When Page and Soul go Dancing

One of the main things I love about books is that you can lose yourself in them. You can become a new person- either a character in the book or someone all your own. You can fall in love with characters, feel what they feel, see what they see. You can go on adventures in far away places or even not-so-far-away places. You can meet new people, taste new foods, or explore new worlds that don’t even exist in real life. Books are an ever-expanding sea of people, places, and ideas.

Another thing I love about books is that you can find yourself in them. You can read a single line in a book and relate to it in a way no one else can. For example, a character in a book could reveal something of themselves and this could prompt you to realize something about yourself. This happened to me recently as I was reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. In reading about one of the characters, I learned that she and I are very alike. In reading more of her story I have come to understand better why I am the way I am. It’s sort of hard to explain.

All in all, books are ourselves, hidden between the pages, that we uncover by reading.

Some quotes that I think sum this up nicely:

• When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than was there before.  ~Clifton Fadiman
• My view is that the right book has to reach you at the right time, and no person can be reached by every book. Literature is supposed to be beautiful and/or necessary—so if at a given time you don’t either enjoy or need a certain book, then you should read something else, and not feel guilty about it.  ~Elif Batuman

Patches of the Universe

One of my favorite kinds of books to read are books about books. Why? Because they constantly remind me why I love reading and what wonders books hold. One example of such a book is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. My favorite part of the book is when Faber is explaining to Montag the three things that society is missing, which books can provide:

“Number one: Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture….Telling detail. Fresh detail. The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies.”

So you see? Books contain life. They examine the world around us and even the world within us and allow us to see it, touch it, experience it, all simply tucked between innocent pieces of paper. The second thing needed to understand books is a bit simpler:

“Number two: leisure to digest it.”

Basically, reading and understanding takes time. You have to sit down, relax, and focus on what you are reading in order to “digest” or begin to comprehend what you are reading. And lastly, there is one more component:

“And number three: the right to carry out actions based on what we learn from the interaction of the first two.”

This one is probably the most important. It is not enough to just read books; we must take their knowledge and use it in our own lives. Even books that are meant for pleasure or to merely entertain can be beneficial. Just the act of reading improves vocabulary, spelling, attention span, memory, and countless other things that can be applied to other areas of life. Books make us think. I can not recall a single book I have read that hasn’t made me think about something in the world or in my own personal life. I think this is why some people do not like to read. They do not like to think. This is also addressed in the book:

“So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life. The comfortable people want only wax moon faces, poreless, hairless, expressionless.”

I urge you- do not be like these “comfortable people”. Life is so much more rewarding when you think for yourself. So please, open a book, because it will open your mind.

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” -Joseph Brodsky

BEST BLOG ENTRY

Now, it seems to me that often the only books a reluctant reader is exposed to are the ones that we are required to read in English class. This can sometimes be the downfall of reluctant readers because the books we read in class are not always very interesting  (no offense Mrs. Matthews). Especially if said books are not at the right reading level for some (or most) of the students in the class. This just makes reluctant readers more reluctant because their perception of reading is based on the books they are forced to read, which may not always be the best book for them.

On that note, here is a guide for those of you who are asking yourselves, “well, what is the best book for me?” In order to answer this you must do a bit of exploring. My tips:

1. Make some important decisions. Decide what type of book you would like to read. Fiction or Non-fiction? Contemporary (modern) or Historical fiction? Classics or new releases? Lots of violence or none at all? Or maybe just a little bit?  Lower level or higher level? Find your preference and remember that it’s okay to change your mind. You are your own reader.

2. Find your genre. Books can be categorized a million different ways. Think about some you might like. Are you a hopeless romantic? Find a boy-meets-girl kind of book. Do you love sports? There are stories out there about every kind of sport on the planet. Do you dream about fantasy worlds with dragons and fairies? I bet it’s not hard to find those. Books have no limit whatsoever, so find your perfect world and then a book to match.

3. Authors. Something that can also help is finding an author you particularly like. With this you can either find books by the same author or find books by authors who are similar. If you are a guy looking for a good book, it might be best to check out the ones written by guys. Girls, same thing. Depending on your preference, of course. Often I find that kids relate better to books written by people of the same gender as themselves. But of course, this is not always the case (my favorite author is a man). So just explore and see what you like.

4. Surf the shelves. Probably the best thing you can do to find a great book that fits you is to walk among the shelves at the library and pick up anything that looks even remotely interesting. Go to whatever section you think is appropriate (adult, teen, kids) and just look at the spines. See if a title pops out at you. Grab it. Look at the cover. Does it look like something you might be interested in? If so, open it. If not, OPEN IT. Find the summary on the inside flap (or on the back). Read it. Does it seem interesting? Skim the first few pages or so. If it doesn’t look interesting, you can put it back. Repeat this process until you find a book. Go home and read it. If you like it, congratulations! If not, figure out why you didn’t like it and try again. Sooner or later you will find a great book.

5. While you read… think about what you like and don’t like about the book. Do you like the adventure, but not the way it was written? Find another book about the same topic, but by a different author. Were there too many words you just couldn’t understand? Try a book at a lower reading level. I know this can be a tedious process, but think of all the things you learn about yourself along the way. And trust me, once you find a book you love, reading becomes much easier, enjoyable, and rewarding.

If you still need more help, click here to go to a website that finds books you might like based on preferences you can set yourself.

“The things you are looking for are in the world, but the only way you will ever see ninety-nine percent of them is in a book.” -Ray Bradbury,  Fahrenheit 451

Varsity Reading

Reading is almost like a sport. It takes focus, perseverance, and practice. Especially practice. You can not be a good reader without practice. I know a lot of people who claim they don’t read because they’re “not good readers”. You know why you’re not a good reader? Because you don’t read! It’s like saying “I’m not a good soccer player” or “I’m not a good basketball player”. Well, do you practice? “No.” Then of course you aren’t good at it! The best part about reading is that you certainly don’t have to be athletic and you don’t even have to be smart. There are books out there for anyone and everyone. Beginner, intermediate, advanced, it doesn’t matter. You too can become a great reader. It just takes practice. Sure, not everyone will fall in love with reading and suddenly become pros at it, but it’s always good to be familiar with it. I will probably never be a professional chef. But do I know how to use a stove and I make a mean mac and cheese if I say so myself. Reading doesn’t have to be your passion. But it should be a part of your life.

There are way too many people out there that don’t know the joys and benefits of reading. I warn you: do not become one of them. There are plenty of times where I knew how to react to a situation not because I had experienced it before, but because I read about it in a book. Now, you might be thinking, “reading about something is not the same as living it. I’d much rather experience the world than just read about it.” Sure, in some cases that is true. But wouldn’t you rather gain a new appreciation for the country we live in and the opportunities we have by reading about what it’s like in a third-world country rather than have to live there to find out? And wouldn’t you rather learn about what it’s like to have bone set by reading rather than go through the pain yourself? If you’d still rather learn by doing, be my guest: move to Bhutan and break your leg. What’s that? You don’t know where Bhutan is? Funny, I learned that from a book.

The love of learning…..

Books are much more than words on a page. That is what I want to convey with this blog. Almost my entire life I have loved reading. My mom taught me to read when I was four, before I started kindergarten, so that I would get an early start ahead of other kids. I have loved reading ever since, and can attribute any knowledge I possess (outside of what I have learned in school) solely to the amount of reading I do. I know a lot of kids nowadays think reading is boring and they can get the same experience by watching the movie, but in reality, nothing can replace reading a good book.

Books are airplanes. They pick you up and fly you off to new places, experiences, and worlds. You could go on an entire adventure in the Amazon or even outer space without ever leaving your bed. Or your couch. Or your bathtub. You can take a book anywhere. And more importantly, a book can take you anywhere.

With this blog I hope to get rid of any misconceptions people have about reading. I also want to show those who are more reluctant about reading that ultimately it may be the best thing you ever do. I will also probably provide a  “choosing the best book for you” how-to guide and probably give some information about various authors. Hopefully this blog will appeal to book-lovers and book-haters alike, and therefore work for anyone. Happy reading!

Oh, and if you still need convincing (if you’re a book-hater):

If you want info on book reading vs. internet reading this article is great:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?pagewanted=all

“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow