Fifteen minutes of silence; deafening to the ears of students. The clock on the wall ticks off the seconds, the room is silent. The occasional cough or turning of a page can be heard, but mostly there is stillness in the air.
If this sounds like your designated reading time during ACE bell, you may not be reading the right book. This time is meant to be calming and enjoyable for all students.
Finding the right book is very simple if one is willing to go through a few simple steps and answer 4 literature questions.
1. What genre do you like to read?
2. Are you a fan of fiction or nonfiction?
3. Do you prefer classics or new wave books?
4. Do you like to be challenged by your reading?
Now answering these questions will not provide you with a list of knockout books for you to read, but it will help set you in the right direction. Knowing these things is especially helpful when asking a teacher for a recommendation.
If you still like you are struggling to find anything to fit your interest, talk to an English teacher or tweet at ‘The Book Voracle’, a twitter account run by the English department. They have more recommendations than one could ever want.
Finally, if you do not find yourself enjoying a book, put it down and find a new one.
English teacher Tom Gaffigan said, “Life is too short to read bad books.”