Herald Living: Start a new healthy chapter by reading

If the answer is never, and you can barely remember the last time you picked up a book, then you might be one of the UK's 16 million lapsed readers.

New research, for the latest batch of Galaxy Quick Reads (bite-sized books by well-known authors, designed to ease people back into reading for pleasure), 1.2 million UK adults have stopped reading due to some form of depression.

But interestingly, those who read for as little as 30 minutes per week, are less likely to suffer from low mood and are 20% more likely to be satisfied with their lives.

The University of Liverpool's Dr Josie Billington, who partnered on the research, found a wealth of health and wellbeing benefits are available to those who make time to read, from getting a better night's sleep (43%), to boosting self-esteem (10%) and helping them feel less lonely (19%).

"When people read, they are drawn out of themselves," says Dr Billington. "You might think when people are depressed, reading reinforces that sense of isolation, but you're imaginatively entering another world and identifying with another character.

"One of the things people say is, 'I had no idea other people felt this way'. It's about feeling that you're part of a human family, and it's a form of meditation and [getting] perspective on things."

I can't imagine a life without books now, but there were a good few years when I swapped books for films, which I thought were more accessible. I'd always loved literature, but, to be honest, books came way down at the bottom of the pile of things I had to do.

Indeed, in the survey, 42% of the country's 16 million lapsed readers said lack of time was their biggest reason for noting picking up a book. But we make time for other things, like emails and TV, so why not books, especially when they'll do us more good?

Bibliotherapist, artist and co-author of The Novel Cure: An A To Z Of Literary Remedies (Canongate), Ella Berthoud is a life-long advocate of the power of reading to transform and heal. At the School Of Life in London and through their website (thenovelcure.com), she and her fellow bibliotherapist, author Susan Elderkin, prescribe works of fiction to their 'patients' - from those who've been bereaved, to frightened fathers-to-be and new mums looking for succour during the long hours of night feeds.

"Books influence how you behave and feel, so reading Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird will make you understand the morality of racism, and also the morality of bullying someone who's a recluse and put you in their shoes, so you have more empathy with the rest of humanity."

For her, it's not about grabbing the nearest self-help book, it needs to be fiction.

"It's much more powerful, because it speaks to your subconscious brain, not your conscious brain. When you read a novel, you don't realise you're being changed in an alchemical fashion, whereas when you're reading a self-help book or one that's not using narrative or story, you don't have such a deep experience," she says.

"It's much more of a learning by rote experience, which is why they repeat themselves 50 times, whereas a great work of literature isn't repetitive, it's a work of art which you live with for a period of time, which can fundamentally alter your consciousness - it's much more of a deep change experience."

So does it matter what we read?

A good book, often, is a question of taste - but don't give up if the first ones you pick up don't engage you.

Dr Billington adds: "In the preface to The Golden Notebook, Doris Lessing says don't carry on reading a book you're not enjoying, and of course the danger of that is you'd never find a book you like, but there are so many books out there, so persevere and find one that really engages you and make reading a habit."

A GUIDE TO GETTING BACK INTO BOOKS

Try audio books

"Lots of people are snooty about them, they think they're not really reading, but actually it's just as valid because you end up spending more time with the book. Yes, you can't fold down pages and flick back and forth with an audio book, but there are ways that you can get over that by making notes," says Ella Berthoud.

Keep a reading notebook

"It's a great idea for lapsed readers because you're committing yourself to reading again, and every time you finish a book, you write down the title, author, place you you read it and a few notes about what you thought about the book, whether you enjoyed it, and that gives you quite a tangible relationship with the book. If you're only going to read one book every two months, at least you can remember that book."

Share your reading

"Whether it's short stories or a whole novel, read aloud with a partner or friend - it's a great way to spend time together and it's free. It's a very romantic thing to do with a new boyfriend, or as a way to rekindle a longer-term relationship," says Berthoud. "It's very relaxing and it's lovely to be the person being read to, and if you're the one reading, you're giving yourself to the other person."

Join or a book group

"Or create your own, it's a nice way of reading and being sociable at the same time."

Have a favourites bookshelf

"Have a place in your house that's a collection of around 10 key books you feel are your reading identity. Remind yourself that you have loved reading, you still do love reading if you give yourself time to do it."

Revisit your younger reading self

"By re-reading books you loved as a child or teenager, you're effectively time-travelling through the book. So, for instance, if you read Tess Of The D'Urbervilles when you were 15 and you re-read it when you're 25 and 35, even when you're 55, you are instantly transported back to how you felt when you were 15. If you've read it many times, then you revisit all those younger selves, so it's a great way of keeping in touch with yourself and how you felt. You can go back to that 15-year-old you and tell them what you wish you'd known when you were that age and even vice versa with your 15-year-old self saying, 'Don't worry, I still think you're cool'."

Have reading time

"Every weekend, set aside at least one hour, preferably two, when you switch yourself off from all devices, leave phones and iPads in another room and then curl up somewhere cosy with a good book, ideally in a reading nook somewhere in your house that you've created. Tell your family that you're reading for a couple of hours, if you've got small kids, get them to read as well. It's a great habit to get into from early on for children to know that every Sunday afternoon after lunch, they'll have quiet time for an hour - it's a lovely, special time."

Galaxy Quick Reads are bite-sized books written by bestselling authors which cost only £1. Available from bookshops and online retailers, or they can be borrowed from libraries. For more information, visit www.quickreads.org.uk