Hit my target of 52 books read for the year. As I keep saying (because it’s true) reading is part of the job of a writer. I put aside a couple of hours every evening to do so. When I do this, and especially when the book is good, I can feel the changes in my brain. It becomes calmer, more thoughtful and focussed, and seeks immersion in imagined worlds.

This is a phenomenon dealt with by Maryanne Wolf in ‘Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World.’ In essence, the digital brain – di...