Chasing Life

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”   That’s always been one of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes, and even during one of the most intense periods of my entire career, I’ve continued to try to make time to read. Granted, some of that reading time has been dedicated to thumbing through medical journals, but nothing can beat a good book.   The thing that I love about reading is that not only does it give me a break from staring at screens all day, it engages my brain in new ways, all from the comfort of my couch.   How cool is it that even if I’m just reading a scene that is very active, my motor cortex, the area of the brain responsible for movement, may start to light up.   Reading can also help improve relationships. One study showed that people who have been reading fiction test higher for empathy. Some earlier research has also shown that reading can develop neural networks in your brain that can help you understand even more complex thoughts.   And listening to audiobooks can also have cognitive benefits.   Now comes the fun part: What should you read next?   Luckily, Jake Tapper has a new CNN+ show and newsletter called “Jake Tapper’s Book Club,” where he’ll be speaking to authors and offering book recommendations from all genres.   But to get you all started, here are some books I’d recommend: “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers” by Robert M. Sapolsky “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese “The Confessions of Nat Turner” by William Styron “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles