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| I took the liberty of adding this image... NOT because I was trying to "Make it work", or because I couldn't think of another picture to put up, or because I thought messing up the original poster from the movie would be funny to myself and my readers, but because... Umm....I think Matthew McConaughy reads books when he's not too busy being shirtless or being a Grade A Douchebag. He's a great example to us all. Seriously. |
Uh... I mean 10 tips to becoming a reader :-)
1. Establish what your favorite genre is, so the search will be a little easier.
Examples: Fiction, Mystery, Sci Fi, etc.
2. You CAN judge a book by its cover. Obviously if you're looking for a thriller, you're not going to reach for the pink book covered with glitter.
3. After reading the back of a book, open it up and randomly read an excerpt. You never know if a book is unreadable due to complicated sentence structure. There's a difference
between reading for pleasure and reading to impress people because you read complicated/deep/(boring) books.
4. Be aware that you're going to catch attention, and probably a conversation. People reading in public is becoming more and more uncommon, books having been replaced with iPods or texting. Be ready to explain what you're reading...And to back up that pink glitter book that you secretly chose. ;-)
5. Find time to read. If you're a girl, take your book in your purse. A guy can put a small book in his pocket, or a larger one in his laptop bag or car. Read your book when waiting in line, on your lunch break, or at the DMV in the valley.
6. Don't be discouraged if your book turns out to be boring, inappropriate, or slow. Get another one! Remember, you can never have too many library cards. (I myself have 4, in two different states)
7. After establishing your favorite genre, play around with others. If you don't know where to start, get recommendations from any Reader friends you have.
8. You CAN read more than one book at a time. Sometimes you're just in the mood for something else.
9. Try reading various series. Knowing there's more than one book with the characters you've grown to love is awesome!!
10. Read a book that a movie you like is based on, and compare with how sucky the movie is now that you know better.
Have fun with your new hobby! You now have the power to recommend great literature to others, encouraging them to become Readers as well. You have become subliminally smarter in grammar, spelling, and writing. Your texts and IMs will become readable, as " t!yp!ng lyk3 dihs " is loathsome to the Reader.
Lianna's recommendations: (limited to fiction and slightly feminine, as that's my favorite category and I AM a girl)
-The Princess Bride (Yes, the book is every bit as good as the movie)
- The Belgariad
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, with a second helping of Through the Looking Glass
- Arabian Nights
- The Lord of the Rings (Yes, they ARE that good)
-Anything Jane Austen
