The first that comes to mind is Elect Mr. Robinson for a Better World. The whole book is very surreal. It’s a dark satirical take on American politics. One of the final scenes is a very graphic description of children (if I’m remembering correctly they were like 6-8 years old) using medieval torture techniques on each other. There was one little girl that they pulled by her arms and legs — they kept stretching and unstretching her repeatedly and the description of what was happening to her body (going red, saliva coming out of her mouth, bones cracking) was pretty long. Like the book was weird all the way through, but it went totally left in that scene. I think it’s the only time someone’s asked me what’s wrong with me because of the expression I had on my face while reading.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is amazing for its language. It was the first book of hers I read, and I kept being so stunned by the writing that I had to put the book down to look up if she’s a poet. Unsurprisingly, she is.

The first book of Pretty Little Liars. I made it 1.5 pages in and stopped. This was over ten years ago so I don’t remember exactly what it was that irked me, but I remember feeling extremely annoyed and closing it.

I’ve been reading since I was 5, there’s no way I remember.

They’ve never been something I pay attention to, and I started taking them even less seriously when I realized most of these people were the author’s friends hyping them up.

This is the one I came to say. This had to be the most boring book I was ever assigned.

The ones from Lemony Snicket to Beatrice in the Unfortunate Events books:

1. To Beatrice—
   Darling, dearest, dead.

2. For Beatrice—
   My love for you shall live forever.
   You, however, did not.

3. For Beatrice—
   I would much prefer it if you were alive and well.

4. To Beatrice—
   My love flew like a butterfly
   Until death swooped down like a bat
   As the poet Emma Montana McElroy said:
   ‘That’s the end of that.’

5. For Beatrice—
   You will always be in my heart,
   in my mind,
   and in your grave.

6. For Beatrice—
   When we met, my life began.
   Soon afterward, yours ended.

7. For Beatrice—
   When we were together I felt breathless.
   Now, you are.

8. For Beatrice—
   Summer without you is as cold as winter.
   Winter without you is even colder.

9. For Beatrice—
   Our love broke my heart,
   and stopped yours.

10. For Beatrice—
    When we first met, you were pretty, and I was lonely.
    Now, I am pretty lonely.

11. For Beatrice—
    Dead women tell no tales.
    Sad men write them down.

12. For Beatrice—
    No one could extinguish my love,
    or your house.

13. For Beatrice-
    I cherished, you perished.
    The world’s been nightmarished.

14. For Beatrice—
    We are like boats, passing in the night-
    particularly you.

It just happens automatically. Usually the images are warped versions of places I’ve actually been to or places I’ve seen videos/images of. My mind just reaches for the closest it’s ever seen of what is being described and they are changed to include specific details the author mentions. When it comes to characters, I also either imagine someone I’ve seen who closely matches the character description or I barely imagine them at all and just insert some hazy image of a person with the attributes the author does out of their way to point out. I almost never have a super vivid image of all of a character’s facial features.

Yes. There’s evidence that it helps delay dementia:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/do-reading-puzzles-and-similar-activities-really-stave-off-dementia#:~:text=A%20study%20published%20in%20Neurology,aged%2080%20years%20and%20over.

From the link:

A study published in Neurology in 2021 found that high levels of cognitive activity, such as reading, playing games like checkers and puzzles, and writing letters, can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by 5 years among those aged 80 years and over.
Another study, published in 2022 in PNAS, found that more time spent in cognitively passive activities, such as watching TV, is linked to increased dementia risk, whereas more time spent in cognitively active tasks, such as using a computer, is linked to a reduced risk of dementia.
And a study from JAMA OpenTrusted Source, published in July 2023, found that frequently engaging in brain-challenging activities, including journaling, playing chess, and solving crossword puzzles was associated with a lower risk of developing dementia among older adults.