The evolution of my reading habits

[enjai_pearson]

This was initially going to be a reply to a thread on the "westeros" forum but it quickly became far too long winded for a single post so i decided to post the unadulterated version here (and savagely edit the forum post). Anyway, here it is:)

Comments

[misunderstruck]

Awesome post. I also had some great teachers who were very good at encouraging reading for the joy of it instead of simply ticking off boxes on the way to completing a class. One of my uncles gave me a set of the Great Illustrated Classics which I devoured quickly. I remember having to be told to stop reading on various occasions, whether because we were in a car and it was getting too dark to see clearly or because it was past my bedtime. In the latter case, I usually had a flashlight stowed away under my covers.

At 15 something went awry.
That's a pretty good general description of being 15.

[enjai_pearson]

It's amazing the difference it can make when you get a teacher who enjoys reading and encouraging the kids to enjoy it too. Ideally there'd be one in every school because if you get the kids early, the books ending up doing a lot of work for you. Kids vocabularly and spelling are bound to improve the more they read - redardless of genre.
The secondary school teacher was pretty cool in that she kept trying to get a class that was 65% boys to read "silas Marner" and was failing. Then she broke out "lord of the flies" and even the least enthusiastic boy in the class was captivated.

[misunderstruck]

Totally. One of the things I remember my 9th and 12th grade English teacher doing a lot in class is talking about something that happened in a book we were discussing or simply reading a passage and saying, "Isn't that great?" His enthusiasm was infectious, and he's one of the main reasons I was interested in becoming a teacher.

Kids vocabularly and spelling are bound to improve the more they read
Absolutely. I told this to my calculus students as part of my general advice for university on the last day of classes. (While talking to them about this, I put the following quote up on the screen: "A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." Seemed appropriate.)

[xraytheenforcer]

The Prydain books are the gateway drug for many an SF/F fan. :D

[enjai_pearson]

Yeah, I noticed them popping up a lot on the westeros thread too. I can remember the ending being a bit of a downer but fitting none-the-less.
I often wonder how those kind of books would stand up to a re-read. Part of me suspects it might not be worth the risk of retroactively destroying my memories though.