I have always loved to read and I have always looked for new books to read like many people my age and older.
However, when I begun high school I did read a lot less and lost my interest a little bit. I think it was due to trying to come to terms with such a big change going from primary to secondary school. I also think that making new friends and suddenly having a ton of homework in comparison to primary was a contributor.
I don’t think I am the only one that feels as through high school or higher education has gotten in the way of reading and therefore people lose interest. I fortunately didn’t lose interest completely and I got back into it in my last few years of high school and now college. I also believe that when people go onto college or university a lot if things can get in the way and they have other priorities. Getting a huge workload and meeting up with new friends as well as often having a part time job. I personally always take the time to read something before I go to sleep. I go to college and have a part time job so there isn’t always time to read during the day and so I always read a little before I go to sleep. Even if it is a sentence, paragraph or chapter I have to read something otherwise I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything. I must read a part of the book I am reading each day and then I feel like I have completed something that day if I hadn’t anywhere else in the day. It relaxes me and makes me feel less stressed.
I think that your social group can be a big influence on if you continue to read or not. It you are constantly going out or meeting up with friends it’s a great time but that often takes over from reading, which isn’t a bad thing. It allows you to grow as a person and enjoy life in that way. I personally have a group of friends who during my first few years of high school took up most of my time and I am greatly thankful for that however as we grew older everyone had more of their own things to do such as homework and family time. That allows you to take the time to read a little more and it did for me even although we would still meet up and see each other at school every day.
Overall , I would say that if I wasn’t reading I would feel a void in my life as I love exploring other worlds and becoming involved in the storylines. Not everyone feels like this and in my family it’s a great example. My big sister always loved to read and I think partly that’s why I do but on the other hand my twin sister could think of 1000 other things to do before picking a book up to read but I personally would recommend reading to everyone. I think it is just the case of finding the perfect genre or author or book that is powerful enough to get that individual into reading.
Many thanks, Caitlin x
(PS feel free to comment your thoughts of being a bookworm or if you aren’t)
Read and Drink Tea 