If you are looking for a New Year's resolution for 2025 that you'll enjoy, our friends at Children’s Books Ireland highly recommend making this your year of reading.
Whether you have always been a big reader and have recently fallen out of the habit, or perhaps you have never found the right book to get you hooked, there are plenty of reasons why getting into reading can be a joyful way to kick start the new year. There are plenty of benefits to reading, big and small, but the most important thing is that reading a good book, will actually make you feel better!
Need more convincing? Here are our top 5 reasons why you should get reading in 2025 with Ruth Concannon - Publications Officer with Children's Books Ireland.
Ditching the doomscroll
You know the feeling, you pick up your phone, open an app and bam! You have suddenly lost an hour to scrolling without even noticing it. We’ve all fallen down the slippery slope to doomscrolling from time to time, but have you ever noticed, it doesn’t actually make you feel good?
TikTok addicts and Instagram fiends will find no judgement here, instead I offer you an entertainment alternative - books! Rarely, if ever, will you walk away from a book feeling worse than when you picked it up, unless it is a particularly sad tear-jerker of course! Finding a book you like, an author you’re obsessed with or just reading for the joy of it provides a fun escape in a way that endless scrolling does not. While it can be hard to kick that social media habit entirely, try to replace it some of the time by picking up a book that brings you joy instead. When you have the right book in your hand, reading can be endlessly fun!
Books make things better
Did you know that reading can help you grow kindness and empathy? Studies have shown that reading books helps you to better understand and empathise with experiences that are different to your own. Reading a story about someone else’s difficulties, even if you never experience the same circumstances yourself, can help you to become more compassionate. When you read from another perspective, you see from another perspective.
Equally, reading can help you to feel seen and understood. When you read a book you can relate to, not only does it give you that main character energy, but it helps you to feel less alone. Whether it’s reading about a good, or a difficult experience, books are a safe space to process any tricky feelings and emotions. And let’s face it, in this divisive world we could all use a bit more empathy.
Literacy is lit
It may seem boring, but being a great reader can help you to succeed at school. Feeling comfortable with reading from exploring fiction books, knowing lots of facts from skimming non-fiction stories or having good visual literacy from perusing graphic novels can help improve your grades.
Young people who read in their spare time are far more likely to excel at school and by this, I mean reading any kind of books, not just the fancy classics with long words! Reading snobbery is a thing of the past, all kinds of reading of all kinds of books are equally important; from comics to short stories, poems to romance novels, reading doesn’t have to be only academic to help you with school, so feel free to read something that brings you joy totally guilt-free.
Reading is a rush!
Reading a book that you are truly excited to read just hits different; there is no better feeling than looking forward to disappearing between the pages of a book for a while. But if you think reading isn’t fun or enjoyable, maybe you just haven’t found the right book yet! To truly read for joy you need to lean into your favourite things and find a book that ticks all of your boxes.
If you like gaming, why not try a fantasy book with loads of worldbuilding! Got a short attention span? Try some short stories or poetry! Are you more interested in art and design? Well, there are plenty of graphic novels to catch your eye! There really is a book for everyone, you just might have to try out a few before you find the one that’s right for you. Don’t give up on your search for a great read - you’ll soon discover your new favourite author or illustrator and start a towering TBR pile.
Irish authors and illustrators are the best!
Ireland is a nation of storytellers and we really are spoiled for choice when it comes to talented authors and illustrators from the Emerald Isle. Whether you are looking for graphic novels, historical fiction, sporty non-fiction, funny reads, fantasy, folklore or adventure there are Irish authors and illustrators who write for every genre.
In fact, in 2024 there were over 170 books published by Irish artists for children and young adults. If you are looking to explore some great books, be sure to check out Children’s Books Ireland’s most recent reading guide Recommended Irish Reads 2024 for 100 super stories from Irish authors and illustrators for ages 0–18 years.
Ruth Concannon is the Publications Officer for Children’s Books Ireland, the national charity and arts organisation that champions every child’s right to develop a love of reading.
Their mission is to inspire a love of reading in children and young people in Ireland, to share their expertise and enthusiasm with the adults who guide and influence them, to champion every child’s right to excellent books and live literature events and support the artists who make that goal possible across the island of Ireland.
See www.childrensbooksireland.ie for more.
And you can check out the RTÉjr Book Club the first Monday of every month throughout 2025 written by Ruth - with thanks to our friends at Children's Books Ireland.
