is a lot of confusing media coverage, but the above two pieces are well done. What is the simple summary? Below is a snippet of how one researcher uninvolved with the study, Dr. Alexandre Lehmann (Scientific Director at PSFC , Cognitive Neuroscience PI at McGill University), put it. I’ve bolded an important contrast that is under-discussed in the buzz online:

“Results published in one of the world’s top medical journals [ The New England Journal of Medicine ] demonstrate that two sessions of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy were as effective in treating depression over the course of six weeks as daily intake of SSRI antidepressants combined with psychotherapy. Additionally, remission rates were twice as high in the psilocybin group as in the escitalopram group. Furthermore, psilocybin appeared to outperform escitalopram on a number of secondary outcome measures. However, in secondary measures, the methodology used does not allow to assert this with the highest statistical standards.

“Even if psilocybin turns out to be ‘only just as good’ as SSRIs, but can provide long-term relief after a few doses, with fewer side effects, and be effective in the estimated 30% of patients who do not benefit from SSRIs … ” that would be a very big deal, indeed.

As Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris ( @RCarhartHarris ), the lead author of the paper , elaborates in the NBC coverage : “The receptors SSRIs work on seem to inhibit responses in the brain, particularly stress responses, and we think that takes the edge off so you can tolerate stress better. … With psychedelics, it’s almost the opposite. It’s almost like a brutal confrontation with the root of your suffering, which can allow people to better understand where their depression stems from.”

What I’m reading — (week of April 19) “ I was hospitalized for depression. Faith helped me remember how to live. ” by Michael Gerson ( @mjgerson ) for The Washington Post. If you prefer video, you can watch the original sermon here .

What I’m reading — (week of April 26) “ 99 Additional Bits of Unsolicited Advice ” by Kevin Kelly ( @kevin2kelly ). It’s Kevin Kelly’s birthday this week, and he is arguably the real-life most interesting man in the world , so I jumped on this piece as soon as it was published. For more KK life tips, see his “ 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice ” from 2020.

What I’m reading and celebrating —  (week of May 3) “ MDMA Reaches Next Step Toward Approval for Treatment ” by Rachel Nuwer ( The New York Times ). This is a very big deal, and the results further reinforce why I became involved with these Phase 3 trials, the first conducted on psychedelic-assisted therapy. Huge thanks to all of you who supported the campaign! Thus far, the data represent a home run. Here are just a few highlights, and bolding is mine:

“Two months after treatment, 67 percent of participants in the MDMA group no longer qualified for a diagnosis of PTSD, compared with 32 percent in the placebo group.

MDMA produced no serious adverse side effects. Some participants temporarily experienced mild symptoms like nausea and loss of appetite.

‘This is about as excited as I can get about a clinical trial,’ said Gul Dolen, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research. ‘There is nothing like this in clinical trial results for a neuropsychiatric disease.’”

“An estimated 7 percent of the U.S. population will experience PTSD at some point in their life, and as many as 13 percent of combat veterans have the condition. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs spent $17 billion on disability payments for over one million veterans with PTSD.

For the approximately half to one-third of people who do not find relief through treatment, PTSD can become chronic, lasting years or even a lifetime.

The 90 participants who took part in the Phase 3 trial included combat veterans, first responders, and victims of sexual assault, mass shootings, domestic violence, or childhood trauma. All had severe PTSD and had been diagnosed, on average, for more than 14 years. Many had a history of alcohol and substance use disorder, and 90 percent had considered suicide. The trial included data collected by 80 therapists at 15 sites in the United States, Canada, and Israel.”

What I’m reading —  (week of May 3) Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch by Dan O’Brien . From the description: “For twenty years Dan O’Brien struggled to make ends meet on his cattle ranch in South Dakota. But when a neighbor invited him to lend a hand at the annual buffalo roundup, O’Brien was inspired to convert his own ranch, the Broken Heart, to buffalo. Starting with thirteen calves, ‘short-necked, golden balls of wool,’ O’Brien embarked on a journey that returned buffalo to his land for the first time in more than a century and a half. Buffalo for the Broken Heart is at once a tender account of the buffaloes’ first seasons on the ranch and an engaging lesson in wildlife ecology. Whether he’s describing the grazing pattern of the buffalo, the thrill of watching a falcon home in on its prey, or the comical spectacle of a buffalo bull wallowing in the mud, O’Brien combines a novelist’s eye for detail with a naturalist’s understanding to create an enriching, entertaining narrative.”

What I’m reading (funny but not practical) — (week of May 17) “ Dear Bill and/or Melinda ” ( The New Yorker ). This caught me off guard and made me laugh out loud. The funniest part—and least funny part—is how many emails I actually receive that are some version of this.

What I’m reading (not funny but very practical) — (week of May 17) “ Introduction to Effective Altruism [EA] .” I wanted to reread the basics of EA, as it’s been a few years since my podcast with Will MacAskill , one of the originators of the movement. This review came about because I was invited to join a psychedelics-focused Ask Me Anything (AMA) on the Effective Altruism Forum , alongside Michael Pollan ( @michaelpollan ), bestselling author of How to Change Your Mind , and Dr. Matthew W. Johnson ( @Drug_Researcher ), professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins. Huge thanks to the community for all of the wonderful questions. I learned a lot and had a blast.

What I’m reading — (week of May 24) “ Amazon, Walmart…..Chinese potting soil…..and the 34th Amendment…. ” by Deep Throat . This one is long but well worth the time.

What I’m reading — (week of May 31) Mike Tyson says psychedelics saved his life, now he hopes they can change the world (Reuters) .

Autobiography I’m reading for the first time — (week of June 7) The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss by Dennis McKenna, PhD ( @dennismckenna4 ). This has been on my to-read list for years. It’s a blast to finally dig into Dennis’s stories of family, experimentation, revelation, and life lessons.

Sci-fi and fantasy I’m revisiting — (week of June 7) Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang . I’ve previously recommended Ted’s incredible collection of short stories titled Stories of Your Life and Others . Despite the fact that Ted started off as a part-time science-fiction writer with a full-time technical writing job, he is the equivalent of Martin Scorsese or Wayne Gretzky in the sci-fi world—he has won four Hugo, four Nebula, and four Locus Awards, among others. The hit film Arrival ( 94% on Rotten Tomatoes ), one of my favorite recent movies, is based on one of Ted’s short stories . Gizmodo has written that “the arrival of a new piece of short fiction by Ted Chiang is always cause for celebration and parades and wild dancing.” Exhalation , his newest collection, may be even better than his last. It’s just ridiculously good.

Article I’m rereading — (week of June 7) “ The French Burglar Who Pulled Off His Generation’s Biggest Art Heist ” ( The New Yorker ). After my previous mention of the Sour Grapes doc in 5BF, my brother, who’d also read The Billionaire’s Vinegar , said, “Oh, if you like that, I have something you’ll really like.” He sent me this New Yorker piece. It blends theft and art in more ways than one.

What I’m reading — (week of June 14) Quotes from the writings of John Steinbeck . John is a master, and his hilarious Travels with Charley: In Search of America is one of my favorite reads of the last several years.

What I’m reading — (week of June 21) “ Psychedelics Weren’t As Common in Ancient Cultures As We Think ” by Manvir Singh ( @mnvrsngh ) for VICE . This is a great piece, and it taught me a lot. I don’t agree with every sentence or every sentiment, but if you only read things you totally agree with, you’re reading the wrong stuff. This article points out a number of seductive narratives, historical fallacies, and other fictions that spread easily throughout the psychedelic ecosystem. As iconic physicist and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman famously said, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.” Many of the compounds that psychedelic practitioners want to have millenia-old indigenous roots simply do not; 5-MeO-DMT from the Sonoran Desert toad (often referred to as “bufo” or “toad”) is one such example. As chemist and filmmaker Hamilton Morris texted me via SMS: “There is absolutely no evidence of B. alvarius smoking before the publication of Ken Nelson’s pamphlet [in 1983], the evidence for any form of indigenous use of B. alvarius is highly speculative, and I find none of it convincing. … The smoking of B. alvarius venom among Seri people appears to be a modern practice that is almost universally attributed to outside influences.” For more thoughts on toad-derived 5-MeO-DMT, please read this . That all said, there appears to be good evidence, including some confirmation with carbon dating, suggesting human consumption of select hallucinogens and other psychoactive plants from 1,000+ years ago. For those who’d like to dig deeper, I encourage reading the above VICE piece, as well as these three sources as a counterpoint:

“ Chemical evidence for the use of multiple psychotropic plants in a 1,000-year-old ritual bundle from South America ”

“ Radiocarbon Dating of Atacama (Chile) Snuff Trays: An Update on Stylistic and Chronological Correlations ”

“ The oldest archeological data evidencing the relationship of Homo sapiens with psychoactive plants: A worldwide overview ” (Despite a few typos, this last publication does a nice job of explaining different types of direct and indirect evidence.)

What I’m reading (short) — (week of June 28) “ How do you ask good questions? ” by Tyler Cowen ( @tylercowen ). Tyler always impresses me. His succinct answers linked above will make you a better thinker and, by extension, a better conversationalist. For more Tyler, find our long-form chat here .

What I’m extremely excited about — (week of June 28) “ Harvard Lawyers Will Study the Legal Questions Around Psychedelic Treatment ” ( VICE ) “ Harvard Law School Launches First-Ever Research Initiative on Psychedelics and the Law ” ( The Harvard Crimson )

This has been in the works for a while, and I really hope people read the full articles. In the meantime, here’s the short version…

Law and regulation determine the rules of the game. This is true in nearly all fields. Right now, the good actors in the psychedelic ecosystem have one arm tied behind their backs, and the bad actors have few checks and balances. The next 1–3 years will be a critical window, within which this nascent field can be shaped for enhanced innovation or stymied innovation; for more affordable access or more monopolistic, expensive access. And despite research advances, as Mason Marks , senior fellow at the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School, has said, “You can advance the science as much as you want, but unless you change the law and the regulation, you’re still going to be constrained by … outdated policies from the 1970s that have been effectively hamstringing psychedelics research for half a century.” So how do we change things for the better? There are many possible levers, but it helps all of them to have a great team assembled outside of the private sector—one with incredible credibility, excellent high-leverage focus, and proper resources.

It is my hope that the brand-new Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation (POPLAR) at the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School , a first of its kind, will become a trusted source and force on the playing field of evidence-based psychedelics law and policy. This could affect a lot. As written in The Harvard Crimson piece, “POPLAR will focus on areas including ethics in psychedelics research and treatment, the intersection of psychedelics and intellectual property law, federal support of psychedelics research, increased access and equity of psychedelics, and the function of psychedelics in mitigating trauma.”

Special thanks to Matt Mullenweg ( @photomatt ), the founder and CEO of Automattic and a founding developer of WordPress , for joining me in this initiative and providing half of the funds. He has been a long-term supporter of many key initiatives in the space, including the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research .

Be sure to check out the official Harvard POPLAR website, which includes a description of the team and more: The Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation (POPLAR) .

If you only read one full article, take a look at this VICE coverage .

Other mentions and coverage: I. Glenn Cohen , Mason Marks , Petrie-Flom Center , Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics , Marijuana Moment , Psilocybin Alpha .

Absolutely excellent article that I’m reading — (week of July 5) “ How Should We Do Drugs Now? ” ( NYT Opinion) by Michael Pollan ( @michaelpollan ).

What I’m reading — (week of July 12) “ Terence McKenna’s Memes ” ( VICE ). I first read Terence McKenna when I was 15 and 16 years old, reading The Archaic Revival and Food of the Gods , respectively. Both had an impact on my trajectory. The Irish bard of psychedelics loved wordsmithing and enjoyed controversy. Two of my favorite memes from the above linked article are Worry is preposterous; we don’t know enough to worry and Nature is not mute; it is man who is deaf .

What I’m reading and sharing — (week of July 19) “ In The Light Of Dying Stars ” by David Alder. If you have any interest in psychedelics or the psychedelic ecosystem, I consider this story to be required reading. It’s an impressive combination of prose and illustration.

What I’m reading — (week of July 26) “ Corrections to Misinformation Being Spread about MAPS and IPCI ” by David Bronner . I consider MAPS and IPCI to be two of the clear good guys in the psychedelic ecosystem. I know the founders and leadership well. There appears to be a smear campaign afoot, and the claims are ridiculous and unfounded. Nearly everything devolves into a zero-sum game if we let human nature run reflexively without pause. It takes extra effort—sometimes a lot of effort—to remain on guard against our lesser instincts.

What I’m reading — (week of August 2) The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper . I absolutely LOVED this book, which I just finished yesterday. First published in 1826, the story and characters still come vibrantly to life in these pages. The poetic and over-the-top language of Cooper evokes beauty, horror, and hilarity in equal measure. This is an old book and certainly not politically correct by today’s standards, but it contains moving tales of love and loyalty that transcend race, gender, and creed. It’s one hell of a novel.

From the back cover (and edited to remove some spoilers): “A massacre at a colonial garrison, the kidnapping of two pioneer sisters by Iroquois tribesmen, the treachery of a renegade brave, and the ambush of innocent settlers create an unforgettable, spine-tingling picture of American frontier life in this classic eighteenth-century adventure—the most popular of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales .

First published in 1826, the story—set in the forests of upper New York State during the French and Indian War—movingly portrays the relationship between Hawkeye, a gallant, courageous woodsman, and his loyal Mohican friends, Chingachgook and Uncas. …

Imaginative and innovative, The Last of the Mohicans quickly became the most widely read work of the day, solidifying the popularity of America’s first successful novelist in the United States and Europe.”

Note that the Kindle version I read contains a few dialogues in French without English translations, but this hiccup has little effect on the story. You can slog through it like a Yengeese (you’ll learn all about that term) and still be rewarded with a page-turner of an adventure.

Book I’m reading — (week of August 9) This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar ( @tithenai ) and Max Gladstone ( @maxgladstone ). This fast fiction read has won just about everything: the Nebula Award for Best Novella of 2019, the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novella, and more. DO NOT look at the Amazon description, any reviews, or any overviews of the plot. Just buy it and dive in. The less you know beforehand, the better, and its 150–190 pages will fly by. Try the first 20–30 pages, and you’ll see what I mean.

What I’m reading (short) — (week of August 9) “ Remember to Remember: Take Away Lessons from My Interview with Tim Ferriss ” by Dennis McKenna ( @dennismckenna4 ). I found this article to be a powerful reminder of powerful reminders. Even if you never hear our conversation , this short read has tremendous value. P.S. I’m part of a related panel that has been submitted to SXSW. If you’d like to see it happen, please upvote it here . The video intro is somewhat odd, so if you watch it, you can skip ahead to the 40-second mark.

Short book I’m reading — (week of August 16) The Other Face: Experiencing the Mask , edited by Wendy Drolma and Brent Robison ( @brentrobison ). The short excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde alone makes the read worth it.

Description: “Assembled by a mask maker and a fiction writer, this eclectic mix of prose, poetry, and art explores the meanings and metaphors of the Mask. From historical overview to educated debate to fanciful imaginings, these writings traverse psychology, culture, and spirit to give us enlightening glimpses into a fundamental human condition.”

What I’m reading — (week of August 30) The Artists’ Prison by Alexandra Grant ( @alexandragrantstudio ) and Eve Wood ( @evewoodstudio ). This book was given to me by fiction author Soman Chainani ( @SomanChainani ), and it was recommended to him by Laurence Fishburne . Here’s the description, edited for length: “Imagined through the heavily redacted testimony of the prison’s warden, written by Alexandra Grant , and powerfully allusive images by Eve Wood , the prison is a brutal, Kafkaesque landscape where creativity can be a criminal offence and sentences range from the allegorical to the downright absurd. In The Artists’ Prison , the act of creating becomes a strangely erotic condemnation, as well as a means of punishment and transformation. It is in these very transformations—sometimes dubious, sometimes oddly sentimental—that the book’s critical edge is sharpest.”

What I’m reading — (week of September 6) “ The Collapse of Wild Red Wolves Is a Warning That Should Worry Us All ” by Jimmy Tobias ( The Nation ). Thanks to Ryan Holiday ( @RyanHoliday ) for the recommendation. This is a compelling story of a canary in the coal mine: wild red wolves. Even if you’re a hunter, as I am, it’s a critical preview of what’s coming for many other species if we don’t make important changes soon. It’s also a complete case study on many fronts.

What I’m rereading — (week of September 13) “ I Think You’re Fat ” by A.J. Jacobs ( Esquire , 2007). This is a classic, and it never gets old. Be prepared to laugh. To make it twice as nice, check out my podcast interview with A.J. , in which we discuss his many extraordinary and hilarious experiments.

Article I’m reading — (week of September 13) “ Pharmaceutical companies should pay for raiding nature’s medicine cabinet ” ( The Lancet ). Nature is the source and inspiration for many blockbuster medicines, but the ecosystems that provide the original molecules have received very little support in return. Imagine if someone were to take a public domain novel, add 5% new pages in the form of 10 illustrations and an appendix (i.e., make a small tweak to the molecule), copyright it, and earn millions of dollars. If the family of the original author were living in destitution, might it be viewed as a moral obligation for the new author to send at least a small portion of that income to the family of origin? I think so. This doesn’t make me anti-capitalist, as I believe capitalism is the best economic system we currently have ( I invest in and support a lot of companies ), but it does reflect a belief that greed constrained only by the law and uninformed by ethics is the path to moral bankruptcy. There are many companies that I believe could do a lot of good—and increase shareholder loyalty—with a more explicit commitment to reciprocity. I think such a move can increase both stock prices and positive impact.

Short article I’m reading — (week of September 20) “ We See As We Be ” by Jamie Wheal . This is a hilarious, smart, and on-point read. If you’re dismayed by the hyper-polarity and “truthiness” of today’s discourse, or if you sense something isn’t quite right but can’t put a finger on it, this article might strike a chord.

What I’m reading — (week of September 27) “ It Is Obscene: A True Reflection in Three Parts ” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ( @chimamandareal ), the award-winning Nigerian author of books including We Should All Be Feminists . She is one of Time ’s “100 Most Influential People” (2015) and a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” recipient. This was sent to me by Ryan Holiday , who found it tucked away in Anne Applebaum ’s piece on “The New Puritans,” which is also excellent.

Everyone should read this essay. It’s a taste of things to come on a much larger scale. Social media will breed more of this, and few people are immune.

Twitter threads I’m studying — (week of September 27) The first two get decently technical. The last is a good overall primer.

1) “ 6529 ~1 month old 🥳 Some of you know me from somewhere else 👀 My views on NFTs in the thread below ” by 6529

2) “ 1/ Tokens are a new digital primitive, analogous to the website 🧵 ” by Chris Dixon

3) “ Had a call w a very smart investor who dismissed NFTs, trading cards, collectibles as Beanie Babies + I nearly fell out of my chair, but I get it, if you’re not tuned into the power of culture (esp internet culture) this all looks like a fad, a blip. I need to do a video on this. ” by Alexis Ohanian

What I’m celebrating — (week of September 27) “ It’s official. I just received a U01 grant from NIDA to study psilocybin for tobacco addiction. To my knowledge it’s the 1st grant from the US government in over a half century to directly study therapeutics of a classic psychedelic. New era in legitimacy of psychedelic science. ” This is a tweet from Dr. Matthew W. Johnson , Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins. It is a HUGE deal and decades in the making. This has also been a primary hope/target of mine for the last several years. Congratulations, Matthew and team!

Additional coverage: Breaking News: US Gov to Fund Psychedelic Research For First Time Since 1970s .

And don’t miss the cover of the new issue of Newsweek :

“ Magic Mushrooms May Be the Biggest Advance in Treating Depression Since Prozac .” This brand-new October 1st cover story includes the depression study originally sponsored by my 2016 CrowdRise campaign , which many of you contributed to. I put my own separate funding in as well, and it was my first-ever bet on a scientific study involving psychedelics. The article features the positive stories of research participants, as well as mentions of Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research team members Dr. Matthew W. Johnson (Associate Center Director) and Mary Cosimano (Director of Guide/Facilitator Services). Much has changed in a few short years!

What I’m reading — (week of October 4) “ Texas Is the Future of America ” by Steven Pedigo ( @iamstevenpedigo ) for The New York Times . This article probably isn’t what you think it is. Based on demographic changes and more, I think it helps you to peek around corners into the near future.

What I’m reading — (week of October 4) “ 34 Mistakes on the Way to 34 Years Old ” by Ryan Holiday ( @RyanHoliday ). For more life advice recapped on birthdays, see Elder Jedi Kevin Kelly ’s “ 99 Additional Bits of Unsolicited Advice ” and “ 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice .”

What I’m reading — (week of October 11) “ OpenSea: The Reasonable Revolutionary ” by Mario Gabriele , founder and editor of The Generalist . Pair this reading with “ Punks, Squiggles, and the Future of Generative Media ” by Derek Edws and Stephen McKeon . If you think this stuff is crazy now, just wait…

What I’m reading and sharing widely (shorter) —  (week of October 11) “ Psychedelic therapy: a roadmap for wider acceptance and utilization ” ( Nature Medicine ) by Mason Marks ( @MasonMarksMD ) and I. Glenn Cohen ( @cohenprof ), both associated with the Harvard Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation (POPLAR) at the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School.

“ A Strategy for Rescheduling Psilocybin ” ( Scientific American ) by Mason Marks ( @MasonMarksMD ).

Art book I’m enjoying — (week of October 18) Heaven . Description: “ Masaaki Hatsumi: Dojo Giga | Heaven is an art book featuring paintings [and calligraphy] by the Bujinkan Dojo’s Head Instructor, Masaaki Hatsumi . Each of these artworks is like a koan—meditating on them helps us see from Sensei’s perspective.” I found the art and philosophies within—as well as wonderful Japanese wordplay—to grab my attention more than the martial arts. You can find buying options at the bottom of this linked page . It’s truly a beautiful book. そろそろ 日本 に いかなきゃ…

What I’m reading — (week of October 25) “ Revisiting The 4-Hour Workweek : How Tim Ferriss’s 2007 manifesto anticipated our current moment of professional upheaval ” by Cal Newport ( The New Yorker ). This Instagram post from The New Yorker does a good job of teasing it: “In 2007, Tim Ferriss published a book called The 4-Hour Workweek . In it he argued that the busyness of the pre-recession 2000s—when everyone was acquiring mortgages to be repackaged into debt instruments, or typing furiously into suddenly ubiquitous BlackBerrys—was nonsense. If you concentrated on the efforts that actually mattered, Ferriss suggested, your professional contributions could be compressed into a handful of efficiently planned weekly hours. The rest was just for show. Ferriss’s book ‘delivered a prophecy that many were not yet receptive to,’ Cal Newport writes. ‘The pandemic has changed this reality.’”

Newsletter I’m subscribing to — (week of October 25) The Microdose from Michael Pollan and the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics. Description: “Every Friday, The Microdose will bring you a handful of brief takes on developments in the field of psychedelics, covering everything from scientific research and policy to business and culture. On Mondays, a second installment will offer a Q & A with a newsmaker in the field—it might be a person you’ve heard of or someone you need to know about. Our goal is to keep you up-to-date and informed, whether you’re in the field or simply curious. The newsletter is free to everyone.” The head writer is Jane C. Hu ( @jane_c_hu ), and Michael Pollan will also be making contributions. As a reminder, applications for the The Ferriss – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship open on December 1st, so please mark it in your calendar if you’re an interested journalist.

What I’m reading — (week of November 1) “ Information for People Seeking Training in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy ” from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies ( @MAPS ). If you’ve wondered how you might become a therapist or facilitator who works with patients using psychedelic compounds, this is a good overview of current training options.

Book I’m rereading — (week of November 15) Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality . This short book has completely captured me since it was first recommended to me by Peter Mallouk , who said it gave him durable peace for weeks at a time. I originally grabbed the Kindle version with low expectations. I devoured it in three days, and a shelf in my guest bedroom is now permanently stocked with copies for friends. It won’t resonate with everyone, but it found me at the right moment. I’ve now read it roughly a dozen times.

What I’m reading — (week of November 22) “ Brain in a Vat — Making Philosophy Manifest ” by Steve Jurvetson ( @jurvetson ). If you want a glimpse of the future, take five minutes and peruse this. I also strongly suggest following Steve on Twitter . He has an uncanny ability to see around corners. For more from Steve, listen to my wide-ranging interview with him on quantum computing, nanotechnology, and much more.

What I’m reading — (week of November 29) “ The Ice ” by William L. Fox with photographs by Shaun O’Boyle ( @oboylephoto ). Overview: “Governed by international treaty and dedicated to science, Antarctica is the driest, windiest, coldest, and highest continent on the planet. To photograph in such a place is tantamount to practicing art on another planet.”

What I’m reading (feature article) — (week of December 6) “ Steve Young Is an Athlete Who’s Actually Good at Finance ” by Alex Sherman ( @sherman4949 ) ( Bloomberg Businessweek ).

What I’m reading (short) — (week of December 6) “ Wolves make roadways safer, generating large economic returns to predator conservation ” ( Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ).

Recent breakthroughs I’m tracking closely — (week of December 13) “ The chase for fusion energy: An emerging industry of nuclear-fusion firms promises to have commercial reactors ready in the next decade. ” by Philip Ball ( @philipcball ) for Nature . If you prefer video, check out this excellent overview by Matt Ferrell ( @mattferrell ), which covers the recent excitement in fusion: “ Exploring Why This Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Matters .”

Poem I’m rereading — (week of December 20) “ Wild Geese ” by Mary Oliver . Take a few minutes and read this again. It’s worth the reminder. And if that’s too highbrow for ya, I’m also reading Pornhub Insights’ “2021 Year in Review,” which shares analytics like unusual search density in each US state. Louisiana is my favorite.

What I’m reading — (week of December 27) “ An Infamous Psilocybin Patent Has Just Been Challenged ” by Shayla Love . The outcome of this particular situation will affect the entire psychedelic ecosystem. Whether you’re anti-capitalist or die-hard capitalist, the implications described in this article are important to understand. Highly recommended.

On a related note, here is one of the latest developments in a separate journal , and I’ve excerpted a key snippet: “Furthermore, revision is recommended on characterizations in recently granted patents that include descriptions of crystalline psilocybin inappropriately reported as a single-phase ‘isostructural variant.’ … In this article, we show conclusively that all published data can be explained in terms of three well-defined forms of psilocybin and that no additional forms are needed to explain the diffraction patterns.”

P.S. In 2022, would you like one reading recommendation each week? Sign up for “5-Bullet Friday” and join 1.5M+ people who read my free weekly newsletter . Each Friday, you’ll get a short email of five bullet points, sending you off to your weekend with fun and useful things to ponder and try. It’s easy to unsubscribe anytime.

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page .

Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name , as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)

Thank you for resharing the “How to Remember What You Read” video. Curious how you process/take notes from/remember Audiobooks if you do?

I love your content but the intro music is enough to make me turn off the podcast everytime. Is there a way to skip it?

I would have to agree, that’s actually the only thing that makes me cringe (aside from the long ads..)

This is an incredible list. Thank you for compiling this all into one post. Such a great resource. Your impact on the way I read, and in turn, think about what I read, is measurable to say the very least. Thanks Tim.

Thank you for sharing this approach to engaging the material! What modifications do you recommend for retaining notes/index from borrowed books?

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• 10 Literary Blogs You Should...

The Top Literary Blogs You Should Be Reading

If you’re a book lover and constantly overwhelmed by your reading list, then a good literary blog can help you decide what to read next. These book websites are a brilliant way to add some intrigue and commentary to old favourites, or inspire you to move away from more familiar genres. Here, Culture Trip lists the top literary blogs you should be reading to help you stay on top of the latest in books, reviews and contemporary thought.

Electric literature.

Founded in 2009 as a quarterly print magazine, Electric Literature is now one of the most savvy and invigorating websites concerned with writing and reading. Besides all manner of news and essays, the editors maintain Reading Lists , a forum for original fiction chosen and introduced by their huge network of writers.

Run out of Canada by Random House, Hazlitt is home to a melange of stories, whether that be personal essay, investigative reporting or criticism. The distinguished list of contributors – which includes Soraya Roberts and Sarah Gerard to name just two luminaries of non-fiction – make for a magazine site as incisive and hard-hitting as anything on the news rack.

Combining politics with non-fiction and photography, Guernica is another fully fledged magazine that happens to publish online. For first-class reporting as only Guernica can deliver, look for gems such as Jacob Albert’s The Fire in Dunkirk on life in a Kurdish refugee camp.

The New Inquiry

The literary worldlooks very different from when The New Inquiry first appeared in 2009. Now one of the most respected and scholarly authorities currently operating, and boasting contributors such as Teju Cole and Aaron Bady , itproved the younger generation of literary minds had something to offer the critical establishment, and it has remained an outstanding and complete compendium of responses to all the intellectual and pop-cultural engagements of our time.

The most charming and offbeat book blog around comes from indie publisher Melville House, which maintains MobyLives , your one-stop shop for political commentary , Dolly Parton-based news bulletins and Saturday morning cartoons . It follows that a company named after the author of Bartleby, the Scrivener should release such a charmingly idiosyncratic blog about books.

Literary Hub

Since launching in 2015, Literary Hub has become one of the most comprehensive literary websites on the internet, with contributions from virtually every corner of publishing: mainstream publishers such as Simon & Schuster frequently post excerpts from eagerly awaited titles, while smaller houses such as Graywolf Press and New Directions solicit original material from their stable of authors. Nor is it unusual to see bulletins from non-profits such as PEN America and independent bookstores from around the country.

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The Millions

Long-running book blog The Millions can claim seniority over most of the blogs on this list, having been online since 2003 – it can also lay claim to some of the most distinguished contributors conceivable, with regular reviews, personal essays, previews and news items authored by Sam Lipsyte, Rivka Galchen, Wells Tower, Margaret Atwood , Jeffrey Eugenides and many others.

Page-Turner

When it comes to book news, appreciations and first-class writing from The New Yorker staff and a stable of prize-winning writers, their literary blog, Page-Turner , often rivals the print magazine, with a huge archive of weekly contributions rising to the standard of the culture magazine.

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The 20 Best Book Blogs to Read in 2020

#scribendiinc

Written by  Scribendi

Updated in February 2020 to reflect the best book blogs currently online.

If you're anything like us, then your passion for reading and writing doesn't end with the novels on your shelf or the scrawls in your notebook—you're always interested in what's going on in the literary world, from the latest publishing news to interviews with authors and writing advice columns.

Does this sound like you? If so, look no further; we have compiled a list of the 20 best book blogs to follow in 2020. The blogs below specialize in genres and topics of all sorts, and there is sure to be something on this list for every kind of book enthusiast. Without further ado, check out Scribendi's updated list of the 20 best book blogs to follow in 2020!

1.  The Amazon Book Review

Check out the Amazon Book Review for everything that a book lover could ask for: spotlights on a variety of genres, celebrity book picks, and author interviews, all organized within a bright, easy-to-navigate book blog. Peruse "best of" lists, book reviews, and celebrity picks to stay up to date on the latest word in the literary sphere.

2.  John Pistelli

A professor at the University of Minnesota, blogger John Pistelli holds a PhD in English literature; he has published several works of fiction and poetry, including a novel ( Portraits and Ashes ). The thoughtful, artful articles and musings he shares with his followers aren't driven by hot topics or current events—they are anchored by his personal interests in classic and contemporary fiction. This book review blog features poetry, drama, and nonfiction, along with works of various other genres. Readers can look forward to approximately one new review per week.

3.  Bustle Books

Offering a take on the literary world centered around millennial women, Bustle Books' poignant think pieces and spotlight on the unexpected influences of fanfiction provide a unique and meaningful perspective on the written word that will particularly speak to writing enthusiasts who grew up alongside the internet.

4.  From First Page to Last

From First Page to Last is a colorful blog that spotlights books, authors, and publishers of all genres. You can search for reviews by reviewer or book title. If you enjoy getting the inside scoop on the makings and thoughts behind a novel, this is the blog for you!

5.  A Life in Books

Blogger Susan Osborne has done it all—she has worked in book sales, as a writer, and as a magazine editor. As she puts it, her aims are to "select snippets of book news that interest [her], talk about some of the books [she's] just read and alert readers to titles that might not find themselves in the glare of the publicity spotlight." Look to this blog for topical book news, thoughtful reviews, lovingly selected recommendations, and other musings of a woman happily mired in the world of literature.

6.  The Guardian's Books Blog

Dive into the Guardian's Books Blog to discover a variety of engrossing articles on the books we know and love and their effects on us, as well as readings into lesser-known works that deserve more attention. Community interaction and commentary is encouraged; come here to discuss your favorite books or your latest read with fellow bibliophiles.

7.  Reedsy

This blog features "curated collections of the best stories this planet has to offer." You will get lost scrolling through the available posts promising content such as "50 Subgenres and Their Must-Reads." Their posts follow trending, relevant topics in the literary world with a dash of lifestyle on the side. Their site also includes lists of book recommendations and newly published works just waiting to be discovered.

8.  Flavorwire Books

Tidy and modern, Flavorwire offers several monthly articles that examine both time-honored classics and contemporary publications. Its fresh take on the literary world blends book culture with pop culture, lending an original flavor to its featured essays and reviews.

9.  Reader Witch

Blogger Alexandra's energetic voice enchants readers as she examines her favorite books and shares her impressions of and thoughts on her most recent reads. Literary with an aesthetic twist, this blog celebrates the beauty of books; you'll enjoy the artfully arranged book photoshoots and book cover features just as much as the lively articles themselves.

10.  V ilma Iris

An "internationally renowned book blogger and USA Today blog columnist," Vilma Iris Gonzalez shares book reviews, recent favorites, audiobook recommendations, and author interviews with her following—all with a modern aesthetic and a dash of lifestyle inspiration.

11.  Jane Friedman

This clean, minimalistic blog offers literary news and advice for authors by authors. Its articles examine all aspects of publishing and book marketing, including industry trends, writing advice, research for writing projects, finding a writing niche, and polishing believable characters. The blog also provides online classes, features interviews with industry professionals, and showcases important books on the art of writing.

12.  Book Riot

Very much a book-lover culture website, this blog is a riot of color and energy. Here, you'll find articles on various literary topics, assorted interest pieces, book collections, interviews, and examinations of book-to-movie adaptations. Topical and current, Book Riot also features many book-related products that are sure to excite readers of all ages and interests.

13.  49 th Shelf

49 th Shelf is the largest collection of Canadian books on the internet—and an amazing way to discover your next great read. This blog features carefully curated book lists and a vibrant bibliophile community. You can quietly browse from afar to discover insightful user reviews and interesting blog posts, or you can sign up (for free) as a member to publish your own book review blog posts.

14.  Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews has been an important name in the world of literature since 1933, when its first book reviews were published. Alongside its astute reviews, it features a podcast and a book blog, and is home to the illustrious Kirkus Prize, which is bestowed yearly upon deserving titles in fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature.

15.  The Millions

The Millions is a spunky online magazine flush with articles that are unafraid to venture into off-the-wall and unconventional literary topics. You can search for your favorite books to view all the articles and essays that mention them, or you can delve into current book news and featured topics.

16.  The New Yorker's Page-Turner

Empowered by the love of reading, Page-Turner features articles on books, authors, and the themes and thoughts that inspire both. Poetry, literature, fiction, and nonfiction are all packaged into one neat compartment, and the resultant vivid articles truly are page-turners (or, more accurately, page-scrollers!).

17.  Quillblog

Quillblog is the book blog of the Canadian literary magazine Quill & Quire . A book lover's interest page with an industry spin, Quillblog spotlights literary news articles and prize winners. It also features book reviews and literary culture sections devoted to children's and young adult books of all sorts. You may find that, like a chip or a cookie, you can't stop after one; you'll have gone through several articles without realizing how much time has really passed!

18.  The Writing Cooperative

With the mission statement of "helping each other write better," the Writing Cooperative sets its own standards high. True to its word, the blog is an excellent resource for those interested in writing as much as reading. Featuring thoughtful articles that read like intimate insights into the authors' journals alongside tips and tricks from those experienced in the industry, this organized and polished book blog offers readers glimpses into both sides of the literary world.

19.  Bookforum

The Bookforum blog is a digital extension of the well-known book review magazine of the same name, which is published five times per year. Much of the print magazine's fare (reviews, essays, and industry news) and a significant amount of exclusive web content can be found on the blog. Browse archived articles and new content—the blog is updated daily—to catch up on the who's who and the latest news in the literary world.

20.  Readability

Australian booklover Fleur Morrison combines her love of books and writing on her blog Readability. She uses this space to discuss books by genre, merit, and reading experience. Her apt descriptions and commentary are enlightening and will make you feel like you are discussing a book with a friend.

Enjoy reading the 20 best book blogs of 2020!

Don't forget about Scribendi’s very own blog , which provides writers with all the guidance and tools they need to perfect their writing. Our articles cover every stage of the writing process, from planning and drafting any type of academic document to revising and finalizing it. Whether you’re looking for grammar tips, writing resources, or advice on any facet of the written word, Scribendi’s blog is the place for writers to perfect their craft.

Happy reading!

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• How to write a literary analysis essay | A step-by-step guide

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on January 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.

Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.

A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis , nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.

Before beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and c ome up with a thesis statement to keep your essay focused. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay :

• An introduction that tells the reader what your essay will focus on.
• A main body, divided into paragraphs , that builds an argument using evidence from the text.
• A conclusion that clearly states the main point that you have shown with your analysis.

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Table of contents

Step 1: reading the text and identifying literary devices, step 2: coming up with a thesis, step 3: writing a title and introduction, step 4: writing the body of the essay, step 5: writing a conclusion, other interesting articles.

The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing—these are things you can dig into in your analysis.

Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices —textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.

To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.

Language choices

Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic?

What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor (e.g. “her eyes were oceans”) and simile (e.g. “her eyes were like oceans”).

Also keep an eye out for imagery in the text—recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface.

Narrative voice

Ask yourself:

• Who is telling the story?
• How are they telling it?

Is it a first-person narrator (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator who tells us about the characters from a distance?

Consider the narrator’s perspective . Is the narrator omniscient (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events.

The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa ? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)?

Consider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told.

• Novels are often divided into chapters and parts.
• Poems are divided into lines, stanzas, and sometime cantos.
• Plays are divided into scenes and acts.

Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did.

There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res —in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?

With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.

In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters are built up through different scenes, and how the setting relates to the action. Watch out for  dramatic irony , where the audience knows some detail that the characters don’t, creating a double meaning in their words, thoughts, or actions.

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Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. It’s the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text.

If you’re given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt. For example:

Essay question example

Is Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” a religious parable?

Your thesis statement should be an answer to this question—not a simple yes or no, but a statement of why this is or isn’t the case:

Thesis statement example

Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” is not a religious parable, but a story about bureaucratic alienation.

Sometimes you’ll be given freedom to choose your own topic; in this case, you’ll have to come up with an original thesis. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them.

Your thesis should be something arguable—that is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay.

Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein . You could start by asking yourself:

Your initial answer might be a surface-level description:

The character Frankenstein is portrayed negatively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis. After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:

Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

Remember that you can revise your thesis statement throughout the writing process , so it doesn’t need to be perfectly formulated at this stage. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text.

Finding textual evidence

To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence —specific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader.

It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. You might not end up using everything you find, and you may have to return to the text for more evidence as you write, but collecting textual evidence from the beginning will help you to structure your arguments and assess whether they’re convincing.

To start your literary analysis paper, you’ll need two things: a good title, and an introduction.

Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. It usually contains the name of the author and text(s) you’re analyzing. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.

A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title.

If you struggle to come up with a good title at first, don’t worry—this will be easier once you’ve begun writing the essay and have a better sense of your arguments.

“Fearful symmetry” : The violence of creation in William Blake’s “The Tyger”

The introduction

The essay introduction provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. It should include your thesis statement and a summary of the essay’s structure.

A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on.

Then you can end with a brief indication of what’s coming up in the main body of the essay. This is called signposting. It will be more elaborate in longer essays, but in a short five-paragraph essay structure, it shouldn’t be more than one sentence.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

Some students prefer to write the introduction later in the process, and it’s not a bad idea. After all, you’ll have a clearer idea of the overall shape of your arguments once you’ve begun writing them!

If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary.

The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them.

Paragraph structure

A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs : the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion.

Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. Don’t try to include everything you can think of to say about the text—only analysis that drives your argument.

In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs. Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical moments—a turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea.

Robert’s first encounter with Gil-Martin suggests something of his sinister power. Robert feels “a sort of invisible power that drew me towards him.” He identifies the moment of their meeting as “the beginning of a series of adventures which has puzzled myself, and will puzzle the world when I am no more in it” (p. 89). Gil-Martin’s “invisible power” seems to be at work even at this distance from the moment described; before continuing the story, Robert feels compelled to anticipate at length what readers will make of his narrative after his approaching death. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance.

Topic sentences

To keep your points focused, it’s important to use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. Transition words like “however” or “moreover” are useful for creating smooth transitions:

… The story’s focus, therefore, is not upon the divine revelation that may be waiting beyond the door, but upon the mundane process of aging undergone by the man as he waits.

Nevertheless, the “radiance” that appears to stream from the door is typically treated as religious symbolism.

This topic sentence signals that the paragraph will address the question of religious symbolism, while the linking word “nevertheless” points out a contrast with the previous paragraph’s conclusion.

Using textual evidence

A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes from the text and explaining their significance to your point.

It’s important to contextualize quotes and explain why you’re using them; they should be properly introduced and analyzed, not treated as self-explanatory:

It isn’t always necessary to use a quote. Quoting is useful when you’re discussing the author’s language, but sometimes you’ll have to refer to plot points or structural elements that can’t be captured in a short quote.

In these cases, it’s more appropriate to paraphrase or summarize parts of the text—that is, to describe the relevant part in your own words:

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The conclusion of your analysis shouldn’t introduce any new quotations or arguments. Instead, it’s about wrapping up the essay. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader.

A good way to approach this is to briefly summarize your key arguments, and then stress the conclusion they’ve led you to, highlighting the new perspective your thesis provides on the text as a whole:

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novel’s three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumes—first in the creature’s accusatory voice, and then in his own voice—increasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankenstein’s narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from others’ perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelley’s unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.

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Nine New Personal Essays to Read This Week...

Welcome to Memoir Monday —a weekly newsletter and a quarterly reading series, brought to you by  Narratively ,  The Rumpus ,  Catapult ,  Granta ,  Guernica , Oldster Magazine ,   Literary Hub — and now many additional publications. Beginning in January, 2022, there’ll occasionally be original work as well—the more subscription money that’s raised, the more original pieces we can publish, so if you haven’t become a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one!

You can read all about expansion plans here . Subscribe and follow us on Twitter at @memoirmonday for updates!

✨ For those of you attending the 2022 edition of the AWP conference in Philadlephia, mark your calendars for the AWP edition of Memoir Monday, to be held on Wednesday, March 23rd! Check back here for more information as it develops… ✨

Shark’s Eye

By rebecca flowers.

"Sharks bring me peace when nothing else does. When a whirlwind of anxieties creeps up on me, thinking about sharks lulls me to sleep and helps banish my fears. Day to day, I carry them with me as emblems: carved on necklaces, embroidered on my socks, and stuck to the back of my laptop. Sharks are quiet and shy, fearsome and odd. They are something like me."

Read more at Guernica

On Mistaking Whales

By bathsheba demuth .

"In Provideniya that evening, I cook the whale and eat it with dark sweet bread. It tastes like mild venison, with a slight edge of sea. From the window in the kitchen, I look down the hill, through apartments and administrative buildings, to the bay below. Other than a few dark ripples cast by seals, the water is so calm I am looking down onto my building and the whole town twinned on its surface, the reflection shuddering only slightly to indicate the version that is not land.”

Read more at Granta

by Karine Hack

"Grandma has met M multiple times, exclaiming,  You’re so tall! How tall are you? My, oh my, so tall. And a pilot? An engineer? There can’t be many women that do that. Good for you. My oh my. Bless you.  She seems to like her, or at least that’s how I’ve always interpreted her  My oh my s. But who can be sure. We’ve always introduced M as a friend. Though mostly I evade introductions."

Read more at The Rumpus

I Donated My Stuttering Brain to Science

By sophia stewart.

"Taking place inside my head were processes that no one on earth fully understood. And if I was going to share something so valuable, I was glad that I could share it with the clinician-scientist, with another person who stutters, whose scientific interest in disfluency was rooted in firsthand experience. His aims were descriptive, not prescriptive—he was trying to understand the disfluent brain, not just fix it. I tensed at the thought of entrusting my brain with researchers who would be approaching disfluency from the outside; it’s one thing to wonder how stuttering works—it’s quite another to know how it feels."

Read more at Catapult

I Want to Persuade You to Care About Other People

By danielle tcholakian.

"Another thing I love about my grandfather is how he’s open-minded in a way that’s unusual among men of his generation…He is not a rabble rouser. But he has always been tickled by the rabble rouser in me, always willing to hear my liberal side out." (Reprinted from Longreads . Originally published in August, 2017.)

Read more at Oldster Magazine

The Professor

By irina dumitrescu.

"The professor is famous, a genius, or what counts for one in our corner of the world. Everyone knows that his letters open doors to the best PhD programs. I make sure never to ask him for a reference letter. I can’t say why yet, but even then I know. I don’t want to owe him.”

Read more at Longreads

On Giving Dance One More Chance

By ofelia brooks.

"I learned at that college party how Black people were supposed to dance. We were to grind, freak, twerk, wine. Mimic sex with our clothes on, on the beat. I didn’t know how to dance like that, no one had ever showed me. My older sisters and aunts, even though Caribbean and fans of hip-shaking soca music, never danced like that. My mother definitely never danced like that, even as soca classics like ‘Nani Wine’ played throughout the house and instructed us to ‘wine down low, wine down so.’”

Read more at Amplify

Something For the Pain

By emily maloney.

"I found myself standing in line for the exhibitors/industry people rather than the attendee line for registration, where I belonged. Before I left the medical profession to write full-time, and after my stint in the ER, I worked for a multinational pharmaceutical company, attending conferences like this one. At the companies where I worked, I’d manage the display of data in poster sessions."

Read more at VQR

The Britishisms That Saved Me As A Brand-New, Expat Mother

By amelia granger.

“Back passage is not a term we use in American English, my native language, so I wasn’t familiar with it. But the doctor had explained that the baby was stuck behind my pubic bone, and based on the fact that the incision he wanted to make would be in my perineum, I understood what he meant from context. That was a relief, because I liked to try to figure out what British English words meant for myself. I didn’t like to admit I didn’t understand. Maybe I should back up a little. As soon as I landed in London, four months prior, five months pregnant with my first child, I started to learn a new vocabulary.”

Read more at Romper

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Essays About Reading: 5 Examples And Topic Ideas

As a writer, you love to read and talk to others about reading books. Check out some examples of essays about reading and topic ideas for your essay .

Many people fall in love with good books at an early age, as experiencing the joy of reading can help transport a child’s imagination to new places. Reading isn’t just for fun, of course—the importance of reading has been shown time and again in educational research studies.

If you love to sit down with a good book, you likely want to share your love of reading with others. Reading can offer a new perspective and transport readers to different worlds, whether you’re into autobiographies, books about positive thinking, or stories that share life lessons.

When explaining your love of reading to others, it’s important to let your passion shine through in your writing. Try not to take a negative view of people who don’t enjoy reading, as reading and writing skills are tougher for some people than others.

Talk about the positive effects of reading and how it’s positively benefitted your life. Offer helpful tips on how people can learn to enjoy reading, even if it’s something that they’ve struggled with for a long time. Remember, your goal when writing essays about reading is to make others interested in exploring the world of books as a source of knowledge and entertainment.

Now, let’s explore some popular essays on reading to help get you inspired and some topics that you can use as a starting point for your essay about how books have positively impacted your life.

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers

Examples Of Essays About Reading

• 1. The Book That Changed My Life By The New York Times
• 2. I Read 150+ Books in 2 Years. Here’s How It Changed My Life By Anangsha Alammyan
• 3. How My Diagnosis Improved My College Experience By Blair Kenney

4. How ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ Saved Me By Isaac Fitzgerald

5. catcher in the rye: that time a banned book changed my life by pat kelly, topic ideas for essays about reading, 1. how can a high school student improve their reading skills, 2. what’s the best piece of literature ever written, 3. how reading books from authors of varied backgrounds can provide a different perspective, 4. challenging your point of view: how reading essays you disagree with can provide a new perspective.

1.  The Book That Changed My Life  By  The New York Times

“My error the first time around was to read “Middlemarch” as one would a typical novel. But “Middlemarch” isn’t really about plot and dialogue. It’s all about character, as mediated through the wise and compassionate (but sharply astute) voice of the omniscient narrator. The book shows us that we cannot live without other people and that we cannot live with other people unless we recognize their flaws and foibles in ourselves.”  The New York Times

In this collection of reader essays, people share the books that have shaped how they see the world and live their lives. Talking about a life-changing piece of literature can offer a new perspective to people who tend to shy away from reading and can encourage others to pick up your favorite book.

2.  I Read 150+ Books in 2 Years. Here’s How It Changed My Life  By Anangsha Alammyan

“Consistent reading helps you develop your  analytical thinking skills  over time. It stimulates your brain and allows you to think in new ways. When you are  actively engaged  in what you’re reading, you would be able to ask better questions, look at things from a different perspective, identify patterns and make connections.” Anangsha Alammyan

Alammyan shares how she got away from habits that weren’t serving her life (such as scrolling on social media) and instead turned her attention to focus on reading. She shares how she changed her schedule and time management processes to allow herself to devote more time to reading, and she also shares the many ways that she benefited from spending more time on her Kindle and less time on her phone.

3.  How My Diagnosis Improved My College Experience  By Blair Kenney

“When my learning specialist convinced me that I was an intelligent person with a reading disorder, I gradually stopped hiding from what I was most afraid of—the belief that I was a person of mediocre intelligence with overambitious goals for herself. As I slowly let go of this fear, I became much more aware of my learning issues. For the first time, I felt that I could dig below the surface of my unhappiness in school without being ashamed of what I might find.” Blair Kenney

Reading does not come easily to everyone, and dyslexia can make it especially difficult for a person to process words. In this essay , Kenney shares her experience of being diagnosed with dyslexia during her sophomore year of college at Yale. She gave herself more patience, grew in her confidence, and developed techniques that worked to improve her reading and processing skills .

“I took that book home to finish reading it. I’d sit somewhat uncomfortably in a tree or against a stone wall or, more often than not, in my sparsely decorated bedroom with the door closed as my mother had hushed arguments with my father on the phone. There were many things in the book that went over my head during my first time reading it. But a land left with neither Rhyme nor Reason, as I listened to my parents fight, that I understood.” Isaac Fitzgerald

Books can transport a reader to another world. In this essay , Fitzgerald explains how Norton Juster’s novel allowed him to escape a difficult time in his childhood through the magic of his imagination. Writing about a book that had a significant impact on your childhood can help you form an instant connection with your reader, as many people hold a childhood literature favorite near and dear to their hearts.

“From the first paragraph my mind was blown wide open. It not only changed my whole perspective on what literature could be, it changed the way I looked at myself in relation to the world. This was heavy stuff. Of the countless books I had read up to this point, even the ones written in first person, none of them felt like they were speaking directly to me. Not really anyway.” Pat Kelly

Many readers have had the experience of feeling like a book was written specifically for them, and in this essay , Kelly shares that experience with J.D. Salinger’s classic American novel. Writing about a book that felt like it was written specifically for you can give you the chance to share what was happening in your life when you read the book and the lasting impact that the book had on you as a person.

There are several topic options to choose from when you’re writing about reading. You may want to write about how literature you love has changed your life or how others can develop their reading skills to derive similar pleasure from reading.

Middle and high school students who struggle with reading can feel discouraged when, despite their best efforts, their skills do not improve. Research the latest educational techniques for boosting reading skills in high school students (the research often changes) and offer concrete tips (such as using active reading skills ) to help students grow.

It’s an excellent persuasive essay topic; it’s fun to write about the piece of literature you believe to be the greatest of all time. Of course, much of this topic is a matter of opinion, and it’s impossible to prove that one piece of literature is “better” than another. Write your essay about how the piece of literature you consider the best positive affected your life and discuss how it’s impacted the world of literature in general.

The world is full of many perspectives and points of view, and it can be hard to imagine the world through someone else’s eyes. Reading books by authors of different gender, race, or socioeconomic status can help open your eyes to the challenges and issues others face. Explain how reading books by authors with different backgrounds has changed your worldview in your essay .

It’s fun to read the information that reinforces viewpoints that you already have, but doing so doesn’t contribute to expanding your mind and helping you see the world from a different perspective. Explain how pushing oneself to see a different point of view can help you better understand your perspective and help open your eyes to ideas you may not have considered.

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

If you’re stuck picking your next essay topic, check out our round-up of essay topics about education .

• Translators
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Top 50 Academic Blogs You Should Be Reading

Blogs have become ubiquitous when it comes to learning about various topics on the Internet. From specialists to hobbyists, to mommy blogs and cooking blogs, there's no shortage of things to read online. So how do you know which blogs to read when you want educational and academic resources or guidance?

Instead of having to search through the millions of search results on Google, we have gathered a list of the top 50 academic blogs that you should be reading. From students to parents to teachers, there is something for everyone on this list.

• Strayer University Buzz : The Buzz blog offers information on various topics, such as the value of a degree, motivation & inspiration, lifestyle, industry leadership, and more.
• Boston College Law : If you're a law student or are thinking of becoming a law student, then this blog can give you some insights into life in law school. It includes photos and updates from students, faculty, and alumni.
• Edutopia : This site offers resources and information for parents and teachers of primary and secondary education students. If you are a parent looking for guidance, then this blog can help provide that for you.
• Inside Higher Ed : This blog website features blogs on a variety of topics in academia. From flexibility in education to learning in the Army, there's something for everyone here. It also includes online tools and digital learning resources to help support virtual and remove teaching.
• The Thesis Whisperer : This blog is focused on helping PhD students finish their thesis. There is valuable information available through this blog, so if you are working on a thesis this might be the blog for you.
• DoctoralWriting SIG : This blog is another great blog for PhD students to get help writing their thesis. They have various topics of focus, including Conceptualising your research to help you find the posts applicable to your needs.
• Dan Cohen's Blog : From Dan's About page: Dan Cohen is the Vice Provost for Information Collaboration, Dean of the Library, and Professor of History at Northeastern University. His work has focused on the impact of digital media and technology on all aspects of knowledge and learning, from the nature of libraries and their evolving resources, to twenty-first century research techniques and software tools, to the changing landscape of communication and publication.
• Happy Academic : This blog offers support and sanity for early- and mid-career researchers. With nearly 3,000 followers, this blog has a good following of interested readers.
• Academic Transformations : This blog is part of a greater service that offers classroom management training, learning coaching, and student advocates.
• Diary of Doctor Logic : This is the blog of Sara L. Uckelman, Assistant Professor at Durham University. It focuses on topics related to scholarly publishing and life as an academic, along with her approach to teaching logic and philosophy, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, tips on being productive, and more.
• Blog on Math Blogs : This blog represents a trip down the proverbial rabbit hole of blogs on math. From political polling, AI, mathematically inspired GIFs, to presentations, this blog has some very interesting perspectives.
• Get a Life, PhD : The focus of this blogger's articles is balancing the life of a researcher and a parent in the stressful modern world. If you are looking for solidarity in wanting to find balance between your academic and personal lives, this may be an entertaining academic blog for you.
• Patter : Pat Thomson is a Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham. Pat researches changes in schools and writes about varied topics such as refining research topics, bad behavior in academics, and other inspiration.
• Catherine Cronin : To read about open education and its benefits and drawbacks, check out Catherine's blog. She has been in research, teaching and advocacy in higher education for over 25 years.
• Research to Action : This blog is all about putting research into practical applications and not keeping it on paper.
• Prof Hacker : For tutorials, tips, and commentary on pedagogy, productivity, and tech in academia, this blog is at the top of the list.
• Faculty Focus : If you are a teacher looking to expand your teaching strategies for college classes, then check out Faculty Focus.
• Nadine Muller : Nadine brings fresh air to discussions about what skills are taken for granted in academia.
• Getting Smart : Another good resource for teachers, Getting Smart talks about innovations in teaching and learning, and has expanded to focus on remote schooling solutions.
• Educational Technology and Mobile Learning : This blog focuses on integrating technology into the classroom using the latest tools.
• The Edvocate : This blog highlights the latest news in education, including policy changes, current events, and educational reform and innovation.
• The Confident Teacher : English teachers can rejoice! There is a blog dedicated to teaching reading and literature at home and in classrooms.
• Inflection Magazine : This is a blog that explores cultural and scholarly impacts of academics and higher institutions.
• EdCan Network : If you are in Canada and are interested in learning environments, check out this blog.
• Ed.gov Blog : One of the main aspects of academia is the federal government regulations. Ed.gov is the official online blog of the U.S. Department of Education.
• ServiceScape Blog : Take a look at our academic writing advice. You won't be disappointed.
• Ivy Coach : A blog specialized for Ivy League schools, Ivy Coach offers tips for writing essays, completing applications, and getting those admissions interviews just right.
• The Lore Blog : Aimed at students and teachers, this blog discusses breaking news in education, from politics to financial news, along with advice and opinion.
• Bold : This blog is academia focused on early education initiatives.
• The Shakeup Learning Blog : Articles, podcasts, and webinars in this blog offer tutorials and advice on the newest teaching methods.
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• e-Literate : Michael Feldstein maintains this blog as a place for thoughts on interesting happenings in the world of educational technology.
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• Schools Matter : Activism for education is a popular topic in this blog where authors contribute stories, research, and information to readers.
• Stratford University Blog : This online blog gives a lot of information and helpful articles on internships, culinary studies, and international studies.
• UVM Outreach : The University of Vermont manages this blog that includes insights into education, business, and careers for students after college.

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Essential Essay Collections

Sep 11, 2023 by Kamm Prongay published in Reading

I can’t encircle the trunk with my arms or see the top. Douglas Fir trees are like that. 500-year old giants, they stretch straight to the sky, snag clouds, and create their own weather. The bark smells of cinnamon and moisture, and if I am not careful, it will leave a scratch or two on my forearms. It would be easier to measure the circumference with a measuring tape, but then we couldn’t trade breaths, the tree and I. A single tree holds enough wood to build three or four houses. If I press my ear to the trunk, I can hear the water going up, and feel the great heart of the tree beat in time with the wind. I am too close to count branches. I have to step back, way back, build distance. Only then can I see the tree, and hear all the species she houses and feeds. Douglas Fir distance, I call it—the distance required for perspective, learning, and growth. Kamm Prongay

I love reading essays almost as much as I love Douglas Fir trees. I require an afternoon snack of tea and cookies for my body, an essay or two for my brain. But to read like a writer, I must move from mere consumer to student, and to do that, I need a deep understanding of an essay’s conventions, structures and expectations. 

When I Google “Essential Essay Collections” and get more ‘top 10, top 25, top 100 collections’ than my eyes or pocketbook can handle. Do I start with Montaigne or Didion, short form or long, formal or informal, personal or travel? If I read this author, what other authors do I ignore?

I need distance, Douglas Fir distance, to sort out which writers deserve my attention and space on my bookshelf. But how?

After several days of overwhelm, cross referencing various ‘must read’ lists, I find a solution. Combining Anthologies, ‘Best Of’ Collections, and a select few favorite authors lets me approach the richness of essay without feeling guilty about all the authors and essays I don’t have time to read.   

Anthologies

Essay anthologies offer an easy entry into the genre. Most collections provide examples of early essay forms and topics. Anthologies are also available in various subgenres, but I prefer more inclusive collections.

My first acquisition was Phillip Lopate’s The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present. In one (admittedly large) volume, I have 2000 years of personal essay examples on everything from ambition to education and death. Part I introduces me to early essayists, like Seneca, Plutarch, and Michel de Montaigne. The anthology also includes writers from multiple continents, and provides examples by form, including memoir, book review, humor, and lecture.  Complementing the rich collection, Lopate’s introduction highlights the key components of a good essay, conversational element, honesty, egotism, irony, and other questions of form and style.

Samuel Cohen’s 50 Essays, a Portable Anthology , is a nice compromise between size, price, and variety. At 503 pages, the text is one-third of Lopate’s, was updated in 2023, and includes some newer writers.

‘Best Of’ and Literary Magazines

Anthologies are great for understanding past writing trends, but don’t include new writers or diverse voices. To fill this gap, I look to current work. HarperCollins’ Best American Series showcases the best non-fiction from the preceding year. Series editors select works from online and print, then a guest editor chooses the final pieces for publication. The nonfiction has been so popular it recently expanded to include two other essay collections, The Best American Science and Nature Writing , and The Best American Food Writing.

I also search for collections published by nontraditional houses. Two recent discoveries are Shapes of Native Nonfiction , a curated collection of non-fiction writing by 27 contemporary Native writers, and Bending Genre: Essays on Creative Nonfiction , a collection of essays exploring the notion of genre and creative nonfiction.

Literary magazines ( Orion, Brevity , and Hippocampus , among others) also include diverse writers, and help me understand what editors are accepting. I flag essays I like, and ones I don’t, then study them to understand why.  

Favorite Authors

The third section of my bookshelf is devoted to Shadow Mentors, writers whose work I read, reread, and dissect. I am picky about who gets these seats. These writers have a deep and broad body of work, create pieces that touch my thin space, remind me of the great joy and terrible aches of life.

My favorite essayists leave me wondering why I hadn’t seen a thing that way, or that I had felt exactly that way. I sample one or two pieces in an afternoon, analyze style, image, tempo, and voice.

Joan Didion’s A Year of Magical Thinking taught me to write about grief and loss with honesty and clarity. I also enjoy the breadth of Didion’s work. Her essays touch upon life and death, politics, and writing.

Shadow Mentors also inspire. When words elude me, I pick up Brian Doyle’s Joyas Voadoras. I marvel all over again how he moves from a hummingbird’s heart to a whale’s, then ties the two together with pancakes. 

Populate your bookshelf

I’ve touched on a few of the anthologies and collections that inspire me, and my author shadow mentors. But essay is an expansive form, and it will continue to branch. Populate your bookshelf with whatever works resonate, inspire, and delight. As for me, I am sitting with Brian Doyle’s One Long River of Song in one hand, and a cup of English Breakfast tea in the other. I’ll go back to work, just as soon as I finish reading.

Kamm Prongay is a writer and veterinarian whose essays intertwine science, nature, people, and place. A child of the South, raised in the Pacific Northwest, Kamm spent time at sea as a Naval Surface Warfare Officer before coming ashore to pursue veterinary school, clinical practice, teaching and research. Kamm lives with her wife, Liz, and two curious cats in Portland, Oregon.

You can find her on her website .

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• Citation Styles

How to do a close reading essay [Updated 2023]

Close reading refers to the process of interpreting a literary work’s meaning by analyzing both its form and content. In this post, we provide you with strategies for close reading that you can apply to your next assignment or analysis.

What is a close reading?

Close reading involves paying attention to a literary work’s language, style, and overall meaning. It includes looking for patterns, repetitions, oddities, and other significant features of a text. Your goal should be to reveal subtleties and complexities beyond an initial reading.

The primary difference between simply reading a work and doing a close reading is that, in the latter, you approach the text as a kind of detective.

When you’re doing a close reading, a literary work becomes a puzzle. And, as a reader, your job is to pull all the pieces together—both what the text says and how it says it.

How do you do a close reading?

Typically, a close reading focuses on a small passage or section of a literary work. Although you should always consider how the selection you’re analyzing fits into the work as a whole, it’s generally not necessary to include lengthy summaries or overviews in a close reading.

There are several aspects of the text to consider in a close reading:

• Literal Content: Even though a close reading should go beyond an analysis of a text’s literal content, every reading should start there. You need to have a firm grasp of the foundational content of a passage before you can analyze it closely. Use the common journalistic questions (Who? What? When? Where? Why?) to establish the basics like plot, character, and setting.
• Tone: What is the tone of the passage you’re examining? How does the tone influence the entire passage? Is it serious, comic, ironic, or something else?
• Characterization: What do you learn about specific characters from the passage? Who is the narrator or speaker? Watch out for language that reveals the motives and feelings of particular characters.
• Structure: What kind of structure does the work utilize? If it’s a poem, is it written in free or blank verse? If you’re working with a novel, does the structure deviate from certain conventions, like straightforward plot or realism? Does the form contribute to the overall meaning?
• Figurative Language: Examine the passage carefully for similes, metaphors, and other types of figurative language. Are there repetitions of certain figures or patterns of opposition? Do certain words or phrases stand in for larger issues?
• Diction: Diction means word choice. You should look up any words that you don’t know in a dictionary and pay attention to the meanings and etymology of words. Never assume that you know a word’s meaning at first glance. Why might the author choose certain words over others?
• Style and Sound: Pay attention to the work’s style. Does the text utilize parallelism? Are there any instances of alliteration or other types of poetic sound? How do these stylistic features contribute to the passage’s overall meaning?
• Context: Consider how the passage you’re reading fits into the work as a whole. Also, does the text refer to historical or cultural information from the world outside of the text? Does the text reference other literary works?

Once you’ve considered the above features of the passage, reflect on its relationship to the work’s larger themes, ideas, and actions. In the end, a close reading allows you to expand your understanding of a text.

Close reading example

Let’s take a look at how this technique works by examining two stanzas from Lorine Niedecker’s poem, “ I rose from marsh mud ”:

I rose from marsh mud, algae, equisetum, willows, sweet green, noisy birds and frogs to see her wed in the rich rich silence of the church, the little white slave-girl in her diamond fronds.

First, we need to consider the stanzas’ literal content. In this case, the poem is about attending a wedding. Next, we should take note of the poem’s form: four-line stanzas, written in free verse.

From there, we need to look more closely at individual words and phrases. For instance, the first stanza discusses how the speaker “rose from marsh mud” and then lists items like “algae, equisetum, willows” and “sweet green,” all of which are plants. Could the speaker have been gardening before attending the wedding?

Now, juxtapose the first stanza with the second: the speaker leaves the natural world of mud and greenness for the “rich/ rich silence of the church.” Note the repetition of the word, “rich,” and how the poem goes on to describe the “little white slave-girl/ in her diamond fronds,” the necessarily “rich” jewelry that the bride wears at her wedding.

Niedecker’s description of the diamond jewelry as “fronds” refers back to the natural world of plants that the speaker left behind. Note also the similarities in sound between the “frogs” of the first stanza and the “fronds” of the second.

We might conclude from a comparison of the two stanzas that, while the “marsh mud” might be full of “noisy/ birds and frogs,” it’s a far better place to be than the “rich/rich silence of the church.”

Ultimately, even a short close reading of Niedecker’s poem reveals layers of meaning that enhance our understanding of the work’s overall message.

How to write a close reading essay

Getting started.

Before you can write your close reading essay, you need to read the text that you plan to examine at least twice (but often more than that). Follow the above guidelines to break down your close reading into multiple parts.

Once you’ve read the text closely and made notes, you can then create a short outline for your essay. Determine how you want to approach to structure of your essay and keep in mind any specific requirements that your instructor may have for the assignment.

Structure and organization

Some close reading essays will simply analyze the text’s form and content without making a specific argument about the text. Other times, your instructor might want you to use a close reading to support an argument. In these cases, you’ll need to include a thesis statement in the introduction to your close reading essay.

You’ll organize your essay using the standard essay format. This includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Most of your close reading will be in the body paragraphs.

Formatting and length

The formatting of your close reading essay will depend on what type of citation style that your assignment requires. If you’re writing a close reading for a composition or literature class , you’ll most likely use MLA or Chicago style.

The length of your essay will vary depending on your assignment guidelines and the length and complexity of the text that you’re analyzing. If your close reading is part of a longer paper, then it may only take up a few paragraphs.

Citations and bibliography

Since you will be quoting directly from the text in your close reading essay, you will need to have in-text, parenthetical citations for each quote. You will also need to include a full bibliographic reference for the text you’re analyzing in a bibliography or works cited page.

To save time, use a credible citation generator like BibGuru to create your in-text and bibliographic citations. You can also use our citation guides on MLA and Chicago to determine what you need to include in your citations.

Frequently Asked Questions about how to do a close reading

A successful close reading pays attention to both the form and content of a literary work. This includes: literal content, tone, characterization, structure, figurative language, diction, sound, style, and context.

A close reading essay is a paper that analyzes a text or a portion of a text. It considers both the form and content of the text. The specific format of your close reading essay will depend on your assignment guidelines.

Skimming and close reading are opposite approaches. Skimming involves scanning a text superficially in order to glean the most important points, while close reading means analyzing the details of a text’s language, style, and overall form.

You might begin a close reading by providing some context about the passage’s significance to the work as a whole. You could also briefly summarize the literal content of the section that you’re examining.

The length of your essay will vary depending on your assignment guidelines and the length and complexity of the text that you’re analyzing.

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22 Best Kid Lit Blogs to Follow

If you love “kid lit” (children’s literature) like I do, you’ll love these best kid lit blogs!

Anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows how much I adore children’s literature. Honestly, my reasons for loving the genre would make for a reasonably long essay. But that is not today’s topic of discussion. Today, I’m sharing five of my current top kid lit blogs. Obviously, “top” is subjective, but I do love these blogs, their focus on children’s books, and their consistency in this labor of love that is blogging.

This post focuses on picture book, chapter book, and middle-grade bloggers. Some of these bloggers do read the occasional YA or adult novel, but young kid lit is their main event. My favorite posts to read on book blogs are book reviews and author interviews, and these top kid lit blogs have a MASSIVE archive of reviews.

If you’re a parent, teacher, or just plain kid lit lover, here are some more blogs to follow, STAT.

[bctt tweet=”Here are 22 of my favorite kid lit bloggers to follow — these wonderful bloggers have a MASSIVE archive of reviews.” username=”afomaumesi”]

This Picture Book Life

Focus: Picture books

Danielle Davis is the author of the quirky middle-grade novel, Zinnia and the Bees. She also runs the cute picture book blog, This Picture Book Life . On her blog, Danielle shares her favorite picture books , cool interviews with booksellers, authors and illustrators, and even book-related DIY crafts .

The Story Sanctuary

Focus: Middle grade and young adult

Run by Kasey Giard, The Story Sanctuary has been sharing reviews since 2013. My favorite thing about Kasey’s site is the content scale she provides in every review. She includes everything from recommended ages to language and sexual content — very important for young and/or sensitive readers.

Nerdy Book Club

Nerdy Book Club is run by four educators, and I have to say, I absolutely love their site! Besides posting consistently, they share author essays, book reviews, book lists and lots of other fantastic content . If you want to stay up to date with new books while still getting a dose of backlist titles, this is your go-to blog.

Ms. Yingling Reads

Focus: Middle grade

Ms. Yingling is a voracious reader and prolific reviewer ; she posts a review practically every day! While I often wish she would rate more books higher on Goodreads, I love her actual reviews! She always shares strengths and weaknesses and whether she would purchase the book for her school library. I also love that she seems to have read almost every middle-grade book in existence — it’s rare that I run into one she’s yet to read!

Happily Ever Elephants

Focus: Picture books and middle grade

Lauren is an attorney turned library media specialist and mom to two little boys. I love her enthusiastic reviews of middle-grade books and her passion for helping parents raise readers . If you’re a parent looking for tips in that regard, you’ll enjoy Lauren’s site!

Blazer Tales

Laurie is a K-6 teacher and voracious reader who shares detailed book reviews on her website. She also includes grade and reading level recommendations for each book. I love that she categorizes all her reads to make her site easier to navigate.

MG Book Village

Focus: Middle-grade books

MG Book Village is run by a group of teachers and librarians, including author Jarett Lerner. The website covers author interviews, book reviews, author essays, and even tips for writers from writers. It’s honestly a dream of a site — and highly underrated too!

Teachers Who Read

Teachers Who Read is another middle-grade book blog run by a group of teachers. They feature fun reviews of books for third-, fourth-, fifth-grade, and junior high students as well as author spotlights. My favorite posts are the regular “It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?” ones.

Literacious

Focus: Children’s literature (from picture books to YA)

Laura, a former librarian turned library director runs the Literacious blog. The blog features book reviews, activities, and book lists interspersed with the occasional lifestyle post.

Here Wee Read

Focus: Mostly picture books and chapter books with the occasional middle-grade book

Charnaie is a longtime book blogger who shares the diverse books she reads with her kids. Her site is a hub of reading activities as well as some lifestyle content.

Chattering Librarian

The Chattering Librarian blog shares book lists nearly every week! Her lists are always creative and practical.

Watch. Connect. Read. (Mr. Schu Reads)

Focus: Picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels.

Mr. Schu is a renowned kid lit blogger known for cover reveals, book trailers, and author interviews. His site is always a delight.

Cece Librarian

Focus: Picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade

Cece is an elementary school librarian who’s also on MG Book Village Review team. On her blog, she review picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade books.

Imagination Soup

Melissa is a prolific kid lit blogger known for her awesome comprehensive book lists. She’s a former teacher and literacy trainer.

Bridget and the Books

Focus: Chapter books and middle-grade books

Bridget is a fifth-grader who writes simple book reviews and shares fun author interviews. I look forward to her posts and love her unique way of engaging with books.

Beagles and Books

Beagles and Books features weekly children’s books reviews, from picture books to middle-grade novels. Plus, you’ll get a cute Beagle in every photo (if you’re into that sort of thing).

Samantha Cronin’s Kid Lit Library

Samantha is a teacher and reader who shares her thoughts on books as well as additional resources for parents and teachers.

Books. Iced Lattes. Blessed.

Focus: Middle-grade

Sierra is a teacher and new blogger who shares mostly middle-grade book reviews and book lists. You’ll also find the occasional life update and coffee chat!

Randomly Reading

Focus: Picture books, middle-grade

Alex is a former NYC fourth-grade teacher. On her blog, she shares reviews of books for kids and adults, but mostly kid lit.

Kid Lit Frenzy

Alyson Beecher is an educator who shares thoughts mostly on picture books. However, you will find the occasional MG review.

Kristi’s Book Nook

Picture book lovers will enjoy Kristi’s Book Nook as she reviews a diverse selection.

Books in the Middle

A group of reviewers regularly share their thoughts on a variety of middle-grade books.

These are my go-to reviewers for kid lit. I hope to round up a few other great bloggers in the young adult and adult categories soon. But I’m always looking for new bloggers to follow, so if you have any recommendations, they’ll be welcomed.

This post has been updated for May 2020.

[bctt tweet=”If you love kid lit  like I do, you’ll love these top kid lit blogs!” username=”afomaumesi”]

Love kid lit? Check out my book reviews:

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Who are your best kid lit bloggers?

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• About Afoma Umesi

Afoma Umesi is the founder and editor of Reading Middle Grade where she curates book lists and writes book reviews for kids of all ages. Her favorite genre to read is contemporary realistic fiction and she'll never say no to a graphic novel.

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Reader Interactions

What do you think leave a comment cancel reply.

May 31, 2019 at 10:11 am

Bookmarking this article for my daughter and myself actually. 😉

May 31, 2019 at 4:24 pm

YES! You’ll love them! 🙂

January 23, 2020 at 12:32 pm

I didn’t know all of these, so thank you very much for introducing me to them!

January 26, 2020 at 7:05 am

Oh, it’s my pleasure, Nicole 🙂

March 1, 2020 at 11:47 pm

Thank you for reading my blog Afoma. I enjoy reading yours too and I can’t wait to check out the others you mentioned 😊

March 31, 2020 at 4:03 pm

Hi Cece! It’s a pleasure! Happy reading 🙂

March 31, 2020 at 4:04 pm

It’s my pleasure, Nicole 🙂

February 4, 2020 at 2:41 pm

Awesome list! A lot of new ones I have never heard of.

Ah, my pleasure, enjoy!

June 3, 2020 at 1:09 pm

Great list, thanks Afoma. Happy I found your site!

June 3, 2020 at 1:52 pm

Thanks, AJ!

June 11, 2020 at 7:40 pm

Excellent resource! You can see many of these and more each Monday where I host Marvelous Middle Grade Monday. It’s a weekly list of who has a review, interview, and/or a giveaway targeting middle grade.

June 13, 2020 at 5:47 am

Hi Greg, thank you so much! I’m hoping to join the MMGM train one of these days. Thank you for your work in highlighting middle-grade book blogs!

June 20, 2020 at 11:50 pm

Hi I am a 12 year old and I review children and middle grade books I would love to be added to the list if you don’t mind ! https://thecosycorner1788007.wordpress.com/

June 21, 2020 at 5:25 pm

Hi Krisha! Thanks for reading. I just checked out your blog – well done! I’ll be sure to keep you in mind when next I update this post.

July 6, 2020 at 1:00 am

Thanks ! I do not know why I did not get a nonfication when you replied

July 21, 2020 at 2:07 pm

Thanks for mentioning me! I actually use the official Goodreads designations (if you hover over the stars, there’s a pop up box that explains them), so most things get three stars. And just for the record, I have posted a book review every single day since 1 January 2012!

July 22, 2020 at 3:08 am

Thanks for explaining your rating system 🙂 And WOW, 2012 is almost 10 years of reviewing! Well done 🙂

July 23, 2020 at 2:26 am

Great list.

July 24, 2020 at 9:38 am

As a children’s literature blogger myself, it’s so fun to see old favorites featured and discover new to me faces too. Thank you for sharing this list.

July 24, 2020 at 10:41 am

My pleasure, Jodi! Your blog is beautiful! I’ll note it as one to add during my update. Thanks for reading 🙂

August 2, 2020 at 4:29 pm

This was so helpful, Afoma. I’m a former teacher now into teaching social media, specializing in children’s book authors. Thanks for sharing. ❤️

September 27, 2020 at 8:34 am

Thanks for mentioning me! I’ve been following your reviews for a little while now and love to hear your take!

September 28, 2020 at 8:03 am

It’s my pleasure 🙂

May 26, 2021 at 3:04 am

You have really very great kids lit. Thanks for sharing these interesting blogs list. Please keep sharing more posts. Along with this, if you have need of any service like book marketing or book publishing. Then visit our website.

https://tellwell.com.au/

October 12, 2022 at 5:43 pm

Thank you for the mention! I’m also a fan of yours!

October 13, 2022 at 6:23 am

Ahhh, thank you!!

December 26, 2023 at 7:34 pm

Don’t just teach your kids to read, teach them to question what they read. Teach them to question everything.

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5 Informative Reading Blogs Every Elementary Teacher Should Follow

A wealth of information is available online to help with our literacy instruction. In fact, there is so much that it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. Blogs are one of my favorite ways to obtain new information. They allow you to find the information you need in a quick, bite-sized format that is easy to digest. To help you get started with your new learning, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite reading blogs for teachers!

Best Reading Blogs for Teachers

The literacy nest.

The Literacy Nest with Emily is definitely THE go-to resource for all things regarding the Science of Reading. She is a certified Orton Gillingham educator who shares resources and information about structured literacy and dyslexia. She helps explain the components and provides actionable tips for teaching phonics skills. Definitely a must read!

Comprehension Connection

Carla is a veteran reading specialist which is extremely evident on her blog the Comprehension Connection . She is definitely a go to resource for mentor texts suggestions and the skills to teach with them.

Ms Jordan Reads

Kristin is a Literacy Specialist who offers lots of practical teaching strategies on her site MsJordanReads . The best part is she offers FREE resources that allow you to immediately implement the reading strategies she shares!

This Reading Mama

This Reading Mama Becky has a passion for struggling readers. Prior to being a homeschooling mama, she was a classroom teacher and reading tutor. She is certified in Dyslexia and Language-Based Learning Difference. Her blog is easy to navigate as her wealth of content is divided into categories such as phonics, comprehension, struggling readers, writing, and free printables.

Literacy Edventures

You may already know Amie from her incredible Instagram account, but her blog Literacy Edventures is just as amazing! Her posts are extremely thorough, informative, and visually appealing. Her passion for creating engaging activities to help primary students learn to read is very evident in each post!

If you’re interested in learning even more about your literacy instruction and have a bit more time to read, check out these essential professional books for reading teachers !

Did I miss any of your favorite reading blogs for teachers? Please be sure to share links to other valuable sites in the comments!

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I am a K-5 Literacy Coach who is passionate about creating engaging literacy activities that build students’ confidence as readers. With over 20 years of experience as a classroom teacher and reading specialist, my goal is to support you by sharing methods I’ve seen successfully implemented in classrooms like yours. I’m excited to share resources and tips to help you plan simple but effective literacy instruction.

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📖Essay on Importance of Reading: Samples in 100, 150, and 250 Words

• Updated on  
• Apr 26, 2024

Language learning requires four skills i.e. Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. It is an important part that eventually builds up the communication skills of a person. Reading will help in attaining knowledge of variable fields. It enhances the intellect of a person. Reading helps students to enhance their language fluency. Students must adopt the habit of reading good books. Reading books can also improve the writing skills. If you are a school student and searching for a good sample essay on the importance of reading then, you landed at the right place. Here in this blog, we have covered some sample essays on the importance of reading!

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay on the Importance of Reading in 100 Words
• 2 Essay on Importance of Reading 150 Words
• 3 Essay on Importance of Reading 250 Words
• 4 Short Essay on Importance of Reading

Essay on the Importance of Reading in 100 Words

The English language is considered the global language because it is the most widely spoken language worldwide. Reading is one of the important parts of acquiring complete knowledge of any language. Reading helps in maintaining a good vocabulary that is helpful for every field, whether in school, interviews , competitive exams , or jobs. 

Students must inculcate the habit of reading from a young age. Making a habit of reading good books will eventually convert into an addiction over time and you will surely explore a whole new world of information.

Being exposed to different topics through reading can help you look at the wider perspective of life. You will eventually discover a creative side of yours while developing the habit of reading.

Also Read: Essay on Gaganyaan

Essay on Importance of Reading 150 Words

Reading is considered an important aspect that contributes to the development of the overall personality of any person. If a person wants to do good at a professional level then he/she must practice reading.

There are various advantages of reading. It is not only a source of entertainment but also opens up the creative ability of any person. Reading helps in self-improvement, enhances communication skills, and reduces stress. It is one of the sources of pleasure and also enhances the analytical skills. 

Here are some of the best books to study that may help you enhance your reading skills:

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling .
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee .
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri .
• Pride and Prejudice
• The Great Gatsby

A person with good reading skills would be able to communicate with more confidence and shine brighter at the professional level. Reading is a mental exercise, as it can provide you with the best experience because while reading fiction, or non-fiction you use your imagination without any restrictions thereby exploring a whole new world on your own. So, Just Enjoy Reading!

Also Read: Communication Skills to Succeed at Work

Essay on Importance of Reading 250 Words

Reading is a language skill necessary to present yourself in front of others because without being a good reader, it’s difficult to be a good communicator. Reading books should be practised regularly. Books are considered a human’s best friend.

It is right to say that knowledge can’t be stolen. Reading enhances the knowledge of a person. There are numerous benefits of reading.

I love reading books and one of my all-time favorite authors is William Shakespeare. His work “As You Like It” is my favourite book. By reading that book I came across many new words. It enabled me to add many words to my vocabulary that I can use in my life.

Apart from this, there are many other benefits of reading books such as reading can help you write in a certain way that can impress the reader. It also enhances communication skills and serves as a source of entertainment . 

Schools conduct various competitions which directly or indirectly involve reading. Some such competitions include debate, essay writing competitions, elocution, new reading in assembly, etc. All such activities require active reading because without reading a person might not be able to speak on a specific topic.

All such activities are conducted to polish the language skills of students from the very beginning so that they can do good at a professional level.

In conclusion, in a world of technological advancement, you are more likely to get easy access to online reading material available on the internet. So, you must not miss this opportunity and devote some time to reading different kinds of books. 

Also Read: SAT Reading Tips

Short Essay on Importance of Reading

Find a sample of a short essay on importance of reading below:

Also Read: Essay on Social Issues

Reading is a good habit; It helps to improve communication skills; Good books whether fiction or non-fiction widen your imagination skills; You can experience a whole new world while reading; It helps you establish your professional personality; Reading skills help you interact with other people at a personal and professional level; Improves vocabulary; Reading novels is considered a great source of entertainment; It helps you acquire excessive knowledge of different fields; Reading is motivational and a great mental exercise.

Reading is important to build the overall personality of a person. It establishes a sense of professionalism and improves the vocabulary. Adapting a habit of reading books will help in expanding your knowledge and creativity.

Here are some of the best books for students to read: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; The Alchemist, The 5 AM Club, Rich Dad Poor Dad, etc.

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Kajal Thareja

Hi, I am Kajal, a pharmacy graduate, currently pursuing management and is an experienced content writer. I have 2-years of writing experience in Ed-tech (digital marketing) company. I am passionate towards writing blogs and am on the path of discovering true potential professionally in the field of content marketing. I am engaged in writing creative content for students which is simple yet creative and engaging and leaves an impact on the reader's mind.

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Reading is Good Habit for Students and Children

 500+ words essay on reading is good habit.

Reading is a very good habit that one needs to develop in life. Good books can inform you, enlighten you and lead you in the right direction. There is no better companion than a good book. Reading is important because it is good for your overall well-being. Once you start reading, you experience a whole new world. When you start loving the habit of reading you eventually get addicted to it. Reading develops language skills and vocabulary. Reading books is also a way to relax and reduce stress. It is important to read a good book at least for a few minutes each day to stretch the brain muscles for healthy functioning.

Benefits of Reading

Books really are your best friends as you can rely on them when you are bored, upset, depressed, lonely or annoyed. They will accompany you anytime you want them and enhance your mood. They share with you information and knowledge any time you need. Good books always guide you to the correct path in life. Following are the benefits of reading –

Self Improvement: Reading helps you develop positive thinking. Reading is important because it develops your mind and gives you excessive knowledge and lessons of life. It helps you understand the world around you better. It keeps your mind active and enhances your creative ability.

Communication Skills: Reading improves your vocabulary and develops your communication skills. It helps you learn how to use your language creatively. Not only does it improve your communication but it also makes you a better writer. Good communication is important in every aspect of life.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Increases Knowledge: Books enable you to have a glimpse into cultures, traditions, arts, history, geography, health, psychology and several other subjects and aspects of life. You get an amazing amount of knowledge and information from books.

Reduces Stress: Reading a good book takes you in a new world and helps you relieve your day to day stress. It has several positive effects on your mind, body, and soul. It stimulates your brain muscles and keeps your brain healthy and strong.

Great Pleasure: When I read a book, I read it for pleasure. I just indulge myself in reading and experience a whole new world. Once I start reading a book I get so captivated I never want to leave it until I finish. It always gives a lot of pleasure to read a good book and cherish it for a lifetime.

Boosts your Imagination and Creativity: Reading takes you to the world of imagination and enhances your creativity. Reading helps you explore life from different perspectives. While you read books you are building new and creative thoughts, images and opinions in your mind. It makes you think creatively, fantasize and use your imagination.

Develops your Analytical Skills: By active reading, you explore several aspects of life. It involves questioning what you read. It helps you develop your thoughts and express your opinions. New ideas and thoughts pop up in your mind by active reading. It stimulates and develops your brain and gives you a new perspective.

Reduces Boredom: Journeys for long hours or a long vacation from work can be pretty boring in spite of all the social sites. Books come in handy and release you from boredom.

Read Different Stages of Reading here.

The habit of reading is one of the best qualities that a person can possess. Books are known to be your best friend for a reason. So it is very important to develop a good reading habit. We must all read on a daily basis for at least 30 minutes to enjoy the sweet fruits of reading. It is a great pleasure to sit in a quiet place and enjoy reading. Reading a good book is the most enjoyable experience one can have.

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• Importance Of Reading Essay

Importance of Reading Essay

500+ words essay on reading.

Reading is a key to learning. It’s a skill that everyone should develop in their life. The ability to read enables us to discover new facts and opens the door to a new world of ideas, stories and opportunities. We can gather ample information and use it in the right direction to perform various tasks in our life. The habit of reading also increases our knowledge and makes us more intellectual and sensible. With the help of this essay on the Importance of Reading, we will help you know the benefits of reading and its various advantages in our life. Students must go through this essay in detail, as it will help them to create their own essay based on this topic.

Importance of Reading

Reading is one of the best hobbies that one can have. It’s fun to read different types of books. By reading the books, we get to know the people of different areas around the world, different cultures, traditions and much more. There is so much to explore by reading different books. They are the abundance of knowledge and are best friends of human beings. We get to know about every field and area by reading books related to it. There are various types of books available in the market, such as science and technology books, fictitious books, cultural books, historical events and wars related books etc. Also, there are many magazines and novels which people can read anytime and anywhere while travelling to utilise their time effectively.

Benefits of Reading for Students

Reading plays an important role in academics and has an impactful influence on learning. Researchers have highlighted the value of developing reading skills and the benefits of reading to children at an early age. Children who cannot read well at the end of primary school are less likely to succeed in secondary school and, in adulthood, are likely to earn less than their peers. Therefore, the focus is given to encouraging students to develop reading habits.

Reading is an indispensable skill. It is fundamentally interrelated to the process of education and to students achieving educational success. Reading helps students to learn how to use language to make sense of words. It improves their vocabulary, information-processing skills and comprehension. Discussions generated by reading in the classroom can be used to encourage students to construct meanings and connect ideas and experiences across texts. They can use their knowledge to clear their doubts and understand the topic in a better way. The development of good reading habits and skills improves students’ ability to write.

In today’s world of the modern age and digital era, people can easily access resources online for reading. The online books and availability of ebooks in the form of pdf have made reading much easier. So, everyone should build this habit of reading and devote at least 30 minutes daily. If someone is a beginner, then they can start reading the books based on the area of their interest. By doing so, they will gradually build up a habit of reading and start enjoying it.

Frequently Asked Questions on the Importance of Reading Essay

What is the importance of reading.

1. Improves general knowledge 2. Expands attention span/vocabulary 3. Helps in focusing better 4. Enhances language proficiency

What is the power of reading?

1. Develop inference 2. Improves comprehension skills 3. Cohesive learning 4. Broadens knowledge of various topics

How can reading change a student’s life?

1. Empathy towards others 2. Acquisition of qualities like kindness, courtesy

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Journalists, researchers and the public often look at society through the lens of generation, using terms like Millennial or Gen Z to describe groups of similarly aged people. This approach can help readers see themselves in the data and assess where we are and where we’re headed as a country.

Pew Research Center has been at the forefront of generational research over the years, telling the story of Millennials as they came of age politically and as they moved more firmly into adult life . In recent years, we’ve also been eager to learn about Gen Z as the leading edge of this generation moves into adulthood.

But generational research has become a crowded arena. The field has been flooded with content that’s often sold as research but is more like clickbait or marketing mythology. There’s also been a growing chorus of criticism about generational research and generational labels in particular.

Recently, as we were preparing to embark on a major research project related to Gen Z, we decided to take a step back and consider how we can study generations in a way that aligns with our values of accuracy, rigor and providing a foundation of facts that enriches the public dialogue.

A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience and behavior within generations.

We set out on a yearlong process of assessing the landscape of generational research. We spoke with experts from outside Pew Research Center, including those who have been publicly critical of our generational analysis, to get their take on the pros and cons of this type of work. We invested in methodological testing to determine whether we could compare findings from our earlier telephone surveys to the online ones we’re conducting now. And we experimented with higher-level statistical analyses that would allow us to isolate the effect of generation.

What emerged from this process was a set of clear guidelines that will help frame our approach going forward. Many of these are principles we’ve always adhered to , but others will require us to change the way we’ve been doing things in recent years.

Here’s a short overview of how we’ll approach generational research in the future:

We’ll only do generational analysis when we have historical data that allows us to compare generations at similar stages of life. When comparing generations, it’s crucial to control for age. In other words, researchers need to look at each generation or age cohort at a similar point in the life cycle. (“Age cohort” is a fancy way of referring to a group of people who were born around the same time.)

When doing this kind of research, the question isn’t whether young adults today are different from middle-aged or older adults today. The question is whether young adults today are different from young adults at some specific point in the past.

To answer this question, it’s necessary to have data that’s been collected over a considerable amount of time – think decades. Standard surveys don’t allow for this type of analysis. We can look at differences across age groups, but we can’t compare age groups over time.

Another complication is that the surveys we conducted 20 or 30 years ago aren’t usually comparable enough to the surveys we’re doing today. Our earlier surveys were done over the phone, and we’ve since transitioned to our nationally representative online survey panel , the American Trends Panel . Our internal testing showed that on many topics, respondents answer questions differently depending on the way they’re being interviewed. So we can’t use most of our surveys from the late 1980s and early 2000s to compare Gen Z with Millennials and Gen Xers at a similar stage of life.

This means that most generational analysis we do will use datasets that have employed similar methodologies over a long period of time, such as surveys from the U.S. Census Bureau. A good example is our 2020 report on Millennial families , which used census data going back to the late 1960s. The report showed that Millennials are marrying and forming families at a much different pace than the generations that came before them.

Even when we have historical data, we will attempt to control for other factors beyond age in making generational comparisons. If we accept that there are real differences across generations, we’re basically saying that people who were born around the same time share certain attitudes or beliefs – and that their views have been influenced by external forces that uniquely shaped them during their formative years. Those forces may have been social changes, economic circumstances, technological advances or political movements.

When we see that younger adults have different views than their older counterparts, it may be driven by their demographic traits rather than the fact that they belong to a particular generation.

The tricky part is isolating those forces from events or circumstances that have affected all age groups, not just one generation. These are often called “period effects.” An example of a period effect is the Watergate scandal, which drove down trust in government among all age groups. Differences in trust across age groups in the wake of Watergate shouldn’t be attributed to the outsize impact that event had on one age group or another, because the change occurred across the board.

Changing demographics also may play a role in patterns that might at first seem like generational differences. We know that the United States has become more racially and ethnically diverse in recent decades, and that race and ethnicity are linked with certain key social and political views. When we see that younger adults have different views than their older counterparts, it may be driven by their demographic traits rather than the fact that they belong to a particular generation.

Controlling for these factors can involve complicated statistical analysis that helps determine whether the differences we see across age groups are indeed due to generation or not. This additional step adds rigor to the process. Unfortunately, it’s often absent from current discussions about Gen Z, Millennials and other generations.

When we can’t do generational analysis, we still see value in looking at differences by age and will do so where it makes sense. Age is one of the most common predictors of differences in attitudes and behaviors. And even if age gaps aren’t rooted in generational differences, they can still be illuminating. They help us understand how people across the age spectrum are responding to key trends, technological breakthroughs and historical events.

Each stage of life comes with a unique set of experiences. Young adults are often at the leading edge of changing attitudes on emerging social trends. Take views on same-sex marriage , for example, or attitudes about gender identity .

Many middle-aged adults, in turn, face the challenge of raising children while also providing care and support to their aging parents. And older adults have their own obstacles and opportunities. All of these stories – rooted in the life cycle, not in generations – are important and compelling, and we can tell them by analyzing our surveys at any given point in time.

When we do have the data to study groups of similarly aged people over time, we won’t always default to using the standard generational definitions and labels. While generational labels are simple and catchy, there are other ways to analyze age cohorts. For example, some observers have suggested grouping people by the decade in which they were born. This would create narrower cohorts in which the members may share more in common. People could also be grouped relative to their age during key historical events (such as the Great Recession or the COVID-19 pandemic) or technological innovations (like the invention of the iPhone).

By choosing not to use the standard generational labels when they’re not appropriate, we can avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes or oversimplifying people’s complex lived experiences.

Existing generational definitions also may be too broad and arbitrary to capture differences that exist among narrower cohorts. A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience and behavior within generations. The key is to pick a lens that’s most appropriate for the research question that’s being studied. If we’re looking at political views and how they’ve shifted over time, for example, we might group people together according to the first presidential election in which they were eligible to vote.

With these considerations in mind, our audiences should not expect to see a lot of new research coming out of Pew Research Center that uses the generational lens. We’ll only talk about generations when it adds value, advances important national debates and highlights meaningful societal trends.

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A researcher fired by OpenAI published a 165-page essay on what to expect from AI in the next decade. We asked GPT-4 to summarize it.

• Leopold Aschenbrenner, a fired OpenAI researcher, published a 165-page essay on the future of AI.
• Aschenbrenner's treatise discusses rapid AI progress, security implications, and societal impact.
• Here's what GPT-4 says about Aschenbrenner's predictions.

Over the past few months, several employees have left OpenAI , citing concerns about the company's commitment to safety.

Besides making pithy exit announcements on X, they haven't said much about why they're worried about OpenAI's approach to development — or the future of artificial intelligence.

That is until earlier this week, when Leopold Aschenbrenner, a researcher who was fired from OpenAI in April, published his thoughts on the AI revolution in an epic 165-page treatise.

Aschenbrenner worked on OpenAI's superalignment team, which was tasked with mitigating AI risks. Aschenbrenner said OpenAI fired him for leaking information about the company's readiness for artificial general intelligence .

For his part, Aschenbrenner said the information he shared was "totally normal" and that OpenAI might have just been looking for a reason to fire him. He was one of several employees who refused to sign a letter calling for CEO Sam Altman's return after the board briefly ousted Altman last year.

Aschenbrenner's essay doesn't appear to include sensitive details about OpenAI. Instead, as Aschenbrenner writes on the dedication page, it's based on "publicly available information, my own ideas, general field knowledge, or SF gossip."

Business Insider uploaded the tract to OpenAI's GPT-4 model . We asked it to summarize the work and relay the most significant takeaways. We also gently requested that the bot keep its summary clear and concise.

Here's ChatGPT's 57-word summary of Aschenbrenner's essay

ChatGPT distilled the essay into 57 words that outlined Aschenbrenner's views on the evolution of AI.

"Leopold Aschenbrenner's essay discusses the transformative potential of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and superintelligence, and forecasts significant advancements in AI technology in the near future. Aschenbrenner, formerly associated with OpenAI, outlines how the progression from current AI models like GPT-4 to AGI could occur much faster than anticipated, based on trends in computational power and algorithmic efficiency."

ChatGPT then offered four key takeaways from Aschenbrenner's essay

Rapid Progress in AI

Related stories

"Aschenbrenner argues that AI development is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. He predicts that by 2027, AI models could reach the capabilities of human AI researchers and engineers, potentially leading to an intelligence explosion where AI surpasses human intelligence."

Economic and Security Implications

"The essay highlights the immense economic and security implications of these advancements. Aschenbrenner points out that trillions of dollars are being invested into developing the infrastructure needed to support these AI systems, such as GPUs, data centers, and power generation. He also emphasizes the critical need for securing these technologies to prevent misuse, particularly by state actors like the CCP."

Technical and Ethical Challenges

"The essay discusses the significant challenges in controlling AI systems smarter than humans, referring to this as the 'superalignment' problem. Managing this will be crucial to prevent catastrophic outcomes."

Predictions and Societal Impact

"Aschenbrenner suggests that few people truly understand the scale of change that AI is about to bring. He discusses the potential for AI to reshape industries, enhance national security, and pose new ethical and governance challenges."

There's more

As Aschenbrenner wrote, there are probably only a few hundred people, most of them in AI labs in San Francisco, who have "situational awareness" about the industry. These people will most likely have the best insight into how AI will reshape the years ahead.

Aschenbrenner, as one of them, seems to believe AI will assume a critical role in national security.

We followed up our original prompt by asking ChatGPT to summarize the predictions Aschenbrenner made in his essay.

Here's how ChatGPT broke it down.

• AGI by 2027: "Aschenbrenner predicts that artificial general intelligence (AGI) is strikingly plausible by 2027, highlighting the rapid progress from GPT-2 to GPT-4, which saw AI models advancing from preschool-level to smart high-schooler abilities in just four years. He expects a similar leap in the next few years based on consistent improvements in compute and algorithmic efficiency."
• Superintelligence Following AGI: "Post-AGI, the author anticipates an 'intelligence explosion,' where AI rapidly advances from human-level to superhuman capabilities. This transition is expected to be fueled by AI's ability to automate and accelerate its own research and development."
• Trillion-Dollar AI Clusters: "Economically, Aschenbrenner suggests that the AI sector will see an increase in investment into trillion-dollar compute clusters as corporations and governments prepare for the implications of AGI and superintelligence."
• National and Global Security Dynamics: "There are predictions about intense national security measures being enacted to manage and control AI developments. The competition, particularly with the Chinese government, could intensify, possibly leading to an 'all-out war' if not managed properly."
• Superalignment Challenges: "One of the most critical predictions is the struggle with 'superalignment' — the challenge of keeping superintelligent AI aligned with human values and interests. This problem is anticipated to be one of the central hurdles as AI reaches and surpasses human intelligence levels."
• Societal and Economic Transformations: "Aschenbrenner expects AI to have a profound impact on society and the economy, potentially leading to a restructuring of industries and the job market due to AI's capability to perform tasks currently managed by humans."
• The Project Involvement by the US Government: "Predictions include the US government becoming significantly involved in AI development by around 2027-2028 through a dedicated AGI project, likely due to the strategic importance of AI technology."
• Technological Mobilization: "He anticipates a mobilization of technological and industrial resources similar to historical wartime efforts, focusing on AI and its supporting infrastructure as a priority for national policy."

Here's the full prompt we used:

Role: Act as an editor. Task: Read the attached essay about former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner. Instructions: Summarize the essay, highlighting the most significant takeaways. Focus on key contributions, research areas, and any notable impacts on the field. Ensure the summary is concise yet comprehensive, providing a clear understanding of Aschenbrenner's work and influence.

Watch: What is ChatGPT, and should we be afraid of AI chatbots?

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A Year on Ozempic Taught Me We’re Thinking About Obesity All Wrong

By Johann Hari

Mr. Hari is a British journalist and the author of “Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits — and Disturbing Risks — of the New Weight Loss Drugs.”

Ever since I was a teenager, I have dreamed of shedding a lot of weight. So when I shrank from 203 pounds to 161 in a year, I was baffled by my feelings. I was taking Ozempic, and I was haunted by the sense that I was cheating and doing something immoral.

I’m not the only one. In the United States (where I now split my time), over 70 percent of people are overweight or obese, and according to one poll, 47 percent of respondents said they were willing to pay to take the new weight-loss drugs. It’s not hard to see why. They cause users to lose an average of 10 to 20 percent of their body weight, and clinical trials suggest that the next generation of drugs (probably available soon) leads to a 24 percent loss, on average. Yet as more and more people take drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, we get more confused as a culture, bombarding anyone in the public eye who takes them with brutal shaming.

This is happening because we are trapped in a set of old stories about what obesity is and the morally acceptable ways to overcome it. But the fact that so many of us are turning to the new weight-loss drugs can be an opportunity to find a way out of that trap of shame and stigma — and to a more truthful story.

In my lifetime, obesity has exploded, from being rare to almost being the norm. I was born in 1979, and by the time I was 21, obesity rates in the United States had more than doubled . They have skyrocketed since. The obvious question is, why? And how do these new weight-loss drugs work? The answer to both lies in one word: satiety. It’s a concept that we don’t use much in everyday life but that we’ve all experienced at some point. It describes the sensation of having had enough and not wanting any more.

The primary reason we have gained weight at a pace unprecedented in human history is that our diets have radically changed in ways that have deeply undermined our ability to feel sated. My father grew up in a village in the Swiss mountains, where he ate fresh, whole foods that had been cooked from scratch and prepared on the day they were eaten. But in the 30 years between his childhood and mine, in the suburbs of London, the nature of food transformed across the Western world. He was horrified to see that almost everything I ate was reheated and heavily processed. The evidence is clear that the kind of food my father grew up eating quickly makes you feel full. But the kind of food I grew up eating, much of which is made in factories, often with artificial chemicals, left me feeling empty and as if I had a hole in my stomach. In a recent study of what American children eat, ultraprocessed food was found to make up 67 percent of their daily diet. This kind of food makes you want to eat more and more. Satiety comes late, if at all.

One scientific experiment — which I have nicknamed Cheesecake Park — seemed to me to crystallize this effect. Paul Kenny, a neuroscientist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, grew up in Ireland. After he moved in 2000 to the United States, when he was in his 20s, he gained 30 pounds in two years. He began to wonder if the American diet has some kind of strange effect on our brains and our cravings, so he designed an experiment to test it. He and his colleague Paul Johnson raised a group of rats in a cage and gave them an abundant supply of healthy, balanced rat chow made out of the kind of food rats had been eating for a very long time. The rats would eat it when they were hungry, and then they seemed to feel sated and stopped. They did not become fat.

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SAT Dates and Deadlines

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At this time, registration is open for all students for the entire 2024–25 testing year.

All deadlines expire at 11:59 p.m. ET, U.S.

June 2024 Test Dates

These test dates and deadlines apply to all students—U.S. and international—taking the digital SAT:

August 2024–June 2025 Test Dates

These test dates and deadlines apply to all students—U.S. and international—taking the SAT:

Anticipated 2025–26 Test Dates

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Policies for International Testing

Learn about the different registration policies for students taking the SAT outside the United States and U.S. territories.

International Fees

Learn about SAT registration fees and other fees for students taking the test outside the United States.

Releasing Windows 10 Build 19045.4593 to Beta and Release Preview Channels

• Windows Insider Program Team

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 22H2 Build 19045.4593 (KB5039299) to BOTH the Beta Channel and Release Preview Channel for Insiders who are on Windows 10, version 22H2.

Going forward, the Beta Channel and Release Preview Channel will receive the same Windows 10 builds; however, the Beta Channel is where we will try new features out with Insiders that we’re working on that are not yet ready for all Windows 10 customers. You can read our announcement for opening the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders on Windows 10 here . Today we are trying out this process.

For Windows Insiders on Windows 10 in the Beta Channel, we’re beginning to roll out the following improvements:

[search on the taskbar].

• We’re made some fixes to improve the overall stability of searching for apps in the search box on the taskbar.

[Windows Backup]

• You will be able to seamlessly backup and restore personalization preferences of Activity History and Printer Device Settings that are not hardware or accessory dependent such as “Let Windows manager my default printer” and “Store my activity history on this device”. The goal is to ensure that the most used preferences of these settings are backed up, while avoiding those that are tied to specific hardware, to facilitate a seamless transition to a new PC.
• We are making some important bug fixes to enhance the backup and restore functionality. As part of this work, the issue causing backup failures when desktop and lock screen backgrounds were backed up twice has been resolved.

Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 10 who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you can  turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available  via  Settings > Updated & Security > Windows Update . Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.

This update includes the following features and improvements for Windows Insiders in BOTH the Beta and Release Preview Channels:

• This update addresses an issue that affects MSIX applications. When you install them from an HTTPS URI, they fail to open. This issue occurs when the download of the application is not complete. This damages the package.
• This update affects mobile device management (MDM). When you enroll a device, the MDM client sends more details about the device. The MDM service uses those details to identify the device model and the company that made it.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the default Japanese Input Method Editor (IME). The candidate window stops responding when you do not expect it. Then, it goes back to a former composition state at random.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Direct Composition batched presentations. A brief flash of triangles or boxes show on the screen. This issue affects browsers, like Microsoft Edge, and other apps.
• This update brings Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
• This update addresses an issue that might stop your system from resuming from hibernate. This occurs after you turn on BitLocker.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). The issue copies unsigned WDAC policies to the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) disk partition. It is reserved for signed policies.
• This update addresses an issue that affects an app’s jump list on the taskbar. Completing actions from that list might fail. A jump list is a menu that appears when you right-click an app on the taskbar or Start menu. It gives you quick access to recently or frequently used app items.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a folder context menu. When you choose the command that removes items, the command adds items instead. This occurs when a third-party service implements a sync feature.

Thanks, The Windows Insider Program Team