Written by Chloe Mackney
Reading never used to be important to me; now it’s second nature. Growing up, I always loved picking up a book, but it never stuck with me. In my senior years of high school, I started picking up sports biographies, beginning with Shane Warne’s autobiography, and realised I did love reading.
My love, or should I say borderline addiction, to reading didn’t start there; my friend Olivia is to blame for this. Olivia, who is both an author and an avid reader, recommended books and series to me, and the hobby took off from there. At the time of writing this blog, I’m sitting at nearly 180 books read, with plenty more to come. The first series that really cemented my love of reading was Elsie Silver’s Chestnut Springs series. This sparked my love of romance books and taught me that delving into the lives of fictional characters and worlds can let you escape from a hectic life and steer you away from boredom.
My favourite book series is Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ The Naturals, a four-book young adult crime and mystery series through the eyes of teenagers who help the FBI.
Finding time between study and work can sometimes be difficult. However, I manage my time based on how much I’ve already dedicated to studying and when I feel I need to take a break and read. For me, this means, ‘Okay, I’ve already dedicated four-plus hours to studying today; let’s rest and come back to it later.’ This is my window for reading. I like to dedicate at least an hour to reading, but I always end up doing more.
My best advice for those wanting to read? Judge the book by its cover! The number of times I’ve bought a book based on the cover is astounding. Reading the blurb on the back cover is also crucial as it gives you insight into what to expect.
Also, joining a book or reading site such as Goodreads is useful in tracking your reading and receiving recommendations! The advice I would give for this site is to NOT read the reviews. The number of times I’ve seen one-star reviews, only to find that the book turns out to be a four- or five-star read, is staggering. Some of these reviews are good and insightful, but don’t let a poor review stop you, as everyone’s taste is different. If you think you’d enjoy a book, don’t worry about the reviews; your interests may not align with that of someone you don’t know.
If you want to read but don’t want to fully commit to buying one, go to your local library or bookstore. This is a way you can read portions of a book you think you might be interested in before buying it. Registering for a library card is also beneficial as you can borrow books for free, and if you don’t like it, you can return it!
Charlie blog is a SSAF initiative.
