Reading: My Thoughts and Suggestions

As much as reading has not been something that has interested me in the past, I recently recognised that it is something that I enjoy. In this post, I explore this newfound hobby of mine and discover the benefits of reading, along with offering some recommendations of specific books you may enjoy. I also have book recommendations from a friend of mine that has helped me to co-write this post. Therefore I hope that this will include something for everyone.

When I was younger, reading always felt like a chore. I blame this on how I used to associate it with school work which I heavily disliked, meaning I felt stressed when opening a book. Throughout my school career, my teachers repeatedly mentioned how it would expand your knowledge of vocabulary and increase your reading age and often suggested reading every day. I just persuaded myself that they were wrong (mostly because I did not want to accept that reading would be beneficial). But I can now see the benefits of using your imagination and interpreting the styles of different writers, which means I have become somewhat invested in increasing the amount of time I spend reading.

The main reason for this sudden motivation is because it reduces my feelings of anxiety. When I read about and delve into the life of someone else I can detach from anything stressful that has occurred during my day. Due to this, I only read when I feel I need to; I do not pressure myself to do it, and I stop reading when I feel ready to move on. In my opinion, the most important thing to remember is to read on your terms because this will ultimately create a more pleasurable experience.

Now that I have explained my reasoning, I would like to share some of my book recommendations:

• ‘First Man In’ by Ant Middleton - An autobiography that shares the lessons this experienced soldier learnt whilst fighting in agonising wars. They teach you valuable skills to take forward with you in the future. It allowed me to gain a greater perspective on how my actions influence every aspect of my life.

• ‘Soldier’ by Jay Morton - Much like the previous suggestion, this book tells shares the life of a soldier. This narrative explores the mindset of Jay Morton and how his horrific yet rewarding experiences have taught him how to be a stronger and more courageous person in his life as a whole.

• ‘An Astronaut’s Guide to Planet Earth’ - The story of an astronaut told from the perspective of Chris Hadfield, who helped to construct the ISS and is a high-powered member of NASA. If you are looking to explore more information about space whilst also learning how to handle high-pressure situations, I would consider giving this one a read.

As you can tell, I only read non-fiction books because I do not want to concentrate on and remember a complex plot within a fiction book. I use reading to lighten my anxiety and if I have to focus intensely I cannot do this.

Additionally, I have some books that I have already bought and am looking forward to reading:

• ‘The Fear Bubble’ by Ant Middleton.

• ‘Zero Negativity’ by Ant Middleton.

• ‘Brief Answers to the Big Questions’ by Steven Hawking.

Now I would like to introduce my friend to provide you with her suggestions for fiction books:

Hi, my name is Grace and I am a current A-level student. As someone who has been an avid reader throughout my academic journey, I have read a fair amount of books, fiction in particular.

• Firstly I would recommend “1984” by George Orwell. After taking an interest in dystopian novels at the beginning of this year after reading The Handmaid’s Tale (another amazing book by the way!), I was excited to read this novel to prepare for my A-Level English Literature class. I found the notion of a manipulated and strict society to be very interesting and slightly unnerving - especially since a lot of the societal norms within the novel can be drawn back to world history and dictatorships of the past. The book explores the idea of conforming to a totalitarian society yet rebelling against it. It offered me a fresh perspective on life and our world history since the rules and regulations of the setting differ so greatly from the progressive society that we live in today.

• Another book I had found enjoyable to read was “The Institute” by Stephen King. I read this novel during the first lockdown in 2020 and as someone who has never enjoyed the horror genre, I found this novel very entertaining. I struggled to put the book down once I had started reading it. The narrative follows the experience of a child who was abducted and taken to an institution to be tested on due to his telekinetic powers. On this journey, he meets others with the same abilities as him. The setting itself and tests that the children have to undergo lead to painful and torturous endings. King explores child abuse and the limits of testing in this book. After reading it, I was left shocked and highly interested in the topic of discussion.

To summarise, my opinion on ‘reading’ is that we should not be made to feel as though we have to do it. Being told I had to is what stopped me from doing it for my entire childhood and I am sure the same thing happened for many others. However, it does allow your writing to become more sophisticated and it would be essential for you to read a variety of texts if you progressed to English Literature or Language at A-Level or degree level. I hope that we have shared something of use with you and perhaps inspired you to read. Thank you for reading this post, and feel free to comment with your own book suggestions!