Active Reading Vs. Passive Reading:Using Psychology-Based Critical Reading Skills To Increase Information Absorption & Retention
Active reading involves fully engaging with the material, critically analyzing concepts, and connecting new information to existing knowledge, thereby enhancing comprehension and retention. In contrast, passive reading, characterized by skimming or reading amidst distractions, often leads to superficial understanding. The first step to reading more actively is to review any questions related to the material before reading to identify key information. Second, read the passage multiple times, revisiting questions between each reading to reinforce understanding. Third, identify and define unfamiliar terms to prevent confusion. Fourth, summarize main ideas in the margins or in a notebook to reinforce comprehension. The fifth and final step is to mark important sections relevant to the reading objectives for easy reference. Implementing these techniques can transform reading into an active process, leading to better absorption and long-term retention of information.
This blog post was written by a human.Hi readers and writerly friends!
If you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by, and if you’re a returning reader, it’s nice to see you again! In this post we’re discussing the concept of active reading for comprehension and concept retention. This article is all about helping you ensure you’re actually absorbing what you’re reading and will able to put into application, the information you’ve read or listened to, rather than it simply going in one ear and out the other.
Passive Reading
Passive reading is when one reads quickly, skimming the material and not really taking it in effectively. This most often occurs when readers are cramming with little time to read, reading amidst distractions such as loud music, noises, or voices, or listening to books while doing some other activity that pulls their attention away from the information they’re trying to absorb.
To avoid passive listening, limit your multitasking and have a pen and paper close by so you can jot down any important notes as needed. If you must do something while listening to an audiobook or recording, combine that mental activity with a physical activity of low mental energy such as working out, going for a walk, bathing, or doing some other simple, automatic/repetitive task that won’t pull you away from the material. Where you can, try to have a copy of the physical book to read along with the audiobook for extra focusing power and immersion.
Active Reading
Active reading is the method of reading material by which you are fully engaged and able criticize concepts as they are presented to you, comparing what you are learning with that which you already know. By active reading, you are absorbing the information you are presented with and thus able to apply it moving forward.
How to read actively:
When reading chapters in text books or curriculum material, read any questions BEFORE reading the passage so you can know what key information you’re supposed to be looking for.
Where you can, read the passage three times and review the questions between each pass through. This will help you to cement the information in your brain and will ensure you’re becoming extra familiar with the material, introducing any key concepts you might have missed in the first pass through.
Underline and search any unknown words, subjects, concepts, or ideas referenced, that you might not be familiar with. This will avoid any confusion during the reading process. Write these terms and their definitions down so that you can reinforce your understanding of them.
Pay attention to headers and sub-headers as they typically provide clues to the main idea of that section. As you move through paragraphs, jot down a few words in the margins or in your note, to describe the main idea of each paragraph. This is especially helpful when writing a summarization or response paper for passages.
As you read, highlight or underline any concepts that may be relevant to the reading questions you reviewed before and between reading sessions. When it comes time to answer the questions, go back to the highlighted sections for easy and accurate answering.
As you read, take any notes on concepts, terms, or subjects you will be quizzed on later or save any ideas you will want to come back to. There are all kinds of ways to take notes, but opt for simplicity and efficiency. Notes do not have to be gorgeous or frilly to be effective. Legible handwriting, underlining, capitalization, and a few different color pens will go a long way. If you prefer, handwrite your notes and then type them up on your computer for extra studying power and better legibility.
The Benefits of Active Reading
Active reading ensures you absorb the material you’re reading, you retain more of what you read, and you remember the information for years to come. It’s a skill that takes time and practice to build but after a few sessions, you’ll have this useful skill in your toolkit forever. This skill is especially useful for students and educators but anyone who considers themselves an academic or lifelong learner would benefit from practicing this skill.
Active Reading Using The SQ3R Method
According to the American Psychological Association, the SQ3R method is “a study method developed on the basis of research in cognitive psychology which promotes enhanced learning of reading material (APA, 2020). The acronym SQ3R stands for the five steps in the reading process: Survey, Question, Read, Remember, and Review. This process is effective for reviewing previously visited material as well as reading passages for the first time. According to the Marbella International University Centre, the SQ3R method was proposed in the book Effective Study (1946) by Francis P. Robinson, a prominent American educational psychologist (Marbella IUC 2020).
Survey: Skim through the text quickly to get an overall idea of the subject matter. Pay close attention to section headers and sub-headers.
Question: If you are reading the passage for a particular purpose (for example, to answer an assignment), ask yourself how it helps. Ask these additional questions of the text: Who? What? Where? When? How?
Read: the text in a focused, and fairly speedy way. Take breaks between long passages to allow your brain to refocus and absorb more material.
Remember: Test your memory - but don't worry if you can't remember much. Flashcards are a great way to test your memory. Work with a friend or colleague or use Quizlet to create your own virtual flashcards to quiz yourself.
Review: Read the text in more detail, taking notes. Summarize and paraphrase important concepts. Being able to accurately rephrase content in an easily-digestible format demonstrates your understanding of the material.
Take Your Active Reading Practice A Step Further With The SQ4R Method
According to Weber State University, there are some other terms you could insert for a SQ4R method instead. Below are the optional R’s that can be used as a fourth step in this method and will take your reading, memorization, and application to another level.
Relate and Reflect: Making a meaningful, personal connection between yourself and the material will help cement concepts in your mind. As you read each chapter or section, try to create ties between the new concepts and the information you already know. How can this material apply to your life
Rewrite: Reduce the information to easily-digestible notes by rewriting and paraphrasing. Take notes that are both concise and complete, and double check your own version against the text. For your reference, include page numbers in your notes, so you can quickly trace the information back to the source text if needed.
Record: Retain essential information and key concepts either by literally recording yourself read aloud, saving bookmarks or timestamps in an audiobook, or adding sticky tabs to the pages of your physical text. Create a list of terms and concepts that you know will be on the test and write the page numbers from the source material as well as your notes so you can quickly and easily find the information you need while studying.
Repeat and Read Aloud: As with the Record option, you could read aloud your material. Studies have shown that reading aloud improves comprehension as well as memory. As per the Neurobehavioral Associates, a 2017 study from the University of Waterloo confirmed the production effect, or the “distinction experienced when words are read aloud, versus reading words silently. The speaking of the words is more active than silent reading, and therefore aides in the production of our long-term memories” (Neurobehavioral Associates 2018).
The ninety-five participants in the study “were asked to read silently, listen to someone else read aloud, read aloud themselves, and listen to a recording of themselves reading. While hearing a recording of themselves did show a small benefit, the greatest benefit to memory was, overwhelming, found when the participants read aloud” (Neurobehavioral Associates 2018). Try reading aloud to help retain important information and read along with your own recordings for even stronger concept retention.
Respond: As you read, write the answers to the questions you read before diving into 3R/4R part of the method. As necessary, ask yourself additional questions and write them with the answers in the margins or in your notes. When you go back to answer the actual test questions, double check that your answer is correct and include the page number with your answers if you have the space.
Active reading starts with the reader. It is the act of engaging deliberately with the material and absorbing it effectively. Readers can practice reading more actively with a few simple steps and by doing so will increase their information absorption and reading comprehension.
That’s it for my guide on how to practice active reading! Have you ever heard of this practice before? In what was has active reading helped you study smarter? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!
Bibliography
Kang, Jaeyoung Geoffrey. “Assorted-title-book lot photo.” Unsplash photo, July 31, 2019 (Thumbnail photo).Marbella International University Centre. “What is the SQ3R study method and how to use it?” Web article, November 17, 2020 (Paragraphs 1-2).Neurobehavioral Associates. “Reading Out Loud Improves Memory.” Blog post, April 11, 2018 (Paragraphs 5-6).Weber State University. “The SQ3R Method.” PDF found on Google.com, accessed September 12, 2022.
Further Reading
“SQ3R Reading/Study System.” Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’ Cook Counseling Center article, accessed September 12, 2022.“Active Reading.” The Open University’s Critical Reading Techniques series, accessed September 12, 2022.
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This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. If you want to learn more about my stance on gen-AI and it’s role in media and the publishing industry, I plan to release a blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.
10 Tips For Planning Your Reading Challenge
Not into New Years resolutions? Think you’d do better with a challenge? Well the good news is there’s something that works for everyone! This list of 10 tips will set you on the right track for you 2020 reading challenge!
Photo by Ann Poan.
Make time for reading
First and foremost, carve out a special time each day to read. Even if it’s for only 30 minutes at first, you will find yourself more interested in reading that you initially thought possible. Us the Pomodoro technique to read in 25-minute intervals, to break the looming task down just a little. The easy part is setting the goal and doing the planning, but the follow-through is where it really counts, and unfortunately that part isn’t quite as easy. Set alarms to go off when you’re supposed to start and stop reading and make sure your reading area is conducive to relaxation and enjoyment.
Pro tip: Don’t forget Audiobooks! They totally count as reading and are a multitasker’s best friend! You can listen to audiobooks at the gym, in the car, or doing little chores around the house, to name a few activities.
Outline your own reading challenge
Reading challenges appear in many different forms: monthly Bookish bingo challenges, pre-made monthly lists, or like the Goodreads challenge, a set number of books you will try to read by the end of the year! Pick an existing challenge to participate in and figure out which books you want to read in 2020. Make them their own little list or shelf and be sure to leave room for extra books that you might need to get you out of reading slumps.
Pro tip: I always read romantic thrillers or horror novels to get me out of reading slumps! Usually it’s fantasy that puts me in a slump (even though I love the genre to death). Figure out what your go-to genre is and line up an reading slump emergency kit!
Get creative with your goals
Just because Goodreads has the yearly reading challenge and helps you keep track of the amount of books you read, doesn’t mean your goals have to strictly be a number. Consider what other goals would be helpful for your growth as a reader or writer. For example, one of my goals this year is to write a review for every book (or series) I read. I want to get into doing book reviews regularly and this is an excellent way for me to build the habit while challenging myself in a new, fun way. Another couple of examples is to only buy a new book when you’ve read one you currently own, join and IRL book club, or to get into reading audiobooks by reading one each month!
Organize your TBR
I’m sure we all have or have had that one shelf where we stash all genres and topics of books that we may or may not have the intention of reading. Whether you’ve got an actual bookshelf or your Goodreads virtual bookshelf, your amazon wishlist, or a handwritten list of books, keeping your TBR organized is key to accomplishing your reading goals in 2020.
Join a read-a-thon in 2020!
Read-a-thons are reading challenges that happen year-round and are hosted by book bloggers, booktubers, bookstagrammers, and bookish brands such as Owl Crate and Book Box! Joining the bookish fun is a great way to get involved, stay motivated, and make new friends along the way!
Photo by Content Pixie.
Prep your shelves
If you are in fact hoping to reach your goal of reading a certain number of book in 2020, you’re going to need to not only plan out your reading list, but also your shelves. See if you can find a reading challenge you’d like to participate in and pair the books on your shelf to the prompts in the challenge. You’ll get a good idea of your reading challenge this way and if you’re having trouble matching books to the challenge, it might be a good sign it’s time to pick a different challenge.
Track your progress effectively
Find a tracking method that works for you. I find the Goodreads reading challenge to be a great motivator and a great way to keep track of the books I’ve read. Plus, it gives you all sorts of statistics at the end of the year , like what books you read, longest to shortest in page count, most and least popular from your books, and it even keeps track of your reviews! However, you don’t have to use Goodreads. You can take the old-fashioned route and design a pretty progress tracker for 2020 that will inspire you to complete it!
Pro tip: Pintrest is a fantastic resource for finding any kind of habit tracker out there! Just type in “reading tracker” or “book tracker” in the search bar and you’ll be met with a plethora of fun designs you can use to track your own reading progress!
I always look forward to this goal all year long and it continues to motivate me each year, even when I find myself in reading slumps or lacking motivation.
Connect with the bookish community
Reading brings people together! Get involved in the bookish community online and in real life to build strong connections with like-minded people and keep yourself motivated throughout the year and the reading challenge. Having a bookish BFF is an awesome way to keep yourself reading all year long! There are all kinds of fun, bookish things you can do in real life as well. You can start a book club together, buddy-read, host silent reading parties, or trade book recommendations!
Pro tip: Bookstagram and reading groups on Facebook are both great ways to get engaged with the online reading community! See if your local library or community college has a book club you can join or start!
Set up a rewards system that works
If you read my guide on how to cure writer’s block for good, then you might know what I am about to say. Don’t neglect your other goals (saving money, losing weight, quitting smoking etc) by rewarding your good bookish behavior with toxic behavior. Set up a sustainable rewards system that doesn’t interfere with your other goals.
For instance, I am trying to cut out sugar AND stop impulse spending. So, what kind of reward can I set for myself? Weekly watch time for my favorite shows, nights out with friends, and every time I hit a major milestone for my reading challenge, I’ll allow myself to get ONE new book. This doesn’t interfere with my goals of consuming less sugar or saving money because my smaller rewards such as the nights out or TV time, effectively get me to my bigger milestones and better rewards.
By setting up a tiered rewards system, you keep steadily increasing motivation to finish out your goals and reach those rewards, all year long!
Pro tip: If you chose to track your progress with Goodreads, they show you all sorts of fun statistics at the end of the year! This on it’s own is pretty exciting for me!
Check in an evaluate your reading challenge
Keep your reading challenge flexible and open to change if needed. Set monthly reminders or as often as you need them, to check-in and reevaluate your reading challenge. Don’t be afraid to raise or lower your book count goal accordingly, if you realize the current one just isn’t a good fit. Sometimes I just don’t meet my goal and instead of feeling sad about it, I just scale it down to something more pragmatic. Sometimes I easily surpass the goal, and likewise, I have to scale it accordingly. Remember the main goal of the challenge is to have fun so don’t get hung up on goals and deadlines, and just enjoy reading.
If you made it this far, I have an awesome freebie for you in the Further Reading section of this blog post! Sometimes reading slumps are inevitable, but you can pull yourself out of your next reading slump with these surefire tips!
What are your reading goals for 2020? Did you make your Bookish New Year’s resolutions yet? Comment below and let me know what you thought of this list and if there’s anything you’d add to it!
Bibliography
Further Reading
More Like This
How to Read More BooksHow I Read A Book: My Book Reading RoutineHow I Got Started Reading When I Hated ItSee all Reading Guides.
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Self Care Tips for BookwormsImmersion Reading: Audiobooks & AmbianceGet Immersed in Your Reading: Writing With All Five SensesActive Reading Vs. Passive Reading: Using Psychology-Based Critical Reading Skills To Increase Information Absorption & RetentionCheck out more of my Bookish Things and Bookworm Life blog posts!
Before You Go
Looking for your next read? I've got you covered. See my Reading Recommendations and Reading Challenges for ideas about what to read next!Oh, and don't forget to Get Your FREE Story Binder Printables e-Book!
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This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. If you want to learn more about my stance on gen-AI and it’s role in media and the publishing industry, I plan to release a blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.
Read Like A Writer: What Analytical Reading Can Teach Us
This blog post was written by a human.Hi readers and writerly friends!
When it comes to reading, most of us look at it as a passive activity, but as writers’ more than our imagination should be engaged while reading. Once you learn to read as a writer, it will kind of demystify and disenchant reading for you, but at some point, if you want to get good at your craft and specifically, your genre, you’re going to have to learn to read like a writer and not just a reader. This blog post was written to help you actively move towards your goal of becoming a better writer by becoming increasingly more cognizant of the standard practice in novel writing.
How Do You Read Like A Writer?
Of course, it will vary depending on the genre, story, and your experience with reading, but the elements are typically the same. First, you will obviously be taking a more active and analytical approach to reading than just for research or entertainment purposes. Second, you’ll notice parts of the story as pieces rather than the big picture or overarching themes. Third, you’ll understand how everything comes together and you’ll be able to pick out certain things in one story that appear in other stories.
Story Structures and Story Beats
You can read about story structure formally—reading craft books, watching videos, following industry guides, or studying beat sheets—or it can be informal such as with movies and tv shows. After you understand the three-act-story-structure, you will become more aware of its uses in fiction across multiple genres.
Most stories are based off the three-act-story-structure. Try saying that five times fast—whew! I won’t go into too much detail about it because I have an extensive stack of freebies that discuss this topic at great lengths. However, I will say that this method of organizing and outlining story beats appears in almost every fiction novel/series and follows almost always the same format.
Whether it is informally or formally, you begin to learn the different parts of the story. As you are reading, notate these different story beats and decide if you like an author’s particular style or method in crafting these story beats. What you will notice is not only how the parts of the story work together, but where these story beats occur and when. Understanding where the parts of a story take place is incredibly important in crafting a well-paced story with just the right amount of tension and the right moments.
Key Turning Points In The Reading Experience
The next aspect of reading like a writer is paying close attention to changes in the reading experience and looking out for key turning points that suggest major plot/pinch points are just around the corner. Here, I am literally telling you to track the reading experience—whether it be page numbers in a hard copy or percentages on Kindle—watch where in the novel, these turning point occur. Being a conscious reader who pays attention to where these key turning points happen can make you a better writer because when you sit down to work on your own writing, you have a better understanding of the preparation that is necessary prior to these turning points—i.e. rising and falling tension and lead-up.
Analyze Author Choices
Consider thoughtfully the choices the author made in crafting the novel. Think critically about the POV—the lens through which the story is told, tense of the story, setting, balance of narration and dramatization, and other story elements. Consider what techniques the writer chose to employ, in what places, and how that affects your experience both as a reader and a writer. What techniques did you enjoy? What techniques did you dislike? Writers can learn a lot about effective storytelling by examining the techniques and elements they don’t enjoy.
Additionally, pay close attention to voice, tone, and mood to understand what choices the writer made to create that specific reading experience. Is he/she using a humorous or snarky voice? Is the voice buzzing with energy—so much that it keeps the pages turning? It the voice dry and dragging? Consider all of these elements when reading because you will need to consider them when writing as well.
Zone In On Bad Books
To reiterate what I said in the previous section, writers can learn a lot about effective storytelling by examining the techniques and elements they don’t enjoy. Is the story boring? If so, what about the pacing is dragging for you? Could it be that the writing seems stagnant, that the writer is info-dumping, that the characters are spending too long engaging in mundane activities, are the characters being annoying, is there no tension or is the tension continuously building without mini-climaxes?
An open book next to a white ceramic coffee mug and a pitcher of white lily-of-the-valley flowers. Photo by Julia Kicova.
Are these elements conscious choices on the part of the writer or subconscious? Of course, we will always be able to pick out what we don’t like about novels since we bring out own worldview, biases, and experience to the table when reading, but it’s worth mentioning that by making note of what we don’t enjoy in other novels we can then avoid it in our own writing.
Consider how you would fix a bad book. An awesome story idea I once found was to take the parts of the story that you really do like and use those to inspire a new book that you then can make better by avoiding the mistakes the other author made in their book. (I don’t mean plagiarizing or paraphrasing—give credit where it is due—but feel free to take a broad, general idea and run with it.
If you’ve ever heard the phrase, there’s nothing new under the sun, then you know immediately after you hear it, you feel all sad and dejected inside—that is until you don’t, because you know that no one can tell the story the way you can, but I digress.
The point is you can take a story that has a really great premise and do it differently. It’s a seriously eye-opening craft exercise to see if the thing you don’t like about a book truly make it bad or if they just don’t work for you.
Analyze Your Favorites
The final tip for reading like a writer is of course, to reread your favorite stories with your craft hat on! This is the part where reading like a writer really can ruin book for you so tread carefully. But examine one of your favorite works and consider why you love it so much and what the writer does in each part of the novel that makes reading it an enchanting experience for you.
What choices has the writer made and what elements are they using to craft the story? Consider what strengths and weaknesses you both have and see how you can learn and strengthen the trouble spots in your writing. For instance, if you’re just awful at dialogue but you really enjoy how Becca Fitzpatrick does dialogue, read her books closely and see how she does it differently. Is this something you can learn? Is it something you can emulate? Is this a concrete craft hack that you can figure out for yourself?
While the magic of some writer’s styles can’t exactly be taught, most of the elements of good writing and the things that make writers great can be learned. It just takes time, studying, and practicing consistently to hone the craft. Most of these things can be emulated and molded to fit your own writing style and once you have the building blocks you can create anything.
That’s it for my tips on how to read like a writer and how it can help you in your own writing career. Analytical and critical reading can help us understand parts of the story, what we both do and don’t enjoy in writing, and learn to emulate other writing styles to grow as a writer. This post might ruin leisurely reading for you forever, but it will also improve your writing in ways you never thought possible. What did you think of these tips and have you ever tried them before? Let me know your thoughts in the comment below!
Bibliography
Further Reading
Get your copy of the Story Binder Printables e-Book (with 450+ pages of writing exercises, actionable advice, 100+ publishing resources, and now it’s FREE!)Active Reading Vs. Passive Reading:Using Psychology-Based Critical Reading Skills To Increase Information Absorption & Retention
Related Topics
How to Read More Books in 2022How I Read A Book / My Book Reading RoutineHow I Got Started Reading When I Hated ItSelf-Care Tips for Readers and WritersReading Slump Emergency Kit: 15 Surefire Ways To Break Out of a Reading Slump!10 Tips For Planning Your 2020 Reading Challenge
Recent Blog Posts
This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. If you want to learn more about my stance on gen-AI and it’s role in media and the publishing industry, I plan to release a blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.
How I Got Started Reading When I Hated It
It might be surprising to learn that a published author, creative writer, and professional editor used to hate reading books. The truth is I wasn’t always an avid reader. To fully understand how my love for books, and more importantly—my love for stories has grown over the years, I have to back up to a time before I appreciated books.
This blog post was written by a human.Hi readers and writerly friends!
It might be surprising to learn that a published author, creative writer, and professional editor used to hate reading books. The truth is I wasn’t always an avid reader. To fully understand how my love for books, and more importantly—my love for stories has grown over the years, I have to back up to a time before I appreciated books.
I really learned how to read books in the third grade. I hated reading because I wasn’t good at it and thus, I wasn’t good at it because I hated it. It was a vicious cycle that repeated itself anytime my teacher assigned reading for homework. This resulted in me not doing so well in school and having to be held back in the third grade. I’m not ashamed of it now, but it made me feel like a complete failure. As I got older, I realized it was essential to my growth as a student, reader, and writer and I had no idea it would ultimately become my lifelong passion.
So, even though I’d learned how to read around first grade, I really learned to read proficiently during my second round of third grade. I had a kind, caring teacher who was really dedicated to helping me grow as a reader and worked with me to build my skill. Following the third grade, I almost instantly did better in all of my studies, passing tests with accuracy that was once gated by my reading inability.
Woman covering her face with a book. Photo by Siora Photography.
I began reading books from the Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne and Barney the Bear-Killer, by Pat Sargent. I was drawn to Sargent’s story because of the cheetah on the cover of book seven in the series and reached for Osborne’s books of which I’d heard contained a magic tree-house that could take Jack and Sally anywhere they wanted to go. Between books that had to do my favorite animal, the cheetah, and endless adventures for kids, I had plenty of reading that I could connect with. These book series helped me to connect with compelling characters over a long stretch of books which kept me reading for a long time.
Games also helped better my reading abilities, which is why I am such a big advocate for giving children access to games. While video games are constantly under fire for promoting violence and toxic environments to children, I have to point out that playing World of Warcraft from the age of nine years old, has significantly benefited my reading skills. When I first started playing the MMO, my reading abilities weren’t too strong, and I had a lot of trouble reading game instructions and quest text. However, playing the games in combination with reading Sargent and Osborne, my reading proficiency increased.
Soon after I’d reached middle school, my family and I moved to Oklahoma and being the new girl, I turned to books until my friends found me. I got into graphic novels from James Paterson’s Maximum Ride Series and after falling in love with the characters from the manga books, I began reading the full-length novels.
In eighth grade, I attended Quartz Mountain Christian Camp for two weeks in the summer, and being new to the camp, I again turned to books. We had a lot of downtime in our cabins and with cell-phones off-limits, I decided to read a random book I’d packed in my suitcase on the off chance I’d get bored and have to read.
That’s exactly what happened, and the book I’d brought was Gillian Shield’s Immortal. This book was pivotal for me because it was the first time I’d read a book that I just couldn’t put down. It taught me a very important lesson in reading—there is a genre for everyone and if you don’t like reading, you just haven’t found the right genre. I didn’t know what genre it was yet, but I realized I had been reading all of the wrong books when I was younger and fantasy, romantic, thrillers, action novels and horror were where I should have been the whole time. (Okay, maybe horror isn’t something third graders should read, but still.)
My favorite genre to date, is the romantic thriller. I don’t know, maybe I really am one of those mushy, hopeless romantics after all, but there’s just something so compelling about supernatural love, forbidden romances, and tall, dark, handsome guys with way too much angst. What can I say? I think I have a type. Following Gillian Shield’s Immortals series, I dove straight into the Hush, Hush Saga, by Becca Fitzpatrick, which is my all-time favorite series to date. I’ve read it about eight times now, and I reach for the series every fall. (Except for 2019, where I got a little too excited a little too early and burned through the series in four days over the summer. Oops!)
By my freshman year of high school, I was so deep in the reading hole, I couldn’t get out. In one year, I’d read all of the Percy Jackson and Olympians series and Heroes of Olympus, both of which were written by Rick Riordan. That same year, I reread Maximum Ride, and read for the first time Gillian Shields new book, Destiny, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby, and the Warcraft: War of the Ancients Archive by Richard A Knaak. This was a new record for me, because not only had I read so many books in one year, I also burned through the last book, which was thicker than my upper arm, with proficiency.
Since I’d fallen in love with the game, it’s lore, and it’s characters, I was more prepared than ever to take on this thick tome of game lore, character backstory, and history of the world of Azeroth, in which the game was set. I’ve read it twice since then and every time, I enjoy it because I remember how enchanted and enthralled I’d felt when I’d first read it.
As a third grader, I’d never imagined I’d ever read at the level I do now, and as an adult I can’t imagine a life without books. They’ve helped shape me into the woman I am today, and through reading, I have cultivated a love for books and stories. I love equally the process of reading and the process of telling a story—two process that go hand in hand since a writer cannot expect to better their craft without reading the works of others.
I highly recommend reading and if it’s not something you’re interested in right now, keep looking, because I assure you, you just haven’t found the right genre yet!
And that’s the end of my hot take on reading when it’s something you hate. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Bibliography
Related Topics
How I Read A Book / My Book Reading RoutineHow I Got Started Reading When I Hated ItSelf-Care Tips for Readers and WritersReading Slump Emergency Kit: 15 Surefire Ways To Break Out of a Reading Slump!10 Tips For Planning Your 2020 Reading Challenge
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