I literally just heard a kid say (complete with Davy Crockett hat (I really am not kidding)), "I don't like no books with no pictures in 'em." This statement leads me to wonder what young people these day do like reading or do, even though they don't like it, read.
I know I fell victim to the "My Life is Too Busy" Syndrome and I couldn't find time to read. However, I found time to hang out with friends, go out to eat, go to church, watch TV, and do crafts. In short, just because I was busy didn't mean I didn't live my life, it meant that I lived my life more. So I think that because you are busy you should be reading more as well. And it can be done. While in law school, my sister read the whole wheel of time series (as was published at the time) at least twice. She read during her commute (this is not recommended unless you listen to audio books or you take public transit), she read before bedtime, and she kept books with her so if she had a down moment she could pick up her book. Even though you are busy you can still find time to read.
I'm not saying you need to go to your public library and pick up Ivanhoe and Moby Dick. If you hate the book you are reading you aren't going to read it and that completely misses the point. Just looking at that page with words on it engages your mind and improves your mental capacity. Let me explain what I mean.
I found the joy of reading first in 6th grade when I found the children's classics (I particularly remember Charlotte's Web) that most everyone read in elementary school. Because of a learning disability I had trouble reading and wasn't able to read at grade level for a long time. After a burst of reading activity, I got busy again. I didn't find reading again until I was a Junior in high school and my sister was telling me all the great books she was reading in college. I picked up several (she was taking a political science literature class and recommended Animal Farm and Fahrenheit 451) of those books and dove into a bright and beautiful world. Then college happened. I was reading plenty of stuff but not for pleasure. During the last year of my graduate school I found an author, Janet Evanovich, and suddenly devoured 12 books in 4 weeks. I have been reading about 3 books a week since then. In 2009 I read 127 books.
Reading has enriched my life in ways I never expected and looking back at my high school and college experience, I wish I had read more. You don't have to read as requently as I do. Obviously you don't have to read at all. But I reccommend that you find some silly or fun series and dive in. If you read 1 book a month then you will be reading 12 more books a year than you did last year. Your life will be better for it.
DISCLAIMER: Yeah, I am a librarian but reading is not my job. As a reference librarian, mostly I refer patrons to educational materials or reference materials. So while I work around books and organize books, I don't read for a living. Oh! What a job that would be!
2 comments:
Wait a minute... my copies of Ivanhoe and Moby Dick have pictures in them. So does Robinson Crusoe and Don Quixote. The illustrations were a big part of the fun of reading these classics.
I don't know why so many of the modern printings have done away with the illustrations.
Yeah, I don't know why they stopped doing that. Probably because it cost more money--or because the books got more interesting! tee hee
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