Reading is considered by many an act of self-love, because through reading it is possible to explore new worlds, get to know different cultures, learn about countless topics, all without counting on other benefits that this habit entails.
Some of the benefits of implementing the habit of reading is that by constantly carrying out this process, comprehension, the ability to pay attention and concentrate, spelling and language is expanded, which in turn strengthens the ability to read. creativity, writing and verbal and written communication.
According to the latest Cultural Consumption Survey conducted by DANE, in 2020, 53% of Colombian women over the age of 12 read at least one book in a 12-month period; In the case of men, the survey yielded a result of 46%, which means that in Colombia 50% of people read at least one work a year. In contrast, on the occasion of the last Book Fair, the Colombian Book Chamber conducted a survey that showed that the average reading of Colombians is 2.7 titles per year.
“Reading allows us to acquire critical skills in order to have a deeper look at the phenomena that surround us. In childhood, reading contributes significantly to the infant’s brain development, by influencing the strengthening of capacities such as creativity, wonder and imagination”, highlighted Alexandra Visbal, administrator of the Compensar Library.
What to read in 2023?
Today’s world, which is increasingly linked to the digital age, allows people to access new and diverse tools, as well as the possibility of reading books in different formats, for example, it is possible to access digital publications that are cheaper and more with less mediation, and in this way get people much closer to reading.
Precisely, Compensar makes a compilation of 12 books to read during 2023, with various themes and contents, according to Visbal, the list of recommended ones “can offer us alternatives to difficulties, since they not only indicate the conflicts we may face, but also help us they indicate possible routes to continue with the construction of a society with parameters of justice and equity. Also, they remind us of times that cannot be left behind, since they shape our current state at a social and cultural level”.
“Contemplative Life” – Byung Chul Han
A powerful call to abandon the hyperactive life to recover the meaning of one’s lives, balance and inner richness. Byung-Chul Han investigates the benefits, the splendor and the magic of idleness and designs a new way of life, which includes contemplative moments, with which to face the current crisis of our society and stop our own exploitation and the destruction of the nature.
“The Sun” – Carolina Sanin
From the writer of “Somos luces abismales” comes “El sol”: a clear and mysterious book that does not attend to the separation between genres and in which essays, poetry and narrative are mixed with as much joy as mastery. . A clear and mysterious book that does not attend to the separation between genres and in which essays, poetry and narrative are mixed with as much joy as mastery.
“Hamnet” – Maggie O´Farrell
Agnes, a peculiar girl who seems to be accountable to no one and who is capable of creating mysterious remedies with simple combinations of plants, is the talk of Stratford, a small town in England.
“The house of the two palms” – Manuel Mejía Vallejo
It recounts the mature years of a descendant of colonizers and founders who decides to rebuild his house in an act that also means the reconstruction of the history of the Herreros family and that of his town Balandú, founded by his father and grandfather.
“The Tyranny of Merit” – Michael J. Sandel
The most famous philosophy professor in the world analyzes the failure of the meritocratic system and addresses the most important question of our time: what has become of the common good?
“Family album” – Rosario Castellanos
These stories show the mastery in command of language, the exercise of parody, irony and humor that characterized the work of Rosario Castellanos.
“Zambo Dendé” (comic) – Nicolás Rodríguez
It is the story of an oppressed people, at the time of the conquest, that finds its own hero.
“The origins of totalitarianism” – Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt reaches her conclusions after examining the transformation of classes into masses, the role of propaganda in relation to the non-totalitarian world, and the use of terror as the essence of totalitarianism.
“Debris” – Fernando Vallejo
The old have not been able to say anything definitive about old age, but the maledicent old man in this book manages to tell it lucidly.
“The Color Monster” – Anna Llenas
The story shows a monster in a multicolored mess and disoriented because he doesn’t know how he feels. Luckily he has a friend who will help him undo the mess of emotions that he has and will teach him to put them separately to identify them correctly according to the moment.
“Camping for the Unabled” – Borish Kosch
Seventeen meters and forty-two centimeters… At that height is the bridge from which Bjarne and Luca, his best friend, jumped. It wasn’t a good idea, but Bjarne wanted to fly at all costs so that a supernatural ability would develop in him.
“Admired women, beautiful women” – Karin Sagner
In a magnificently illustrated book with works by painters such as Botticelli, Rubens, Cranach, Courbet, Rossetti, Manet or El Greco, and various modern artists, the author traces the history of female beauty.