- Why reading still matters
Books have always held a special place in the human story, shaping how we think, feel, and understand the world.
Whether consumed for knowledge, comfort, provocation, or pure entertainment, a good book has the power to expand perspectives and spark imagination. But beyond the romanticism, books also play a more fundamental role; they build empathy, preserve memory, and nurture critical thinking.
In an age where information comes at us in constant streams and attention spans are relentlessly stretched in competing directions, the act of reading a book – a quiet, immersive, and often solitary experience – can seem increasingly rare. And yet, the power of books endures.
With World Book Day having fallen last week (23), The Sunday Morning Brunch reflected on why books still matter and how they can impact us by speaking to those who know them best – writers and publishers who have built their lives around the written word.
From a publisher’s perspective, books are a timeless bridge between knowledge and joy. “Books are the key to both knowledge and entertainment,” Perera Hussein Publishing House Co-Founder Sam Perera said. “But the best part is that, unlike with a cake, you can read your book, share it, and still have it,” he shared.
Sam’s current read is ‘Orbital’ by Samantha Harvey, a Booker Prize-winning novel that reflects his ongoing commitment to literary excellence. But when it comes to a book that has touched him most, it is a Sri Lankan classic that he holds particularly dear: Carl Muller’s ‘Yakada Yaka.’
“Muller captured the essence of a people and a moment in time in a hilarious way. Truly talented writing,” Sam said. “And I’m delighted to say that after I became a publisher, I had the privilege of publishing one of his books.”
Books can be vessels of insight
Poet and academic Vivimarie Vanderpoorten offered a deeply personal perspective on why reading remained so essential.
“Books can make you read other people’s experiences and help you travel all over without physically moving,” she said. “They are essential for knowledge, for critical thinking, for empathy, for getting to know about other cultures, for beauty, and for so many reasons besides!”
Giving us a peek into her reading roster, Vivimarie shared that she was currently reading ‘Mansions of the Moon’ by Shyam Selvadurai and revisiting ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood. As an author, she is also working on translating a Sinhala book of short stories into English, yet another reminder of the bridges that books can build between languages and lived experiences.
When asked about a book that had proved particularly important to her, she named ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’ by Thomas Hardy.
“I read it for the first time when I was 15; it made a huge impression on me,” she recalled. “It made me think about justice, and about women’s rights and how they are discriminated against, how there are double standards. It was an early wake-up call about women’s place in the world. I loved it.”
Reading is its own culture
For writer and academic Vihanga Perera, the value of books is the culture they build. Despite the abundance of information available online, Vihanga sees books as part of a deeper rhythm of life, something that rewards stillness and sustained thought.
Recently, he has been reading R.K. Narayan’s retelling of the ‘Mahabharata’ and revisiting works from the colonial era in Sri Lanka, alongside fiction like Philip Roth’s ‘Patrimony,’ which he describes as deeply influential.
“Books represent a different culture of accessing things,” he explained. “It’s a different culture altogether, and immersing yourself in that tradition of the printed word – of sitting down and reading – is a cultural experience the Information Age cannot replace,” he said.
But the book that has stayed with him the most is ‘Slow Man’ by South African author J.M. Coetzee. “It deals with ageing, how memory works, and how you reconnect with people and places that were important to you. Coetzee’s craftsmanship had a big impact on me. It has also to do with his craftsmanship and way of writing,” he added.
Vihanga also flagged his concerns about book culture being overlooked in the digital age – a concern shared by many in the literary world.
“Especially for parents with kids growing up, it will probably be important to instil that culture. There’s research now about the adverse effects of screen time, but also, book reading is a different culture of literacy altogether,” he noted.
As natural as breathing in and breathing out
Writer and educator Ciara Mandulee Mendis describes her relationship with books as elemental. “I’ve always grown up with books; it’s a part of who I am,” she said. “For writers, reading is breathing in and writing is breathing out.”
Ciara is currently reading ‘Antarctica,’ a collection of short stories by Claire Keegan and a Sinhala short story collection, ‘Indrajalikayage Nikma Yama’ by Keerthi Welisarage. Her reading habits are deliberately diverse: “I always include a Sinhala book in my reading list. It’s important to read not just in English but also in your mother tongue, and also from other parts of the world.”
Short stories are her favourite form, precisely because they allow for diverse cultural perspectives in compact form. “Sinhala short stories are very different from Western ones in how they develop characters and transport culture. It’s fascinating to see how short stories are conceptualised in different regions,” she observed.
Her favourite books have changed over time – ‘Little Women,’ ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ and now ‘The God of Small Things’ – but what has stayed constant is her belief in the transformative power of literature across languages and genres.
Why books still matter
In a world ever more driven by the digital – speed and screens – books offer something rare and grounding, an experience in and of themselves. They are cultural artefacts, sources of empathy, tools for reflection, and records of who we are and what we value. They invite us to pause, to imagine, to feel, and to understand.
Whether it is revisiting a beloved classic, exploring a new translation, or discovering a voice from across the world, the act of reading remains one of the most intimate and enriching things we can do for ourselves.
This World Book Day, let it be a reminder: a book doesn’t just sit on a shelf – it waits to be lived. Pick one up, step into its world, and let yourself be changed.