Reading may have existed as early as the Roman occupation of Britain, possibly as either a trading port on the River

Thames, or as an intersection on the Roman road connecting London with Calleva Atrebatum near Silchester !"# The first evidence for Reading as a settlement dates from the $th century, where the town came to be %nown as Readingum The name probably comes from the Readingas, an Anglo& Saxon tribe whose name means 'Reada(s )eople' in *ld +nglish,!,# or -less probably. the Celtic Rhydd&/nge, '0ord over the River' !1# The name of the settlement was derived from an earlier fol%, or tribal, name Anglo&Saxon names ending in -ingas originally referred not to a place but to a people, in this case specifically the descendants or followers of a man named Reada, literally 'The Red *ne '!2#!3# /n late $45 an army of 6anes invaded the then %ingdom of 7essex and set up camp at Reading *n 2 8anuary $4", the first Battle of Reading too% place, when an army led by 9ing +thelred and his brother Alfred the :reat attempted unsuccessfully to breach the 6anes( defences The battle is described in the Anglo&Saxon Chronicle, and this account provides the earliest %nown written record of the existence of the town of Reading The 6anes remained in Reading until late in $4", when they retreated to winter ;uarters in London !<#!4# After the Battle of =astings and the >orman con;uest of +ngland, 7illiam the Con;ueror gave land in and around Reading to his foundation of Battle Abbey /n its "5$< 6omesday Boo% listing, the town was explicitly described as a borough The presence of sixmills is recorded, with four on land belonging to the %ing and two on the land given to Battle Abbey !4# 10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day L+/S?R+ L/0+ST@L+ AA@ ," B@ LA>A 7/>T+R&=BB+RT 7hen was the last time you read a boo%, or a substantial magaCine articleD 6o your daily reading habits center around tweets, 0aceboo% updates, or the directions on your instant oatmeal pac%etD /f youEre one of countless people who donEt ma%e a habit of reading regularly, you might be missing outF reading has a significant number of benefits, and Gust a few benefits of reading are listed below 1. Mental Stimulation Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated canslow the progress of -or possibly even prevent. AlCheimerEs and 6ementia, since %eeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power 8ust li%e any other muscle in the body, the brain re;uires exercise to %eep it strong and healthy, so the phrase Huse it or lose itI is particularly apt when it comes to your mind 6oing puCCles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation 2. Stress Redu tion >o matter how much stress you have at wor%, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all Gust slips away when you lose yourself in a great story A well& written novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and %eep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax !. "no#ledge +verything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never %now when it might come in handy The more %nowledge you have, the better&e;uipped you are to tac%le any challenge youEll ever face

Additionally, hereEs a bit of food for thoughtF should you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything elseJyour Gob, your possessions, your money, even your healthJ%nowledge can never be ta%en from you $. %o a&ulary E'(ansion This goes with the above topicF the more you read, the more words you gain exposure to, and theyEll inevitably ma%e their way into your everyday vocabulary Being articulate and well& spo%en is of great help in any profession, and %nowing that you can spea% to higher&ups with self&confidence can be an enormous boost to your self&esteem /t could even aid in your career, as those who are well&read, well&spo%en, and %nowledgeable on a variety of topics tend to get promotions more ;uic%ly -and more often. than those with smaller vocabularies and lac% of awareness of literature, scientific brea%throughs, and global events Reading boo%s is also vital for learning new languages, as non&native spea%ers gain exposure to words used in context, which will ameliorate their own spea%ing and writing fluency ). Memory *m(rovement 7hen you read a boo%, you have to remember an assortment of characters, their bac%grounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub&plots that weave their way through every story ThatEs a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous things and can remember these things with relative ease AmaCingly enough, every new memory you create forges new synapses -brain pathways.and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short& term memory recall as well as stabiliCing moods =ow cool is thatD +. Stronger ,nalyti al -hin.ing S.ills =ave you ever read an amaCing mystery novel, and solved the mystery yourself before finishing the boo%D /f so, you were able to put critical and analytical thin%ing to wor% by ta%ing note of all the details provided and sorting them out to determine HwhodunnitI That same ability to analyCe details also comes in handy when it comes to criti;uing the plotK determining whether it was a well&written piece, if the characters were properly developed, if the storyline ran smoothly, etc Should you ever have an opportunity to discuss the boo% with others, youEll be able to state your opinions clearly, as youEve ta%en the time to really consider all the aspects involved /. *m(roved 0o us and 1on entration /n our internet&craCed world, attention is drawn in a million different directions at once as we multi&tas% through every day /n a single 3&minute span, the average person will divide their time between wor%ing on a tas%, chec%ing email, chatting with a couple of people -via gchat, s%ype, etc ., %eeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone, and interacting with co&wor%ers This type of A66&li%e behaviour causes stress levels to rise, and lowers our productivity 7hen you read a boo%, all of your attention is focused on the storyJthe rest of the world Gust falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every fine detail youEre absorbing Try reading for "3&,5 minutes before wor% -i e on your morning commute, if you ta%e public transit., and youEll be surprised at how much more focused you are once you get to the office 2. Better Writing S.ills This goes hand&in&hand with the expansion of your vocabularyF exposure to published, well& written wor% has a noted effect on oneEs own writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other authors will invariably influence your own wor% /n the same way that musicians influence one another, and painters use techni;ues established by previous masters, so do writers learn how to craft prose by reading the wor%s of others 3. -ran4uility

/n addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading a good boo%, itEs possible that the subGect you read about can bring about immense inner peace and tran;uility Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm, while reading self&help boo%s has been shown to help people suffering from certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses 10. 0ree Entertainment Though many of us li%e to buy boo%s so we can annotate them and dog&ear pages for future reference, they can be ;uite pricey 0or low&budget entertainment, you can visit your local library and bas% in the glory of the countless tomes available there for free Libraries have boo%s on every subGect imaginable, and since they rotate their stoc% and constantly get new boo%s, youEll never run out of reading materials /f you happen to live in an area that doesnEt have a local library, or if youEre mobility&impaired and canEt get to one easily, most libraries have their boo%s available in )60 or e)ub format so you can read them on your e&reader, i)ad, or your computer screen There are also many sources online where you can download free e&boo%s, so go hunting for something new to readL ThereEs a reading genre for every literate person on the planet, and whether your tastes lie in classical literature, poetry, fashion magaCines, biographies, religious texts, young adult boo%s, self&help guides, street lit, or romance novels, thereEs something out there to capture your curiosity and imagination Step away from your computer for a little while, crac% open a boo%, and replenish your soul for a little while