The writer Ernest Hemingway once said, “There is no friend as loyal as a book.” While some may consider robots and AI technology to be the best solutions for the loneliness and social isolation so many older adults experience these days, the reality is that Hemingway may have had it right. Reading may be an equal if not better path for both social connection and cognitive support as we get older. According to a recent post in Neuroscience News, reading fiction can activate parts of the brain that facilitate our understanding of others, along with reducing our stress and enhancing our empathy muscles. Through reading, we can feel less lonely and connect with others, either through book groups or other shared reading activities. Moreover, reading can force us to stretch our brains to understand plots and characters, and can support our memory function and attention as we grapple with storylines, intrigue, or mystery. Reading can also be the impetus for the pursuit of newfound passions or spark a level of curiosity that can lead us to new endeavors. 

As for using reading as a way to connect with others? What better way to forge ties with loved ones than to discuss the current book you’re reading with your adult children or share in the reading of a treasured book with a grandchild? (Turns out plenty of kids these days are still reading “the classics.”) In fact, a recent article in The New York Times profiled the very personal and idiosyncratic reading habits of Dan Pelzer, who recently died at the age of 92. A lifelong reader, he began a handwritten list of everything he read in 1962 and only stopped jotting down his selections in 2023, after he was no longer able to read due to vision impairment.  With a total of almost 3600 titles in his list, his children remember stages of their lives through conversations with their father about the books he was reading. For him, reading was a lifelong passion and a source of inspiration and education, even leading him to become a late-in-life vegan after reading a book by Bill Gates in 2021. Curious about his choices? His children have created a website that reflects the years of handwritten notekeeping he compiled. So take out your Kindle, and look here.

With regard to the social aspects of reading, many of us are long-time members of book clubs. Whether gathering with old friends or starting new relationships through shared reading, being a member of a book club, whether in person or virtual, can be a wonderful way to stimulate your mind, expand your perspective, and create new, meaningful relationships based on a shared experience. If you’re hoping to find a new book club to join, you might start by looking here. And if your own book club is struggling to set some parameters or grappling with how to accommodate the perspectives and schedules of different members, you might find some rule-setting inspiration here.

Finally, are you in the market for some new suggestions as the summer begins to wind down and the lazy days of August allow for just a bit more leisure time? You may want to dig into the summer reading list compiled by The Boston Globe here. Or check out summer deep dive recommendations from writers at the New Yorker. Or if you’re looking to get a jump start on the best selections coming this fall, take a look here and here. Finally, if you only have room for one more read before summer’s end, the staff at The Atlantic makes the case for why you need to read the one book they each recommend.