I agree.

But then there's also

"What?! You haven't read

that novel?

Oh, my..."

But wait a minute.

I think I read a lot.

To create this video,

I read all sorts of materials.

But I didn't read

the latest must-read novel...

Does that mean I didn't

really read?

What counts as reading?

Stick around and

let's think about that.

Hello. Welcome to Snap Language.

I'm Marc Franco.

If you search the Internet for

"what should I read?"

you'll get millions of hits.

Strangely, most of the websites

will recommend books

-- you know, like...

literature

or literary texts.

Buzzfeed even matches

your favorite TV show with

books you should read.

And they actually do a good job.

There are some exceptions, of course,

like LOCUS Online, which

includes non-fiction books.

YouTube has many great videos

on what to read...

Maybe YouTubers are

on the right track

because they recommend

a wider variety of materials.

Still, as a generalization,

it's as if "reading"

is synonymous with

"reading books"

and books are synonymous with

literary books.

How about non-literary texts?

Does it count if you read

a magazine?

Does it count if you read

newspapers?

How about reading about

your favorite hobby?

A cookbook?

Even when people talk about

the benefits of reading...

well, they talk about

the benefits of reading books.

Scientific studies have shown that

reading is beneficial to

the health of your brain.

In general, these studies

either compare avid readers

and light- or non-readers,

or they test people who are reading

to see what's happening

in the brain.

An "avid reader"...

what exactly does that mean?

You read many novels

and short stories?

If you read both literary

and non-literary materials,

are you only half-avid?

When you read a novel,

you "live" what's happening

in the story.

Non-fictional texts

are different but,

you still process information, so

they also activate the brain.

Like... when you're reading

some cool scientific... Whoa!

The New York Public Library website

offers a variety of information:

many literary books,

blog articles,

and even a podcast with

excellent information that

you can read and listen to.

I say, "good for you,

you awesome librarians!"

for providing all these

awesome materials

and resources for our pleasure!

So, what's the message here?

I believe the purpose of reading

is to understand the content or

the message that writers

want to communicate to us.

And ideas can be communicated through a novel,

a letter,

a newspaper article,

a poem,

a thank you note,

a recipe,

a comic strip,

a blog,

a pamphlet,

an editorial,

a want ad,

a book review, a short story,

a speech, ...

Phew!

You get the point.

If you only read one type of texts,

could you be missing out

on something?

That's why libraries have

all sorts of materials.

We communicate knowledge

in many ways,

so you must read

different types of texts.

That's what makes humans so

special.

We also read for different reasons.

You can read to learn

or study,

or you can read simply because

it's enjoyable

-- not because it's required of you.

In fact, some research suggests

that differences in children's

reading habits are reduced

when children choose

materials on their own.

We've also known for a long time

that avid readers

choose the materials

they want to read.

What if you don't enjoy reading?

Well, try reading about things that

interests you first.

And it doesn't matter what it is. Before committing to it,

skim the material first

to make sure it's really

something you want to read.

Be consistent -- maybe 15,

20 minutes every day.

If you choose your own materials,

you may even come to realize

that reading can actually

be enjoyable.

As a result, you may find yourself

reading more than

just 15, 20 minutes a day

and choosing materials that

you didn't use to

find enjoyable before.

So, do you agree?

What counts as reading?

I'd love to hear what you think!

So, leave a comment below

so you and other people

in our community

can start having a conversation about this.

And if you liked this video,

have you hit that "like" button yet?

This one. Not... not this one.

Oh, and don't forget to subscribe to

Snap Language so you don't miss

any videos.

And thanks for stopping by

and watching this video.