The intervention of interest in this review is paper (hard copy) book reading, e-book reading or audiobook listening as a leisure activity ("reading for pleasure" or "recreational reading"). These interventions include lone reading, as well as reading aloud in a one-on-one setting, and being read to in a one-on-one setting. These common leisure activities may promote two aspects of healthy ageing, that is, cognitive functioning and emotional well-being, by providing cognitive stimulation and by helping to relax and take one's mind off the worries of everyday life, respectively. Preparing for the economic and social shifts associated with an ageing population is an essential task for the 21st century policy-maker. Governments should look into innovative but sustainable ways to promote healthy ageing. Reviews that study the effects of common and low-threshold leisure activities, such as book reading, on the cognition and emotional well-being of older adults, may provide useful information in creating these frameworks. In this way, policy-makers can make evidence-based decisions on where to focus their efforts in dealing with global ageing. By systematically searching for individual studies, this review will answer the following research question: What is the effect of book reading on cognitive functioning and emotional well-being in older adults?