The world’s first novel, “The Tale of Genji,” a 54-chapter tale of courtly seduction by a Japanese author named Murasaki Shikibu, is thought to have been written in the 11th century. Even in a day when stories arrive on handheld displays and vanish 24 hours later, people are still fascinated by novels more than a thousand years later. What benefits do people specifically gain from reading books? Is it just for pleasure, or are there additional advantages? Yes, without a…
