When I was little, I was an avid reader. I could read a book in a day or two. My school used to have a fundraiser called "The Book-A-Thon" where kids would have a few weeks to get pledges to read as many books as possible and raise money for the school. It was a good way to bring in money for the school, while trying to get students interested in reading.
The other day on Facebook, I went to my school's network and it showed the top ten books. The top place said, "I hate reading." I had to laugh since these kids were the students who participated in the Book-A-Thon. A lot of good it did. So, in the efforts to educate my fellow classmates, where did they go wrong?
I believe that I started to dislike reading when I was in seventh grade; after I stopped participating in my school's annual fundraiser. I was tired of spending weeks on end trying to read as much as possible, when I only read about 30 books.My classmates felt the same way: spending Easter break reading constantly was not a vacation. It drove the majority of my class from reading. I guess in 7th grade, we had a lot of reading material and it became more of a chore than enjoyment.
Shouldn't reading be fun?
I think that once reading is presented as a chore, kids begin to lose interest in it. I know that if I have a reading assignment, it is the last thing I work on. Mainly, because I hope there won't be enough time to complete it and I'll end up skipping it. Meanwhile, I can read a book of my choice in a day or so; depending on how much time I have. Also, books that I read in school that were interesting could keep my attention. Unfortunately, that rarely happened.
My friend and I were talking about how after graduation, we should read books that we hadn't read in high school, but were on the list. Since we graduated in January, we wanted to keep up on reading and feeding our minds. Well, she went away for a month and I started on my list. I read maybe 2 books. I got stuck on both of them. One was a mystery book, which took me a month to read and had a disappointing ending. The other was "To Kill A Mockingbird." I kept falling asleep while reading it. I don't know if the book itself is boring or if I just hadn't gotten to the main plot. I expressed my opinion to her and we agreed that some classic books are not interesting (i.e. Tom Sawyer). I don't know how they became classics anyway.
I'm hoping one day I can go back to enjoy reading again...maybe when interesting books come out.
*If anyone wants they can suggest a good book to me*
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Well I never participated in a "Book a thon" but two years ago when I was a Junior a new contest took place between area high schools where we're quizzed on a certain list of books. After trying to read all those so fast I felt a little burned out, but I resumed my normal reading soon afterwards.
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Mind Control is Easier Than You Think
I have a list of about 40 books taped to my wall that I was set out to read within the course of a year. I didn't manage it, and several books were added to the list over time as they were published, but it was still an enjoyable experience, for the most part. I suggest you dabble in some books and find out what you enjoy reading. Classics can be a little dry, so maybe contemporary literature is your thing. Or maybe you prefer to read plays instead of novels. Ask for some suggestions from your friends or you local librarian. Or try getting involved with a book club.
~C
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I love to read all different sorts of books, however you have to seriously open your mind when reading and let yourself be there. To Kill a Mockingbird starts slow, but the writing is genius. Tom Sawyer, is a fantastic book... it shows you how life was in our country not much too long ago. There are so many fantastic books out there, so do not lose hope or give up. If you go to most libraries they have tons of different book clubs, you are bound to find a category of books that you like. Giving up reading a great book, is like waking in the middle of a dream. They all have stories to tell... so pick one up!!!
Jeanna Marie