Dishcloths to Crochet by Pat Olski

In the contents page there is a small image next to the title of the project, so you get a quick glance of the project. The is abbreviations and basic directions to make changing loop – common to see this is many beginner books. Pattern with side note – finished size, yarn, notion and gauge. You get a full image of the dishcloth. Not for the straight out beginner but once you got the skills down and practice these ones can be done. There are twenty five patterns – so the book is not that long to get through if you read before doing the patterns.

Cannabis in Spiritual Practice by Will Johnson

            Part one deals with calm mind of the Buddha and part two is about the ecstatic body of Shiva. And this is the focus of the book. If looking for a book that has more of a focus of cannabis in your practice, the title can be a little deceiving. But can be understandable when cannabis is not a fully legal, or at all drug in a number of areas. There is a list of audio tracks and reading suggestions at the end of the book. The intention of the book, stated more or less, not to encourage or promote the use if it in spiritual work but nether to deny from it being a support or catalyst for some. There is breathing and connect with Buddha teachings/practice. Does talk about the five precepts and goes into them. The first part is short, more of an introduction. Part two is the longer section and deals with Shiva. There is meditations in both parts. More of a Buddist/Shiva practice than one of cannabis use/integration in spiritual use. There is small mentions of it though throughout.

Being Creative by Michael Atavar

Five sections and an epilogue. Each section has information, toolkit and further reading. Twenty lessons of the most current and topical debates of creative thinking today – stated in book. Toolkits are help with what reader has learned in lesson. Each topic has an exercise. Not a long book, but does take time to read. Unsure if it will help a whole lot of people, but it does have some good points. And the exercises could be helpful with your creativity and distract yourself enough to spark your creativity for another project. It is a different take on creativity books.

Amethyst

 

Uses: Intuition, Meditation, Protection, Purification, Wisdom, Increases nobility, Spiritual awareness, Psychic abilities, Inner peace and healing, Healing of body, mind & soul, Positive transformation, Meditation, Balance, Relieves stress, Communication

 

About the Stone

Amethyst is a 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness. The only difference between regular clear quartz and amethyst is the color, which is caused by iron and aluminum that were present while the stone was forming. Amethyst is always a shade of purple, sometimes very light, other times very dark, and occasionally you will find red dots or red or blue hues in the stone.

The typical color of an amethyst boasts the color of royalty, a rich violet-purple. It comes in all shades of purple, lilac and mauve. It is a variety of quartz, the most highly prized variety. The natural abundance and infinite variety of quartz have made it the most widely used of all gem minerals. It is often found in the form of six sided crystals. It occurs in many igneous and metamorphic rocks, particularly granite and gneiss. The physical properties of amethyst vary greatly from one location to another. Experts can tell where an amethyst is from just by looking at it.

Amethyst and citrine are closely related: citrine is formed when amethyst is exposed to heat when forming. Some people even call citrine “burnt amethyst”. When citrine and amethyst are found together in one piece, it is called ametrine and is very sought after.

Amethyst is the birthstone for February and is mentioned under the astrological signs Pisces, Aries, Aquarius, and Sagittarius. Should also be worn on Thursdays, “Thor’s Day.” It is considered a Gem of Spring, and though historically given as a gift on the seventeenth wedding anniversary. It is now the gemstone for ones sixth year wedding anniversary.

 

Amethyst is the traditional birthstone of those born in the month of February.

Amethyst Natural Birthstone: Amethyst is one of the natural birthstones of those born as the old year wanes and the new is about to arrive at the winter solstice (November 21 - December 20). Amethyst crystals bring you creativity, perception, self knowledge, and insight.

Amethyst - Zodiac Stone of Pisces: Amethyst is the zodiac stone for those born under the sign of Pisces as winter makes way for spring, from February 19 to March 20. Pisces’ symbol is two fish swimming in the opposite directions of each other, and illustrates the problem of dealing with conflicting emotions and goals. Pisceans love making friends and being around them, and often put their friends’ interests and needs before their own. They are very empathetic and enjoy giving gifts. They are quite resilient in life, and are successful in the businesses of art, music, marketing and drama.

 

Chakras are the Third Eye Chakra, Crown Chakra, its planet is Jupiter and elements are air and water.

Amethyst is found in Russia, India, Brazil, US, Canada, Australia, and South Korea.

Amethyst has been a prized gem for centuries. The use of amethyst dates back to Neolithic times. It has often been associated with royalty, and used in crowns and royal rings from Egypt to Britain. In the Smithsonian there is an amethyst weighing four hundred pounds.

Amethysts from Veracruz, Eastern Mexico, tend to be very pale, while specimen from Guerrero, Southwest-Central Mexico, tends to be very brightly colored. The color of an amethyst is very unstable and can diminish with protracted exposure to sunlight. Pale stones may be set in a closed setting with a backing of foil to enhance the color. The purple color of the stone actually comes from iron impurities within. Deep rich purple colors are the most valuable kind. Amethysts are graded, with the best-quality, darkest specimens called “Siberian,” regardless of where they are from. Mid quality stones are “Uruguayan” and lesser quality specimens are “Bahain.” Pale stones are called “Rose of France.”

Amethysts are found mostly in Western India, Southern Brazil, Uruguay, Madagascar, the United States, Soviet Union, Australia, South Africa, Southwestern Sri Lanka, South America and Africa.

 

Ancient civilizations prized the stone more than many gems, which today, enjoy more recognition and value, including the sapphire and the ruby. In olden times, Amethyst saw its place in the Christian church, worn on Bishops’ rings. The royal purple color used to symbolize Christ. Saint Valentine was thought to wear a ring set with an antique Amethyst carved with an image of Cupid. The stone is also a symbol of Saint Matthias. There are a number of Biblical references to the amethyst. It was also one of the twelve precious stones in the high priest Aaron’s breastplate. The twelfth foundation of the Holy City was built of amethyst. For some time, true amethyst was valued equally with the diamond. Then great finds in South America and elsewhere made it more plentiful. As its rarity decreased, so did its price.  The amethyst symbolizes piety, humility, sincerity and spiritual wisdom. It is thought the amethyst is the perfect stone to symbolize The Age of Aquarius.

 

In Fenf Shui, Amethyst utilizes Fire Energy. Fiire energy is the energy of enthusiasm, warmth, brightness, illumination and activity. It is Yang in nature. It is the energy of heat, action, emotion and passion - of ideas, of concepts, and sex. It is traditionally associated with the south area of a home or room, and with the fame and reputation area of your dwelling. Use its energy to give your life the boost it needs to enhance your standing in the community and within your family.

 

Amethyst Spiritual Energy

Amethyst carries a high spiritual vibration of humility and devotion to the Divine. It is highly conducive to stilling one’s thoughts in prayer and meditation, and surrendering to that which is greater than the self. Amethyst also stimulates the higher mind to receive one’s spiritual power as a creation of the Divine being and to open to the insights, wisdom and guidance that is offered.

Amethyst is a stone of spiritual protection and purification, cleansing one’s energy field of negative influences and attachments, and creating a resonant shield of spiritual Light around the body. It acts as a barrier against lower energies, psychic attack, geopathic stress and unhealthy environments. It is a valuable protection for those doing psychic or intuitive work, and enhances personal environments with a healing and protective circle of Light.

 

Geologic Occurrence of Amethyst

Small amounts of amethyst are found at many locations throughout the world in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Faceting, cabbing and ornamental grade amethyst can be found in all of these locations; however, the amount is usually insufficient to support an ongoing mining operation.

The world’s most important amethyst deposits are usually found in the fractures and cavities of igneous rocks. In Brazil and Uruguay large amounts of amethyst are found in the cavities of basalt flows. Large cavities can contain hundreds of pounds to several tons of amethyst crystals.

Smaller cavities, known as geodes, are often opened in a way that displays the crystals inside and then fitted with a base that allows them to be used as home or office decor. They are popular sales items at rock shops and mineral shows.

Other productive amethyst deposits are located in Canada, France, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and the United States.

Amethyst has been produced at many locations in the United States. Much of it has been as a byproduct of other mining operations. Today, the only commercially run amethyst mine in the United States is the Four Peaks Mine in Arizona. The mine is well known for producing amethyst with a reddish purple color. The deposit was also known by Native Americans because a few amethyst arrowheads have been found nearby. Some of the amethyst in the Spanish crown jewels may be from this deposit, brought back to Spain by Spanish explorers.

 

Amethyst Goddess Crystals

Amethyst honors Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, and Childbirth. She represents the love of the mountains and the forests where she chooses to spend her life. Her comfort is sought by women in labor.

Amethyst also honors Diana, the Roman Goddess of the Moon, and Protector of Animals.

 

Lore

The word amethyst comes from Greek, and means “to not intoxicate”. It was traditionally used by Greeks and Romans as a way to keep themselves sober. It was said that an amethyst could prevent the bearer from becoming excessively drunk and also instills a sober and serious mind. It was believed that if a person drank from a cup or goblet made entirely of amethyst, he or she would not get drunk at all. Amethyst has also been used to deal with insomnia, grief, and addictions.

 

According to Greek mythology, Amethyst was a young virgin who became the object of wrath of the Greek God Dionysus after he became intoxicated with red wine. When Amethyst cried out to Goddess Diana for help, she immediately turned the girl into a white, shimmering stone. When Dionysus realized what had happened and felt remorse for his actions, his tears dripped into his goblet of red wine. The goblet overturned, and the red wine spilled all over the white rock, saturating it until it became the purple quartz that is now known as Amethyst.

 

Ancient Egyptians used the stone as the representative of the zodiac sign of the goat. The goat was considered the enemy of vines and vineyards, and therefore the antidote of wine. Ancient Egyptians used the amethyst guard against guilty and fearful feelings. It has been worn as protection from self-deception, as well as a protection against witchcraft. The amethyst has long been used to open the spiritual and psychic centers, making it one of the power stones. It is also used as a meditation aid when worn as a necklace.

 

Amethyst has been thought to have many attributes throughout history, and all of them are good. The stone was thought to control evil thoughts, quicken intelligence, make a shrewd man in business, preserve soldiers from battle wounds, aid the warrior to victory, help the hunter in search of his game, protect the wearer from contagious diseases, and put demons to flight if the figure of a bear is inscribed on the jewel. Amethyst was known as a gem that would bring forth the highest, purest aspirations of human kind. Chastity, sobriety, and control over one’s thoughts were all attributes heightened by wearing the stone. The gem would guard against the anger of passion, and the violent or base nature of its wearer. The stone encouraged calm, bravery, and contemplation.

 

Amethyst has religious connotations, as well. It was one of the twelve stones that adorned the breastplate of the high priest Aaron (Exodus 39). Amethyst later has stood for the tribe of Dan, one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The Apostle Matthias and the Guardian Angel Adnachiel spirit are associated with Amethyst, as well. During the Middle Ages, Amethyst stood for piety and celibacy and was therefore worn by members of the Catholic Church clergy and was used to adorn crosses.

During the Renaissance, Amethyst has stood for humility and modesty. Throughout the ages, powerful and rich monarchs have used Amethyst as a symbol of royalty, and some Amethysts even decorate the British Crown Jewels. Rumor has it that Amethyst was a personal favorite of Queen Catherine the Great of Russia.

 

Historically, the stone was believed to assist prophecy and visions and to bring riches and powers to its owners. It has always been associated with the civil and religious classes that have ruled human cultures. In the Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui, the amethyst enhances the wealth corner focusing on the giving and receiving of material wealth. At the highest level, amethyst bestows the spiritual understanding required to reach the state of bliss. It is associated with the crown chakra at the top of the head where divine essence enters. It is a good stone to solve discord, suggested for children and warring relatives. In Renaissance magic, an amethyst engraved with the image of a bear was worn as a protective amulet. In Graeco-Roman times, rings of amethyst set in bronze were worn as charms against evil, and magical cups carved from amethyst banished sorrow and evil from all who drank.

 

Healing Properties of Amethyst

Amethyst is a powerhouse stone. It vibrates at a high frequency, creating a bubble of spiritual protection against negative energy. It awakens higher consciousness, assists in wise decision-making free of emotional confusion, and facilitates meditation and intuition.

 

For centuries, amethysts have been thought to be an excellent remedial for many ailments. Hundreds of years ago, the amethyst was moistened with saliva and rubbed on the face to banish pimples and rough skin. Today it is used in spells designed to magnify beauty. In traditional Chinese medicine, amethyst is prescribed for stomach pains and bad dreams. It may also be used for the healing of illnesses of the lungs. It is believed to help detoxify the body and can be most useful in cleansing the pectoral region. Amethysts are valuable in treating the central nervous system as well as the brain. When worn close to the head, as in a pair of amethyst earrings, not only are they said they alleviate a headache, but they will also help clear one’s thinking process, allowing one to process information more efficiently. It is believed to loosen blocks in the mind where mental functioning has become confused and undirected, and frees the way to clearer thinking. They are also believed to help people who suffer from a faulty memory.

 

Amethysts are recommended to those who deal with stress a lot, such as people with an excessive work ethic who are unable to enjoy relaxation. This quality is also believed useful when treating insomnia too. Amethysts also help those who are prone to depression and an overall melancholy feeling. Many also believe that amethysts are useful for those working to transcend chemical dependence. The stones may work as talismans to provide inner strength when battling dependency. Amethyst is believed to target the pituitary gland, which directs the endocrine system, the pineal gland, where altered states of consciousness and psychic skills are thought to be triggered, and the entire cerebral cortex in the brain. It is therefore felt to be a tonic for headaches, mental illness, anxiety, concussions, and depression.

 

Amethysts are also used for natural healing. It is a stone steeped in ancient magic and is as popular today as it was two thousand years ago. If placed beneath a pillow or worn to bed, it supposedly drives off insomnia and nightmares. It also produces a peaceful sleep with pleasant, healing, and often prophetic dreams. However it will also ensure that its wearer doesn’t oversleep. It is a spiritual stone, with no negative side effects or associations with violence, anger or passion. It is a stone of peace. It calms fears, raises hopes, lifts the spirits, and promotes thoughts of the spiritual reality behind our lives. It wards off guilt and self deception, curbs overindulgence, and bestows good judgment. It calms emotional storms and in situations of potential danger, it will come to your aid. It also lends courage and is a powerful amulet for travelers. Worn, it protects against thieves, harm, sickness, and danger.

 

Amethyst is cleansing, both physically and psychologically. It promotes internal balance and harmony and brings stability to the individual. Amethysts are capable of raising ones spirits, promoting self assurance and confidence. They brighten the outlook on life and enhance the sense of humor. The virtues of amethyst include beauty, calm, fulfillment, humility, a loving demeanor, perfection, piety, sincerity, spiritual balance, tranquility and wisdom. Amethyst is often worn during contemplation or placed on simple meditation altars. It is worn during psychic acts and since it is a stone of wisdom, it allows the information received through the psychic mind to be appropriately utilized. The stone also helps sharpen the conscious mind and enhances the mental powers. It is used to improve memory and keeps thoughts in line with life goals. It is a stone of pure, true, emotional love. It is often exchanged between two lovers to strengthen their commitment. It is also one of the few stones specifically prescribed for men to use for attracting women. It supposedly draws “good women” to love him. The stone is also used by those involved in lawsuits to ensure that right is done. It has been long thought to bring success to businesses.

 

Amethyst is a powerful and protective stone. It guards against psychic attack, transmuting the energy into love and protecting the wearer from all types of harm, including geopathic or electromagnetic stress and ill wishes from others. Amethyst is a natural tranquiliser, it relieves stress and strain, soothes irritability, balances mood swings, dispels anger, rage, fear and anxiety. Alleviates sadness and grief, and dissolves negativity. Amethyst activates spiritual awareness, opens intuition and enhances psychic abilities. It has strong healing and cleansing powers. Amethyst encourages sobriety, having a sobering effect on overindulgence of alcohol, drugs or other addictions. It calms and stimulates the mind, helping you become more focused, enhancing memory and improving motivation. Amethyst assists in remembering and understanding dreams. It relieves insomnia. Encourages selflessness and spiritual wisdom.

Amethyst boosts hormone production, tunes the endocrine system and metabolism. It strengthens the immune system, reduces pain and strengthens the body to fight against cancer. It destroys malignant tumours and aids in tissue regeneration. Cleanses the blood. Relieves physical, emotional and psychological pain or stress. Amethyst eases headaches and releases tension. It reduces bruising, swellings, injuries, and treats hearing disorders. Amethyst heals diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract, skin conditions, cellular disorders and diseases of the digestive tract.

 

Amethyst is a gemstone often worn by healers, as it has the power to focus energy. A healer will usually wear several pieces of jewelry with amethysts set in silver, especially an amethyst necklace. The person to be healed will have an Amethyst to hold while the healing is being done. The healer will place another piece of Amethyst on the area of the body in need of healing, the heart or lungs usually.

Amethyst is used for problems in the blood and in breathing problems. Amethyst crystal clusters are used to keep the air and life force in the home clean and positive.

Amethyst clusters, points or several tumbled Amethysts placed in a window that receives sun most of the day are very beneficial to use in healing and to heal negativity in the home. Place Amethyst clusters, points or several tumbled Amethysts in moonlight and everyone in the home will be feeling calmer. Using an Amethyst as a meditation focus will increase the positive spiritual feelings. Amethyst helps overcome fears and cravings. It also helps relieve headaches

 

Amethyst as a Gemstone

A purple translucent semi-precious stone. Like all quartz, amethyst is a commonly used stone in metaphysical work. Amethyst is found in many parts of the world, but only a few countries provide the dark, high quality color.

 

Amethyst in Jewelry

Amethyst, because of its hardness and beautiful color is very popular in jewelry. It is readily available at relatively low prices, even for high grade material, and is available in a huge range of sizes and shapes.

Sunlight and exposure to heat causes the color of amethysts to deteriorate. Avoid any contact with chemicals such as household cleaners or hairspray. To clean, use a soft toothbrush or cloth and a solution of mild dish soap and warm water to gently scrub the stone. You may also clean it with an at-home ultrasonic unit.

Amethyst is a durable gemstone, but some care is needed to maintain its polish and natural color. However, with a hardness of 7, it can come in contact with a variety of common objects that can produce a scratch on its surface. Accidental scrapes on hard objects or abrasion with other gems of equal or greater hardness in a jewelry box can cause damage. Amethyst is also a brittle material that can be chipped or scratched by impact. It is best not to wear amethyst jewelry during an activity or at a location where this might occur.

Long-term storage of amethyst and amethyst jewelry is best done in a jewelry box or other dark location. The color of some amethyst can be subject to fading by prolonged exposure to direct sunlight or bright display lights.

Virtually everyone can benefit from wearing amethyst. We are in constant contact with other people and their energies, especially in the workplace, and the protective properties of amethyst do wonders in keeping you in harmony and free from picking up negative or unwanted energies from the environment.

Amethyst is a must-have for anyone working in healing professions. Those working with sick or mentally ill people will benefit as these people literally “suck” energy from you if you are not protected. The high vibration of amethyst will protect your energy field.

 

Synthetic Amethyst

Even though amethyst is not an extremely costly material, synthetic amethyst has been manufactured at least as far back as 1970. Since then an enormous number of items have been produced from synthetic amethyst by faceting, cabbing and carving. These have entered all levels of the jewelry trade. This has disappointed many jewelry consumers and made them hesitant to purchase amethyst.

Experienced gemologists can identify some natural amethyst with a microscope if it exhibits color zoning and contains characteristic mineral inclusions. However, much of the natural amethyst is of a very high clarity grade, and finding identifying inclusions can be difficult or impossible.

In the early days of synthetic amethyst, most synthetic material did not exhibit Brazil law twinning, which is almost always present in natural amethyst. This could be used to identify some synthetic material, but when synthetic amethyst manufacturers learned of this, they began using twinned amethyst slices as seed crystals. Now almost all synthetic amethyst is coming out of the lab with Brazil law twinning.

       

Amethyst imitations: A variety of man-made materials are used to simulate amethyst. Shown here are a faceted stone and a piece of rough. These are a Russian glass-ceramic material known as Nanosital.

 

Color in Amethyst

Amethyst is an extremely popular gem because of its attractive purple color. Like the word "turquoise," the word "amethyst" is now the name of a color as well as the name of a gem material.

While the word "amethyst" makes most people think of a dark purple gem, amethyst actually occurs in many purple colors. The purple color can be so light that it is barely perceptible or so dark that it is nearly opaque. It can be reddish purple, purple, or violetish purple. Amethyst exists in this wide range of colors.

Today much of the light amethyst is used to cut small calibrated stones for use in mass-market jewelry. Most of the premium reddish purple color amethyst is being used in high-end or designer jewelry.

Creative people have come up with a variety of adjectives to describe shades of amethyst. These include: orchid and lavender for lighter colors; grape, indigo or royal for darker colors; and raspberry or plum for reddish colors. While these names can be useful in conveying a generalized color, they are by no means precise or clearly understood by everyone.

With a combination of attractive colors, good durability, and affordability, it is no wonder that amethyst is a favorite gem of artisans, jewelers, craftspeople, and consumers.

 

How to Use Amethyst for Healing

1.      Wear Amethyst as a necklace or jewelry for ongoing, every day support.

2.      Place Amethyst in your enviornment, to support specific activities, like work.

3.      Meditate while holding Amethyst to receive deep insight, guidance, and healing.

4.      Assists in meditation and dream work

5.      Enhances psychic abilities and intuition

6.      Helps in breaking free from bad habits and limiting behaviors

7.      Protects the physical environment from negative energies

8.      Blocks geopathic stress

9.      Brings peace and tranquility in the home

10.  Calms the mind

11.  Helps bring clarity in decision making

12.  Reduces stress, anxiety, fear, and grief

13.  Works with the third eye, crown, and upper chakras

 

Amethyst and the Angelic Realm

The beautiful purple Light of Amethyst is particularly conducive to communion with angels. It ranges in color from pale red-violet (amethyst color) to deep violet. If your birthday falls in any of the following periods, an Amethyst of the color listed can be a valuable conduit to your Guardian Angel. The table also provides the name of the Guardian Angel of those born in the time period.

 

Date	Crystal Color	Name of Guardian Angel
January 16 - Jan 20	Dark Amethyst	Mitzrael
February 15 - February 19	Amethyst	Manake
February 25 - February 29	Amethyst	Habuhian
April 26 - April 30	Amethyst	Cahatel
July 17 - July 22	Dark Amethyst	Hahaiah
Sept 18 - Sept 23	Violet	Menadel
Oct 29 - Nov 2	Lt Amethyst	Ielahiah
Nov 23 - Nov 27	Amethyst	Vahuel

 

There are other Angels that are partial to Amethyst. The table below gives you the information about them.

 

Purpose	Crystal Color	Name of Angel
Guardian of the Twenty-Sixth Mansion of the Moon	Amethyst	Tagriel
Master of the 3rd Tarot Card "The Empress"	Dark Amethyst	Hagiel
Guardian of the Thirteenth Mansion of the Moon	Dark Amethyst	Jazeriel
Master of the 6th Tarot Card "The Lovers"	Light Amethyst	Ambriel
Guardian of the Twenty-Seventh Mansion of the Moon	Light Amethyst	Atheniel
Guardian of the Twenty-Fifth Mansion of the Moon	Light Amethyst	Aziel
Angel of Saturday and Ruler of Saturn. Cassiel is the Master of the 21st Tarot Card "The World". Cassiel is also the Angel of Temperence, the Angel of Solitude, and the Angel of Tears	Light Amethyst	Cassiel
Master of the 20th Tarot Card "Judgment"	Light Amethyst	Nuriel
Master of the 21st Tarot Card "The World"	Light Amethyst	Phorlach
Guardian of the Twenty-Eighth Mansion of the Moon	Violet	Amnixiel
Healing Emotions	Violet	Jeremiel
Dealing with Adversity	Violet	Mastema
Michael is the Beauty Angel, Tree of Life. He is the Ruler of Sunday and the Sun. Michael is also the Master of the 19th Tarot Card "The Sun" and the 20th Tarot Card "Judgement". He also helps you Heal Fear and Nervousness as well as being the ,aster of the East wind and the Angel of Sound Sleep, Repentance, and Truth	Violet	Michael
Guardian of the Seventh Mansion of the Moon	Violet	Scheliel
Master of the 8th Tarot Card "Strength"	Violet	Sheratiel
Master of the 13th Tarot Card "Death"	Light Violet	Barachiel
Master of the 12th Tarot Card "The Hanged Man"	Light Violet	Taliahad

Benefits and Facts of Reading and Books

Here is just over one hundred facts about books and reading. I could include more, but what I have here is a general picture of facts and benefits.

 

1. One in four adults have not read a book in the past year.

A 2007 AP-Ipsos poll found that a quarter of adults hadn't read even one book in the past 12 months. Women and older adults were most likely to have read, with religious works and fiction the most popular choices.

2. Just 36% of students in the eighth grade read at a proficient level.

The 2013 Nation's Report Card notes a slight improvement over 2011 levels. "Proficient" means the students "demonstrate solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter."

3. Forty-three percent of adults—93 million Americans—scored in the two lowest literacy levels.

The 2002 National Assessment of Adult Literacy found notable improvement over 1992 levels in "quantitative literacy"—the skills used to leave a tip at a restaurant or fill out an order form. However, levels for skills like reading a newspaper or drug labels remained largely unchanged.

4. Of the adults with the lowest literacy skills, 55% had annual household incomes below $20,000.

As might be expected, the study found that, as literacy increased, so did the likelihood of greater household incomes.

5. Of the 1.4 million Americans in prison at the time of the 2002 NAAL, 56% scored in the two lowest literacy levels. Only a fraction, roughly 3%, scored at the highest level of literacy.

6. Reading enjoyment declines after age eight.

A survey by Scholastic called The State of Kids & Reading found that competing interests dug into reading time as kids grow older, and many found other activities more fun.

7. One hour of study per day in your chosen field will make you an international expert in seven years.

So said motivational speaker Earl Nightingale.

8. Employers rank reading and writing as top deficiencies in new hires.

A survey by The National Endowment for the Arts found written communications at the top of the list of skills employers found lacking in high school and college graduates.

9. Readers help to enrich cultural and civic life.

            Likely to vote and exercise.

The same NEA survey shows that literary readers are three times as likely as non-readers to visit museums, attend plays, or create their own art.

A study by the National Endowment for the arts concluded that reading makes you more engaged throughout life, taking advantage of any activities that may spring up during your life.

10. Readers make good citizens.

The NEA survey notes that readers are more likely to do volunteer work.

11. Reading fiction improves empathy.

A study out of the University of Buffalo found that "belonging to fictional communities actually provided the same mood and life satisfaction people get from real-life affiliations." It also helps you to empathize with people, by understanding different cultures.

12. Reading makes you sexy.

A study done at Northwestern University found that intelligence is one of the most attractive qualities to women—and reading is a great way to increase intelligence. So, the more you read, the more appealing you will become!

13. Reading can help prevent Alzheimer’s.

A recent study found that people who read are two and a half times less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Syndrome later on in life. Although this does not mean that reading will prevent the disease, it proves a slight relationship between reading and prevention.

14. Being a reader means you’re more likely to learn something new every day.

An education professor, Anne E. Cunningham wrote a research paper and discovered that reading frequently does actually make you smarter. Not only does it help you retain knowledge, but it helps you to remember that knowledge later on in life.

15. Reading can be therapeutic.

According to Cristel Russell, a behavioral researcher, reading can help with any stress or turmoil occurring in your life. If you’re going through a break-up, or simply just need to relax, try a new book.

16. Reading enhances your memory.

Every time you read something new, your brain ‘makes room’ to fit it in. With these new spaces, you can take advantage of any new information that may arise.

17. Reading helps to boost your analytical thinking.

Reading helps you to recognize various patterns that occur in writing. If you are looking for a law or medicine career, this is important!

18. Reading expands your vocabulary, so you’ll sound like a genius.

The more you read, the more words you will come across. The more often you read these words, the more likely you are to understand them, and use them in your own writing and speaking.

19. People who read are more likely to get ahead when it comes to their careers, and life in general.

Honor Wilson-Fletcher said that reading “opens doors and makes life easier, so at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you read. What’s more, it really can make you feel good!” This is very true, and it outlines how important it is to read, if you want to live a successful life.

20. There are over 129 million books in existence.

According to Google, 129,864,880 million books had been published as of 2010. That number is obviously a lot higher now.

21. The most expensive book ever purchased was sold for $30.8 million.

It was Codex Leicester by Leonardo Da Vinci, and it was purchased by Bill Gates, according to Business Insider. Don’t worry though, he probably made the money back within the hour.

22. There’s a word for loving the smell of old books.

You guys, you know you love the smell of old books. They have the aroma of dust and a whole lot of history. Well now you can call it something. “Bibliosmia” is the word you’ve probably been searching for your whole life.

23. The longest sentence ever printed is 823 words.

We have a feeling it’s probably a run-on, but it’s a legit sentence that exists in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, according to Barnes and Noble.

24. Author’s names didn’t used to be printed on the covers of their books.

The covers of the first printed books were considered artworks. They were covered in drawings, leather and even gold — so there wasn’t a place for the author’s name.

25. The first book ever written using a typewriter was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Mark Twain must have had a lot of ink and a lot of patience.

26. President Theodore Roosevelt read one book per day.

Now that’s dedication to reading.

27. The three most read books in the world are…

The Holy Bible, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung, and Harry Potter.

28. Icelandic people read more than anyone.

Perhaps it has to do with the weather, or maybe they’re just taught to really love books. Either way, Iceland for the win!

29. Alice in Wonderland is based on a real 10-year-old girl.

Her name was Alice Liddell, and her family was close friends with author Lewis Carroll. While on a boating trip, she asked him to tell her a story — and that’s how Alice was born.

30. Illiteracy is still a huge problem throughout the world.

One in five adults around the world can’t read or write, with the highest rates in South and West Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

31. Reading about yawning makes you yawn.

32. Books used to be shelved “backwards” with the spine facing the back of the shelf and the fore-edge facing out.

33. Research now indicates that the 4- to 6-year-old age range is the sweet spot for teaching reading. Beyond the age of 6 or 7, teaching a child to read is a game of catch up.

34. On average across the world people spend 6.5 hours a week reading.

35. According to a study from Yale University, three-quarters of students who are poor readers in third grade will remain poor readers in high school.

36. Dr. Seuss coined the word “nerd” in his 1950 book “If I Ran the Zoo.”

37. It takes an average of 475 hours to write a novel.

38. Books that were penned or conceived behind bars include Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes), Pilgrim’s Progress (John Bunyan), De Profundis (Oscar Wilde), and the Prince (Machiavelli).

39. Books used to be chained to the bookshelves in libraries.

40. The ratio of customers to bookstores is highest in Nevada, Texas, and Mississippi.

41. On the average, a bookstore browser will spend eight seconds looking at the front cover and 15 seconds scanning the back cover.

42. Half of all books sold today are to people over the age of 45.

43. Adults who read literature on a regular basis are more than two-and-a-half times as likely to do volunteer or charity work, and over one-and-a-half times as likely to participate in sporting activities.

44. The largest advance ever paid for a self published book? A whopping $4.125 million. Simon & Schuster paid that for Richard Paul Evans’ The Christmas Box.

45. Women buy 68% of all books sold.

46. The page most readers lose interest at? Page 18!

47. A glimpse into the NASA library reveals astronauts’ preferred reading includes A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne, and London Bridges by James Patterson.

48. The longest reading aloud marathon by a team lasted 224 hours and was completed by Milton Nan, Silvina Carbone, Carlos Antón, Edit Díaz, Yolanda Baptista and Natalie Dantaz (all Uruguay) at Mac Center Shopping,Paysandú, Uruguay between September 13-22, 2007.

49. The Penguin paperback was created to make books as affordable as cigarettes, and the first Penguin paperbacks were distributed from a church crypt.

50. Nancy Pearl, in addition to being the most famous librarian in the world, is also now the only librarian to have an action figure created in her likeness.

51. Studies have shown that American children who learn to read by the third grade are less likely to end up in prison, drop out of school, or take drugs.

52. The 1930’s reading primer series Fun with Dick and Jane by Dr. William S. Gray is rumored to be plagiarized from Sir Fred Schonell’s similar Dick and Dora readers, found in his Happy Venture Playbooks.

53. It is estimated that limited literacy skills cost business and taxpayers $20 billion in lost wages, profits, and productivity annually.

54. A bibliokleptomaniac is someone who steals books. One of the most famous bibliokleptomaniacs is Stephen Blumberg, who stole more than 23,000 rare books from 268 libraries. He had various methods for acquiring his estimated 20 million dollar collection, including climbing through ventilation ducts and elevator shafts.

55. The term “bookworm” derives from tiny insects who feed on the binding of books.

56.  Children who read books often at age 10 and more than once a week at age 16 gain higher results in maths, vocabulary and spelling tests at age 16 than those who read less regularly.

57.  Low levels of literacy cost the UK an estimated £81 billion a year in lost earnings and increased welfare spending, impacting on 'the success of the economy as a whole'.

58.  Per capita incomes are higher in countries where more adults reach the highest levels of literacy proficiency and fewer adults are at the lowest levels of literacy.

59.  16 year-olds who choose to read books for pleasure outside of school are more likely to secure managerial or professional jobs in later life.

60.  In England and Northern Ireland the median hourly wage of workers with the highest levels of literacy is 94% higher than for workers who have the lowest levels of literacy.

61.  Adults with lower levels of literacy are more likely to experience poor health and to believe that they have little impact on political processes, and are less likely to participate in volunteer activities.

62.  Statistics from 2014 show that one in five children in England cannot read well by the age of 11.

63.  Research conducted in 2012 found that 17% of 15 year-olds in England do not have a minimum level of proficiency in literacy.

64.  Analysis conducted in 2013 found that in England 16 to 24 year-olds have lower levels of literacy than young people in 21 out of 24 countries in the OECD. Literacy levels are higher in Japan, Estonia, Czech Republic and the USA.

65.  England is the only country where 16-24 year olds have lower literacy and numeracy skills than 55-65 year-olds, out of 24 OECD countries.

66.  16% of adults (around 5.8 million people) in England and Northern Ireland score at the lowest level of proficiency in literacy (at or below Level 1).

67.  England's children have less positive attitudes towards reading than in many other countries: only 26% of 10 year-olds 'like reading' compared to 46% in Portugal, 42% in Georgia, 35% in Romania, and 33% in Azerbaijan.

68.  Most children in England do not read on a daily basis: in 2011 just over a third (37%) of 10 year-olds surveyed reported reading for pleasure every day.

69.  In England, 36% of adults don't read for pleasure, rising to 44% of young people (aged 16 to 24).

70.  In 2013/14, 18% of adults in England had only bought a novel or a book of stories, poetry or plays once or twice in the last 12 months.

71.  41% of 11-15 year-olds in England do not participate in reading and writing activities that are not required for school in their spare time.

72.  In 2014/15, 30% of 5-15 year-olds in England had not visited a library in the last year. However, there are a significant number of regular library users in this age group: 20% had visited a library in the last week.

73.  Reading Improves The Economy. One of cool facts about reading is that being able to read boosts ones sense of self-esteem, and it also improves our literacy skills. If you can’t read very well, your literacy skills are going to be pretty limited. And it is these limited literacy skills that are costing the economy a lot of money. According to studies, a lack of literacy skills costs the taxpayer and businesses around $20,000,000,000 in lost productivity, profits and wages each year. That is the true cost of not reading enough! Start your kids early. Turn them onto reading. It could be their ticket to a very bright future.

74.  Literacy programs that utilize the local language can help preserve cultural diversity and empower people to participate in their own culture.

75.  122 million youth around the world are illiterate, 60% of those youth are girls.

76.  Around the world, youth literacy rates are higher than adult literacy rates reflecting increased access to education among younger generations.

77.  Because literacy empowers individuals to take action, it has been shown to increase political participation which may lead to more stability and greater democratic opportunity.

78.  A record breaking 85% of the global population is literate, but those who are not generally live in rural and low-income communities that are especially hard to reach with effective programs.

79.  The United States is ranked 28th in the world for highest literacy rates (99%). Guatemala is ranked 164th.

80.  17% of the world’s adult population is not able to read or write.

81.  73% of Americans read books.

82.  28% of Americans read e-books.

83.  The Japanese word Tsundoku means “to let reading materials pile up in one’s home and never read them”.

84.  Medieval books had curses written in them.

85.  During the great depression, “book riders” would take books into the Appalachian mountains.

86.  A bookstore in Portland, Oregon takes up a whole city block.

87.  According to the American Library Association, the Harry Potter series was the most banned and challenged book for the years 2000-2009.

88.  Charles Dickens had a fake bookcase door, filled with humorously titled fake books.

89.  One of the largest libraries of the ancient world was considered to be the Ancient Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt.

90.  The current largest library in the world is the United States Library of Congress, which houses more than 38 million books.

91.  Pretty much all books that are published in the United States must be sent to the Library of Congress, due to the US Copyright Act’s mandatory deposit provisions.

92.  “Old book smell” is produced by the breakdown of two chemical components in paper, cellulose and lignin.

93.  Much like with carbon-dating, scientists can analyze the chemicals responsible for “old book smell” to determine the age of a book.

94.  The thickest book ever published, The Complete Miss Marple, is 12.67 inches wide and 4,032 pages long.

95.  The most expensive book in the world is a first edition of the Bay Psalm Book, sold for $14,165,000.

96.  The largest structure ever constructed from books was a “banned book Parthenon” for an art fair in June 2017 in Germany.

97.  Those bibles you find in hotel rooms are distributed by an organization called Gideons International, founded in 1899.

98.  The Gideons Bible was a somewhat popular topic for classic rock musicians.

99.  The largest published book is a giant copy of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

100.                      The longest novel ever written is Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust.

101.                      The longest audiobook in the world consists of lectures from Takaaki Yoshimoto, a philosopher, poet and literary critic.

102.                      The oldest work of literature is The Epic of Gilgamesh.

103.                      The oldest novel in the world is The Tale of Genji, written in 11th century Japan

104.                      The first book ever published was the Gutenberg Bible in 1453.