I possess my Bachelor’s degree in English language and literature, so I suppose it goes without saying that I enjoy reading.
Given the copious amounts of reading I was required to do in order to retain my degree, I really don’t think someone can pursue English if they don’t enjoy reading. Unless you’re a glutton for punishment or into some sadistic shit.
Granted, there were certainly texts I had to read for school that I really did not enjoy; Chaucer, in particular, and his affiliated works were, in my opinion, borderline torture to read and therefore study, and I have absolutely no desire to ever lay my eyes on his works again.
Whether or not you studied English, reading is a past-time loved by many, and for good reason; if you’ve found yourself a good book, reading it can literally be an escape from reality for a little while, and I can’t think of too many things that top that experience.
For those of us who do enjoy reading, I think we can all agree that there are books we have read that will remain with us forever for different reasons. Personally, the books that sparked my love for reading were Harry Potter, and I’ve read all seven of them six times over; I remember starting these books and being positively gobsmacked by the imaginative details J.K. Rowling incorporated into them, and I doubt I’ll ever forget the effect these books had on me.
I thought it might be fun to share some of my other favourites with you, and I encourage you to tell me your own favourites in the comments as well, please!
- Lord of the Flies by William Goulding
- The Widow by Fiona Barton
- The Child by Fiona Barton
- All of the Harry Potter book, but specifically Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Gone, Hunger, Lies, Plague, Fear, and Light, all by Michael Grant
Photo by Blaz Photo on Unsplash
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