In a few sentences, summarize Nick Hornby's philosophy of reading in this essay. What do you think about this advice? How does it match or not match your reading style? Discuss some boks that have been very enjoyable for you to read and some that have been painful. What made the experience good or bad?
Nick Hornby's main advice about reading books is that they should be enjoyable. He says that if you are not enjoying the book that you are reading, if it causes you to reach extreme boredom, or if it actually hurts you to read that book, then he says to put the book down and to pick another one to read. You don't have to continue reading if it's not enjoyable. He relates reading books to watching TV. If you don't like the television channel you're watching, just pick up the remote and change the channel. According to Hornby, it is the same thing. He also relates in the essay how he loves to read and write and the only way he can pursue his passions is by reading other writers' works. He also mentions that he understands how the perception on reading books is like doing a chore. But, he wants to convince others that it doesn't have to be. It should be a joy.
I think Nick Hornby's advice about reading is great advice. I really think that's how reading should be done. Unfortunately, most of my reading over the course of my life has been reading books for school. Most of the books I was forced to read were not very enjoyable and I wanted to put them down. But, because it was for school, I was unable to do so. The good news is that with the few books I actually wanted to read, I found them enjoyable and I completed them. Like I said in my previous blog, I am not a fan of depressing books. What is the point of reading a book that will make you feel horrible? I don't understand. I prefer stories that present climactic chapters and suspenseful/mysterious characters with interesting concepts. Like Nick Hornby said in his essay, some are fans of the Da Vinci Code, like me! I really enjoy Dan Brown's writing style. I hope that in the future that I will have the freedom to pick out books for myself and that reading becomes a bigger part of my life. But, as of right now, that is not the case.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Once you said in your last post that you liked the Da Vince Code, I figured you might like Hornby's article too. I, at least, do appreciate that you actually read books for school even when you don't love them... but I'm also hoping you'll enjoy the books this year. :)
Post a Comment