Daily Halacha – Laws of Shabbat, 10th of Iyar 5777

Is it permissible to read cookbooks on Shabbat?

It is forbidden for women to read cooking recipes on Shabbat, since when reading they think about how to prepare the dishes. If it is merely for enjoyment, it is permitted as a mental activity, though it is good to be stringent [Chazon Ovadia p. 73].

Is it permissible to read secular books on Shabbat?

It is forbidden to read secular books on Shabbat, such as war stories and certainly romance novels. These books are also forbidden to be moved due to being muktzeh.

The authorities disagree about whether books of wisdom are forbidden to be read, and in cases of great need there is room for leniency. Similarly, they disagree about whether it is permissible to move them [Shulchan Aruch 308, 50].