More women, more young people, and more college graduates are reading books now than they did before. This is according to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey. The survey also found that 7 in 10 Americans read at least one book every year. Of these readers, 77% are women and 67% are men. Women readers consume an average of 14 books last year compared with an average of 9 books read by men.

Sure, overall Americans as a group are reading slightly fewer books and our attention span has reportedly decreased from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. And it is true that we have become hybrid readers, choosing between print, digital publications, and audio books, amid other competitors for our attention.

But reading books has always been beneficial. Among top 10 reasons to do so include improving focus and concentration, reducing stress, and keeping memory sharp. However, past and present, reading books is not always an easy option. In Female Pioneers of Fort Myers, Mary Perry Laycock is chronicled as the early twentieth century “fairy godmother” of the city’s first library, which grew out of her and other local women’s work to grow a reading room.

The synergy between readers and writers depends on honesty, clarity, and often courage. In Memoirs of an Everglades Pioneer, Gertrude Petersen Winne begins the account of her family’s life in the Everglades with, “This is not fiction but reality. I shall relate to you the events of my life in the sequence and manner in which they occurred, with whatever horror or beauty the passing days showered upon us.”

Simone’s Maxims: Updated and Expanded is also a book that relies on courage and honesty, as well as readers’ needs. “Institutions don’t love you back,” is the first maxim that today’s health care providers must accept if they are to navigate a successful career. As one reader comments, “Simone’s Maxims provides great insights into the academic and medical organizations and really cuts through the issues to provide clarity. Those looking to take positions in an institutions or leading an institution must read this book.”

Despite today’s abundance of reading options, print books sales have stayed relatively strong, according to the Association of American Publishers, which certainly matches our experience. Editorial Rx Press is grateful for the opportunity to provide and support ongoing relationships between book readers and authors. For as Ray Bradbury said, “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”