It’s so important to read consistently, from a young age – and so many of my students admit to me, ashamed, that they never really find the time to read – or they don’t enjoy it – or they find it boring or too hard. Well, I’m telling you now – if you don’t read regularly, there’s no way you’ll get good at English. Especially if you’re aiming for top grades in an exam. Especially if you’re aiming for a high position in a future job or career – because English builds communication skills, and no matter what you want to do later in life if you can’t communicate clearly and effectively then it will always stop you from progressing.
So, now I’ve convinced you to read here’s some tips to make it easier and more enjoyable:
Develop a habit of reading.
- Either set a time of day where you always read – when you wake up, go to bed or travel somewhere is always good. Or, develop some kind of space in your life where you devote time just for yourself and your reading. It’s hard to do this even for those of us who do love books, you have to be disciplined with yourself – ask your parents to set it as a homework task if you’ll struggle to fit it in by yourself. I would honestly aim for a minimum of 2 hours of reading per week. Once you’re really into a book, it’ll be hard to read that little!
Find a book that interests you.
- If a book is boring or hard, it’s either because it isn’t the right genre for you or because the reading level is too high. Work your way slowly up reading levels, and until you’re confident with reading never try anything too challenging or complex because it could just put you off completely. Over time as you read your level will improve, and more difficult books will become accessible to you. If you start with James Joyce or Shakespeare, it’s going to be like trying to run a marathon without any training!
Keep a reading diary.
- I actually only just started this one recently but it’s been a life-changing habit! Keeping track of things you like and don’t like about books is a really fun thing to do, it’s also good generally to keep a journal and document your life – it’s so interesting to look back on your thoughts and experiences a few years down the line. For your diary, just write what you read and whether you liked it or not, and why. Then if you like you can make more extensive notes on characters, setting or write out quotations if you’re really passionate about it.
Start with short stories if you’re afraid of full books.
- These are such a fun way to start reading, and it’s satisfying to feel like you finished a story without having to commit to an entire novel. I’ve put a list of short stories below for you.
Don’t be afraid to give up!
- I’m serious. There’s a sense of failure that really deflates you when you choose not to get to the end of a book – you feel like an idiot, or a lazy person because you couldn’t finish the whole story. This is a complete lie! Don’t listen to your brain if it tells you this (mine totally does). Actually, it’s a sign of maturity and strength of character to admit when you don’t like a book, so long as you can figure out why you don’t like it and you have a valid reason, then it’s totally fine to give up and move on to the next one – that way, you’re always reading things that keep you passionate about reading, and not forcing yourself into reading things that put you off.
Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more help with English, you can check out our full list of courses.
READING LIST
Fantasy:
Charmed Life – Diana Wynne Jones
The Lives of Christopher Chant – Diana Wynne Jones
Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
Northern Lights – Philip Pullman
The Subtle Knife – Philip Pullman
The Amber Spyglass – Philip Pullman
The Hobbit – JRR Tolkein
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke
Adventure:
A series of Unfortunate Events (all 13 books!) – Lemony Snickett
The Call of the Wild – Jack London
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
City of Beasts – Isabel Allende
Percy Jackson series – Rick Riordan
Swallows and Amazons – Arthor Ransome
Holes – Louis Sachar
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
Realism:
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Winter’s Bone – Daniel Woodrell
Witch Child – Celia Rees
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
Crime/ Thriller/ Horror :
House of Silk – Anthony Horowitz
I’m the King of the Castle – Susanna Hill
The House of Salt and Sorrows – Erin A Craig
Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
The Fall of the House of Usher – Edgar Allen Poe
The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – Agatha Christie
Short Stories:
Katherine Mansfield – all her stories! She’s amazing
Kashtanka – Chekhov
The Gift of the Magi – O Henry
The Custody of the Pumpkin – PG Wodehouse
The Garden of Forking Paths – Jorge Borges
The Veldt – Ray Bradbury
The Tell Tale Heart – Edgar Allen Poe
Why don’t you dance? – Raymond Carver
The Oxford Book of Short Stories – AS Byatt (A whole collection)
Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more help with English, you can check out our full list of courses.
