eading this past summer finally happened! I believe it's everyone's summer bucket list; reading just for their own pleasure. This too has been my wish, and I've stuck with the plan (for once). When I was in Junior High I was obsessed with a series called Christy Miller by Robin Jones Gunn, but once I finished the series, I completely lost interest in reading. I loved her writing style too much, that everything else seemed so boring compared to the 40+ books I couldn't put down. So I took a trip to the nearest Books & Noble's bookstore and browsed through the Christian fictional romance novels, and I purchased one that had an intriguing storyline, cover, and title. Long story short, I completed the book in two days! Yes, a 400 something page book was read in two days. For me, that's a huge accomplishment. While I lost myself in the novel I picked up, I thought of a few reasons why I loved it so much. Where I went wrong once I finished my favorite series. So I'm back at it, sharing some tips on how to love reading + how to get back into it.
Browse Your Local Bookstore - This may seem like a "duh" tip, but seriously it's the only way you'll be exposed to different types of books. So many people these days prefer online shopping, but when it comes to books, nothing is better than being able to touch and feel the book and pages. This way you're able to see the cover in person, read the contents, and see how thick the book really is.
Find A Good Author & Stay Faithful - It's so hard to find a good author, I mean that's the whole reason why I stopped reading after Jr. High! This past summer I discovered the wonder of Francine Rivers and her beautiful novels! My top three authors I highly recommend are; Robin Jones Gunn, Francine Rivers, and Karen Kingsbury. Once you find an author's writing style and story ideas that you love, search for other series or popular books the author has on the market.
The 5 Chapter Rule - I have to remember this rule every time I turn the first page of a book. The five chapter rule is you must read up until chapter five or so, until you decide to quit the book. It takes me a long time to get into the storyline and characters because the story is still setting itself up and everything is so rather slow. If you promise yourself to read five chapters before making a decision, than you might be very happy you never stopped back at chapter one lol.
I like that 5 chapter rule. I'm the opposite - I generally read a book to the end even if it absolutely bores me. Maybe I should wait 5 chapters before deciding if it's worth my time?
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The Life of Little Me
Oh that's also a neat idea, kinda the opposite from what I do! :) haha
DeleteReading is the best pastime in the colder months...
ReplyDelete-Kati
I so needed this! I haven't read a book in months! And I agree, it is hard to find a good book and authors. I have two favorites but one has books that are old fashioned. I don't mind at all, I like them, but I would like to read newer ones. Unfortunately I don't think she will make more books because she is 93 or 94 years old now. Her name is Beverly Cleary. My other favorite author is Lisa Papa. I can't spell her last name since it is long but I enjoyed about a couple of her books from the Candy Apple line plus she is the only author who gave me good writing advice.
ReplyDeleteSorry, now I'm babbling. I like your 5 chapter method. Some stories start off boring but if you give it a chance, it could become exciting later on.