Reading has been very important to me ever since I was little. Early in my school years, I used to pride myself on what and how fast I could read, as well as how “well” I could read, once my school started measuring that kind of thing. In the sixth grade I took a test that told me I was reading at a 12th grade reading level, which mostly secured my desire to keep reading, as it was something I was markably “good at”. More than that, I also really enjoyed immersing myself in stories and spending hours upon hours in a new world.
When I first began reading, I would read for the act of reading itself. Reading was new, it was something interesting and unlike any other kind of pastime. The first chapter book I read was part of the Junie B. Jones Series by Barbara Park. Those books soon became my favorite to read, because of the quirky manner of speech with which the narrator, Junie B., described all of her (at the time relatable) kindergarten adventures. The books were fun and easy to read, which is all my young mind really cared to read for. As I got a little older, I turned toward more in-depth plots with more interesting premises, such as the Grey Griffins series, starting with The Revenge of the Shadow King by Derek Benz and J. S. Lewis. These books told the tale of a group of friends who discover that the fantastical creatures that exist in a card game they like to play actually exist, and that there’s danger and hidden secrets looming in their town that only they can uncover. These books fostered my love for fantasy, and kept me engaged with mysterious creatures and adventures. After reading this serious, I started reading for exposure to worlds that don’t exist in real life, partly to fuel my own fantasies of being a part of something magical and indescribable.
When I entered middle school, I was exposed to a much more expansive school library and a very caring and engaged librarian who helped anyone with finding books to read that were perfect for them. This was also the time when, as mentioned before, I was placed in a higher level of reading (and so was required to read a certain number of books in “my level” per month). This was one of the first times in my life I started reading for an assignment (instead of in my free time) so I ended up reading many challenging books that I may not have gotten to otherwise. One such book was The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. Admittedly, part of the reason I chose to read that book was because at 11 years old I thought I would seem smart and impressive if I read it (in other words, reading for bragging rights, essentially) but I also knew of the story and was interested in reading it to know what existed before the movies. It was pretty challenging, but I remember enjoying the story a lot and I still had an appreciation for the fantasy genre. After reading The Hobbit as well as half of the Lord of the Rings series, I was better able to sit through pages and pages of dense descriptions while still being able to absorb the story.
Another book that I chose partially because of the movie adaption is Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. Carrol’s manner of writing was a little strange for me, but that also made it an entertaining read. I appreciated the weirdness, and I enjoyed reading for the original story of the Disney movie that I already loved.
When I got to high school, my reading choices were less focused on fantasy and story and more focused on relatability to the characters and the messages they portrayed. Of course, many of the books I read in high school were studied in English class, often classic works, but I still found myself enjoying such books when I felt I could relate to the characters. In this time, I started reading to understand myself by way of relating to characters in literary works.
The most pivotal book for this time period for me was The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. I read this book on my own over the course of two days, just before I learned that we would be starting to reading it in one of my classes. This led to a unique experience where I made my own connections and perceptions about it on my own, but then had the chance to examine it from a literary standpoint after the fact. I related very much to Holden, and I still hold this book dear in my heart. Throughout the book, Holden is just looking for someone to connect to, someone who understands him while he’s fighting between the purity of childhood and responsibility of adulthood. The style of writing in Catcher in the Rye is also unique, in that it’s essentially a stream of consciousness. The exposure to this style of narration led me to appreciate similar styles in other things I’ve read.
A book that is very similar to Catcher in the Rye is a book called The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. This book is told by way of letters addressed to the reader from a boy named Charlie, who’s trying to get through high school and the pressures of new social situations, as well as underlying issues from his family life that affect his mental state. The social issues he goes through are very relatable and understandable to most readers, and his insecurities and emotional problems also struck a chord with me in particular. This genre of self-reflective, coming-of-age novel were very important to me at this time in my life, and helped me start reading to connect with stories that helped me understand myself.
Another type of reading I did in high school was reading to appreciate more classical literature. One book I read of my own volition was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This book was definitely not what I was used to reading, especially the paragraph-long sentences that are a frequent occurrence. That being said, it’s a surprisingly digestible story about two individuals who have a hard time seeing past their misconceptions of each other, which bars them from seeing that they are actually perfect romantic partners. It’s dramatic and engaging, despite the flowery and drawn-out language that was more of a product of the time period it was written than any kind of flaw in Austen’s writing. I started reading this book for the challenge, but soon became engaged and read it for the compelling narrative.
In my junior year, we were assigned to read Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This, too, was a classical work that I apprehended as a potential challenge for me. Shakespeare was still new to me, so I had to rely on class discussion to fully understand the story, but even so I became invested in this work. Reading Hamlet (as well as other Shakespeare I would read later on and in college) shaped me into someone who reads for the poetic element of language. Shakespeare’s works demonstrate such a mastery of meter, rhyme, allusion, and other literary devices that they flow naturally as you read them. While I still have trouble knowing what exactly is being said in some of his plays, I cannot deny the amazing amount of skill that went into writing them. Reading Shakespeare gave me an appreciation for the intricacies of the English language.
In my intermediate French class in my first year of college, we read Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, entirely in French. This was the first large work that I’d read in French, and it certainly provided a different “reading for” than I’ve ever experienced. This time, as well as acknowledging the original plot of a story/movie I already knew, I was reading for proficiency in another language. I’m sure that I could read it again when I am more advanced in French and have a different and more complete experience with the work, but this time I was able to comprehend what happened in an entirely new way of reading.
Over the course of my life, I’ve read for a variety of different reasons. My appreciation of these works has been shaped by my prior feelings about them and my situation in life, and these works have transformed the ways and the reasons that I read. All of these books have left an impact on me, as a reader and a writer, and I am grateful for the the fact that they existed in my life when they did. Throughout my reading experiences, I have learned to read for the challenge as much as the enjoyment, and for the emotional appeal as much as the technical excellence. Overall, though, I believe the things I read that stick with me will always be read, at least partly, for pure enjoyment.
How Writers Read... 