Here are 6 books that will make you more intelligent
For centuries, books have been a creative playground for our brains. A space to explore, adventure, battle, learn and feel things we may not in our everyday lives. For the estimated nearly 160 million books to exist around the world, it’s shocking that reading for pleasure is on the decline.
Only one in three young people aged 8 to 18 in the UK reads for pleasure. The National Literacy Trust has urged the importance of reading in a world of distracting screens, citing 2026 as the national year of reading in the UK.
Reading doesn’t just encourage us to think creatively, it teaches us new vocabulary, introduces us to new ideas that challenge our own beliefs and enhances our cognitive function.
Research has even indicated that when children are encouraged to read at a younger age, their attainment performance is boosted and those with the most proficient reading levels earn over £65,000 more than their peers in their lifetime. If you’re looking for the perfect book to get you back into a reading pattern, we’ve got you covered.
- 7 unmissable non-fiction books to get excited about
- This is why you keep buying books but not reading them
These are the six books that the Gathered team recommends to boost your intelligence and make you feel excited to pick up a book again:
Politics: Say Nothing, by Patrick Radden Keefe
Politics is dynamic. Trying to fully understand what’s going on in the world around you can feel near impossible when dramatic changes are made every day, and sometimes the full history of an event isn’t revealed to us for decades.
In Say Nothing, we’re told the story of Jean McConville, a mother of ten children in Belfast in 1972, who is abducted from her home overnight and never seen alive again.
The book weaves in different accounts of people involved in the conflict in Northern Ireland towards the end of the twentieth century, showcasing the everyday threats that Irish communities had to endure against the backdrop of violence and rubble.
The experiences and book have even been turned into a limited TV series that you can stream after reading on Disney+.
Geography: Around the World in 80 Trains: A 45,000 Mile Adventure, by Monisha Rajesh
Commuting can feel like a bore. It’s e-tickets that don’t load without 5G, seats that have an odour that you’re trying not to think too deeply about, and someone oversharing their personal dilemmas a bit too loudly on the phone next to you. Through the eyes of Monisha Rajesh, commuting feels like a blessing.
In Around the World in 80 Trains, we see Monisha explore the landscape of Asia and Europe through the railway system, acting as a beating heart to link different cultures and communities together. Her writing is eye-opening and gripping, leaving you excited and unable not to turn over the next page.
Reading this book will compel you to book your next travel getaway, picking a country at random and learning as much about it as you can.
Emotional Wellbeing: All The Best for the Future: Growing Up Without Growing Old, by Greg James
Feel like everyone is doing better than you in life? Or that you’re miles behind where you wanted to be by this age? Greg James’ biography is a touching, honest and empowering tale of the BBC Radio One DJ’s life.
You can anticipate heartfelt accounts of relatable struggles with self-confidence, imposter syndrome and grief that are perfectly paired with a witty sense of humour that can make you laugh in even the darkest of times.
With chapters titled ‘I’m Not Coming to Your Wedding in Greece’ and ‘The Art of Doing Fuck All’, prepare to cry until you laugh and laugh until you cry.
Creativity: How to Live An Artful Life, by Katy Hessel
You may not think about art every day, but it’s hidden around you in unsuspecting places. The architecture of your office building, the paisley pattern of a shirt, the screensaver of your laptop; art is hidden in the most mundane of places for us to enjoy.
In this book, Katy Hessel encourages us to live a life filled with finding art in the everyday and acting to our most creative and fulfilled selves.
History: Unruly, by David Mitchell
Kings, queens, dukes, duchesses, knights – we’d be lying if we said we understood the difference or meaning of every member of the monarchy.
David Mitchell, the comedy heavyweight behind the likes of Peep Show, Would I Lie To You? and Ludiwig, spotlights how history has been wrapped in drama, deceit and shock for centuries.
Even when talking about some of history’s darkest corners, David unpacks events with his distinctive, funny and unforgiving tone.
Science & Health: This is Going to Hurt, by Adam Kay
Healthcare, no matter the country, is a battlefield for the heroes who literally save our lives every day. When Adam Kay wrote about his experiences as a junior doctor working in the UK, it was hard not to feel upset, angry and astounded by what was revealed.
It’s heartbreaking and touching, proving just how incredible and essential healthcare workers are to keeping us safe. Adam’s experience was also captured as a limited TV series that you can watch on BBC iPlayer.
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