Over the years, I have read many different books, but in the end, I will always end up reading historical fiction. I love visualizing how different people lived in the past. Although this genre is not very relatable, I feel like I can escape from the real world and forget my worries by becoming the character and thinking about their problems instead. Outside of class I read Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michele Moran, The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. My book this past quarter was The Luxe by Anna Godbersen. The entire book was set in the past, but wherever it was set, they were all full of details that made you believe that you were right there with them.
I usually like reading books I choose, because the books that the teachers choose are not in the genres I usually read. Normally I don’t choose books that are about coming of age or learning a major life lesson. I like the characters to learn something, but not have it be extremely obvious. Finding out what the characters learn is one of my favorite things to do, especially when you can’t see it at first glance.
I didn’t especially like the plot line, general idea, or how the book The Luxe was written, but I loved the details. It made you feel as if you could feel the characters emotions whether it be rage or despair. It also made you visualize everywhere they went. There were ornate gold plated and marble ball rooms, simple hotel rooms, or even walking down the street.
Over the years, books have helped me realize that there is no such thing as black and white. They can help you see that if a character may seem purely evil at first glance, they are really human underneath. Humans cannot be pure anything, and books are able to describe in words what we may not see in real life. We can only see the surface, and books help us go beyond that.
The next book I am reading next quarter is Emma by Jane Austen. I want to push myself a bit, so I am reading a classic. I hope to become a more well-rounded reader by trying this new type of writing.
The hardest part of reading is finding a book I like outside of historical fiction. I almost never go outside that, and if I do, it’s for a classic or fantasy. I need to learn how to enjoy and accept other types of books. The easiest part of reading for me is visualizing and being drawn away from reality. When I read I instantly have a movie running through my mind, and I forget where I am.
When I first read a book, if I am not picturing it within the first 5 pages, I will not continue to read it. I also have an extremely odd habit; I read the last 2 pages of the book. If the characters don’t seem to be satisfied with their ending, why should I be? And if I don’t like the ending, why should I bother reading the whole story that leads up to that disappointment?
A good book in my opinion is a book that everyone ends up happy in someway, but it cannot be too easy for them to get there. If everyone just got their happy ending without having to learn something or go through something, it’s just not realistic. I also like to have lots of details in my books. A bad book in my opinion is that everyone either ends up a) completely depressed, b) dead, or c) if there is absolutely no conflict for them to resolve.
I personally own an E-Reader myself, the Barnes and Noble Nook. At first I didn’t like the idea of not having a physical book in my hands, but after I got it I realized how much easier it had made my life. I travel a lot, so it saves space because I don’t have to carry a whole bunch of books along. I believe this is still reading because you are still getting the same information, just in a different format. Just because it is not on paper, does not mean the quality or importance of the information changes.
