By learning novel concepts and ideas from reading, your brain will start to make connections and see these concepts in everyday life. For example, read a book on architecture and you will look at buildings differently. Whether you’re an avid reader who’s just stuck in a rut or you’re trying to pick up a reading habit, here are some great ideas for good reading material to keep your brain active. It can be easy to forget that behind all the glamour and politics there are real people with fears, ambitions, hopes, and dreams. Choose someone who interests you and read their biography—you’ll likely never think of them the same way again. Some of the most interesting history books trace a single idea, product, or trend. Learn how salt shaped nations, how disease and illness ended empires, and how cultures interrelate. The classics may feel dense at first, but after the first few pages, you’ll adapt to the writing and be drawn into a different time and way of speaking. Work your brain out by reading older language and longer sentences.
