We have become extraordinarily skilled at choosing, practically in everything. We choose the best school, the best extracurricular activity, the most ergonomic backpack, the BPA-free lunchbox, and the flat-soled sneakers. We choose sugar-free, we choose to restrict mobile phones, we choose respectful clothing as if clothing could behave disrespectfully, and we choose toys with a Montessori label.

Fantasy books, mystery books, dystopian stories, personal diaries, and traditional tales with block letters, cursive letters, or print letters. And sagas, many sagas. Students from Institut Escola Sant Felip Neri in Barcelona, aged 4 to 15, have recommended their favorite books to us, as well as those that once opened the door to the enjoyment of reading. These are their recommendations for this Sant Jordi.

I am at the house of a friend who lives in Santa Coloma. The days are getting longer and by the riverbank there are lots of people practicing sports outdoors. Some are boxing, some are running, some are playing ball. The space is pleasant and well-maintained and looks safe and clean. I stop for a moment to watch. I like the normality exuded by those who use it. Before, I lived in Vallès, near Collserola Park. I myself used the park to go running. When there is a conducive state for an activity, it is easier for that activity to take place. If you live in a place where there is a bicycle circuit, where cycling is easy, it will be more likely that you will use the normality of cycling. If there is a park for outdoor activities, it is more likely that you will do outdoor activities. It is more likely that you will become a casteller if you live in Vilafranca than if you live in Manresa, and it is more likely that you will become a sommelier if you live in Manresa than if you live in Vilafranca, not that it's impossible.

Everyone is clear that reading is good and having the habit of reading is even better. For years we have been trying to do this from high schools, especially language teachers. I say we try because we don't always succeed. In a few high schools in Catalonia, half an hour is dedicated to reading every day. Where I work, this is done in all courses, from first year of ESO to second year of baccalaureate. Sometimes, on guard duty or walking through the corridors, you see that the youngest ones, those in the first cycle, still maintain the desire to read. The key word is "still", because I fear that with adolescence, a good part of the students lose the reading habit. Some, unfortunately, forever.

"For me The Tatano It's a fun and magical memory from my childhood. I spent many family moments sharing recipes, crafts, imagination, reading, and lots of laughter," says Xavier, from Alella, who is now 23. "Roser has arrived." The Tatano"What a rush there was when I heard that phrase! There weren't enough hands to tear open the plastic wrapping of the magazine and start reading Pere Sense Miedo," recalls Roser Maria, 25, from Ferreries.The Tatano It connected me to the world of reading. My older brothers read the Strong Horse And I imitated them by reading. The Tatano",” says Martí, from Maçaners, who is 24 years old. The three of them tell their story in issue number 241 of the iconic magazine, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary on newsstands. And like them, a series of tataners Those who grew up with the stories of Pere Sense Miedo, Rita Pinyada, and Nono and Petunia, among many others, share how being readers during childhood shaped them and the fond memories they cherish.

When I was little, one of my favorite books was The island of the blue dolphins, by Scott O'Dell (published by La Galera, translated by Josep Vallverdú (with illustrations by Isidre Monés), an adventure book that tells the story of Won-a-pa-ley, a Native American girl who lives on an island off the coast of California. Otter hunters exterminate her tribe, and the survivors are taken away on a boat. Her little brother, Ramo, is accidentally left on the deck. When she realizes this, she jumps into the sea and swims back to be with him.

When winter arrives and the Tió de Nadal (a traditional Catalan Christmas log) starts to get fatter, books become one of the most special gifts: they last, they're reread, they're shared, and they create memories. We've selected ten suggestions for all ages and tastes: classics that stir emotions, picture books to look at again and again, books with cats, adventures to get lost in, and stories that spark conversations. This Christmas, make sure there are plenty of stories to read together.

A few years ago, I had a creative writing professor who, on the first day of class, solemnly declared, "I won't accept romance or fantasy novels in my course. You can change your project if you come with these ideas." This statement, unbecoming of someone who should be guiding the development of new voices, goes beyond a mere literary preference and encapsulates an old legacy: the idea that there are serious and lesser literatures. It's no coincidence that this disdain tends to fall from the corner of genres traditionally considered feminine: romance, fantasy, and autofiction; while thought, culturally associated with the masculine sphere, has been considered the emblem of serious literature.

Telling a bedtime story, making up a tale if the child throws a tantrum at mealtimes, or entertaining them by explaining all sorts of interesting facts when they're in a waiting room, a restaurant, or at the bus stop. Some parents still do these things, but others prefer to give their children a mobile phone or tablet to keep them entertained. When screens take center stage, certain habits that allow family members to connect and spend quality time together—such as reading—are lost.

Production + consumption, information + communication. What lies beyond these two overwhelming common-law couples that have us trapped and impose a frenetic pace of life on us? Do we, as humans of the 21st century, retain anything spiritual, transcendent? Is there any possibility of silent, non-instrumental beauty in our lives?

My children don't read, and I've tried not to get upset with them. I always believe there will be a day or a book that will change their mindset, and suddenly, they'll want to read. Maria Pomb is right.Or when he told us that we should assume that there are people who don't like to read. But foolish me, I had swallowed that "if you read, they read" myth, and unfortunately, in our house, this mantra doesn't work. If I have clothes on, no one goes out to the patio, if someone sets the table, they stop it alone, and if I'm reading a novel, my children watch a series.

This influencer A Madrid native named María Pombo (she may not be related to the writer Álvaro Pombo) and who has more than three million followers, has said on TikTok: "I think we should start to get over the fact that there are people who don't like to read and that you're no better at making them like to read." The phrase was relevant because she shared a video of her "bookstore" (sic) where there were no books to be seen, as a follower pointed out.

Mireia Estapé has been helping people read for over twenty years. She does so using a specific method: easy reading, which is aimed at people who have difficulty following a standard text, such as people with disabilities, the elderly, or newcomers—her specialty. Estapé explains that it's work that must be done "with the heart." It requires patience, creativity, and empathy. "You have to know how to convey that studying a language isn't like studying history. It's something else: it's living it," she says.

The free time and relaxation of summer days are an ideal opportunity to get little ones hooked on reading. Whether it's the beach, the mountains, or at home, any place is a good place to take a book out of your bag and finish that chapter you've left unfinished. Families surely already have a stack of recommended books ready. Now, Marta Gil, bookseller at El Gat Pelut, is making a selection of books for the children and young adults in the house.

Printed text has become a hieroglyph for many students. It requires a great deal of concentration for results that are not immediately apparent. They find it a daunting task to keep in mind the general plot while paying attention to the small details.

Do not trust, dear readers, the lists of books for the summer proposed by the newspapers, with the exception of this one: they are at the service of the publishers and the bookstores, places where - this can perfectly happen - one might not find any edition of the Treat, by Plato - a reading that teenagers would really enjoy - or by The Princess of Cleves —ideal for any lady who wants and endures adulterous summer love. Bookstores are full of classics; many publishers in the country publish magnificent translations of books written in foreign languages, more or less ancient, that could delight readers any time of year. But these books are rarely recommended.

The night I finished my first novel, as I was printing it (I could hear the printer spitting out pages in the background), I had a panic attack.

"Reading aloud helps consolidate the reading habit because it transforms reading into an active, emotional, and social activity," says Vanessa Ortega, coordinator of the Reading aloud Contest (CLVA), which reached its 21st edition this year with 1,248 schools registering and 3,927 students on the final day.

If you read, you'll live longer. And this isn't a threat, but scientific evidence. To be exact, you'll live 20% longer than people who don't read, a figure that is slightly lower for magazine and newspaper readers. study published in Social Science & Medicine, led by the University of Michigan, which links reading with longevity and has tracked the reading habits of more than 3,600 people over 50 years old in the United States for 12 years.