When it comes to reading, the closest association I instantaneously make is all the terrible English classes I have taken in the past; terrible, at least, for me. After a couple seconds, however, memories and snippets and sometimes waves of words and pages come crashing into my mind of all the books I have read in the past. Some, I can recite the title. Some, I can recite my favorite parts and specific passages. Some, I can tell you exactly when I read it and short it took me because it was just so delightful. Some, the title has been lost in the passage of time, leaving only hazy memories of characters and events, titles that I have yet to discover again. 

I have always been a raging fan of Sci – Fi and horror for as long as I can remember. Reading about something that occurred or prospects of life can be eye – opening, but what could possibly be more entertaining than reading about the impossible? The novels I can remember first reading were the Eragon series, stories of a boy and a dragon he found. Moving into middle school, one of my all – time favorites, the Artemis Fowl series. I indulged in those books, sneak reading them under my desk when others would sneak text their friends. Tales of Artemis, Domovi, Holly Short, and Mulch Diggums are ones I aspire to read again. 

Some of my favorites aren’t even parts of series, just stand – alone, one punch novels. Dark Life by Kat Falls and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline are some of my favorites as well, even The Outsider by Stephen King. All of which are books I managed to finish within a week, if not a couple days. I may not like some, even most books, but for those few that fit my niche to a T, I can indulge in for days at a time. 

One of my weaknesses when it comes to reading, however, comes from classwork and assigned reading. Many assigned readings, regardless of genre, are often good reads – leaving it up to me to take it for what it’s worth. When a reading is assigned to me, and likely for some others, I just simply can’t find it enjoyable. Nobody should be forced to read – reading should be an independent activity, one where the reader feels no pressure to read by a deadline, or to read a specific piece of literature. Assuming others share my philosophy, this makes it difficult for teachers to assign reading assignments to students, to find a perfect balance of a passage that is both interesting and educational, and one that I hope to find in the readings assigned to me in the future. 

While it has been a flaw in my past, it may be a struggle of the past. Many English classes in Junior high school (whether it be regular or honors) often are a concoction of monotonous reading and annotating, mixed with various speech exercises. The beginning of high school, if one is not careful, can be like this as well. My last two years at North, however, are proving to be different for the better. Variety and freedom to branch out in English, and take the classes you most desire, has proved to be a more enjoyable experience. AP Language and Composition was outstanding, one half being the excellent teacher, and the other focusing on something I tend to enjoy more – writing and analyzing, a more structured type of english. AP Lang, as I have heard, is similar in the fact that it is analyzing pieces of literature, and with a hearty summer reading under my belt, my appreciation for literature has been reignited, just in time for a fresh english class.