It is often said that books save lives. Most of the time, however heartfelt the sentiment, it is figurative. Every once in an improbable while, it approximates the literal. But only on the rarest of occasions, in the most extreme of circumstances, do books become lifelines in the realest sense.

Once you do some simple math, you learn that it's completely doable to read 200 books in a year.

Susanna Clarke, whose bestselling debut sold 4m copies, will publish her second book, Piranesi, in September 2020

It’s mid-September, 2019, and we’re beginning to see the light (or to be slightly more accurate, the infinite pulsing darkness) at the end of the decade.

When e-readers first appeared, the end of traditional books was widely prophesied. Parallels were drawn with the invention of printing, which rapidly made handwritten manuscripts obsolete. But now, with paper book sales rebounding, it looks as though we have entered a period of stable co-existing technologies, in which the same books are often available in both formats and users can choose whichever they prefer. This situation resembles the one that prevailed almost two thousand years ago, when the ‘book’ in our sense was first invented.

From the self-indulgent to the tiresomely macho, Hephzibah Anderson chooses her picks of previously hip books that have not aged well.

The perfect reading environment is hard to come by, which may be why it so often comes with a high price tag. For around $1,500, you can own a leather library chair from Restoration Hardware (“reminiscent of chairs found in the great reading rooms of Europe”). The Levenger Catalog, which specializes in reader-friendly gewgaws, promotes a genteel fantasy of reading constructed around an “ergonomic and ambidextrous” reading table, personalized bookmarks, bespoke pens for note-taking and bespoke notebooks in which to scribble.

Relax. Predictions of the impending obsolescence of books have been proven wrong time and again.

Are you a slow reader? Or a fast reader? Either way, here's some tips to help you get better at reading - and take more in.

Amid fears about the death of books, finding new ways to bring them to life.

The program, which sends a free book to kids every month until they turn five, started in D.C. in early 2016.

Tips and tricks from a library aide.

The same brain regions are activated when both reading and listening to stories, a new study says. It's a new insight into how our brains process semantic meaning.

For decades, schools have taught children the strategies of struggling readers, using a theory about reading that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked. And many teachers and parents don't know there's anything wrong with it.

Reading lists begin as a shelf full of hope until the year flies by, and you find yourself flooded with procrastination.

The air tingles with prose. Patrons perch atop bar stools, but they aren't drinking. Individuals congregate together as a group, but they aren't talking. Paperbacks adorn a table stained by water rings, and tote bags dangle over the backs of chairs. Classic rock is blaring from the speakers, but at this table, silence rings out. A Silent Book Club is meeting.

What does the e-commerce giant want with the notoriously fickle world of publishing? To own your every reading decision.

Celebrating National Book Lovers Day doesn't have to come with a deep commitment to a new book, as there are a number of novels out there that can be read in a single day. Acknowledged annually on August 9, National Book Lovers Day encourages people to celebrate their favorite pieces of literature. Along with paying tribute to some of the books that captured a place in a person's heart, people are encouraged to take a break from their smartphone and enjoy a new story or reconnect with one of their favorites.

Ghoulish reads to finish out the summer.

As mental health services continue to be cut, librarians are becoming a lifeline for many, says author and library activist Dawn Finch