How many of us actually sit down and read books? It is quite common to go through phases of reading, and then have a long break, but it helps to have some really great recommendations. So, I asked King Ed’s students what they are currently reading to help you slaughter the slump.
I found that not only is it mainly English students that do read, but out of those who do not sit and read a book every now and then, it is due to a lack of recommendations.
For me, I am currently reading “Dracula” by Bram Stoker for my English language and literature class. It is a gothic novel written in 1897, where British solicitor Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania, where he is manipulated and deceived by the vampire, Dracula. To anyone who likes mystery and thriller, this book would be perfect, as it comes hand in hand with these themes. The genre of religion and science is also explored throughout this novel and is even more exciting if you were to do extra reading around the novel, due to the context and discoveries at the time.
Another popular read, that three of the students I spoke to are currently reading, or have read in the past, was “Mrs Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf. The blurb reads “On a June morning in 1923, Clarissa Dalloway is preparing for a party and remembering her past. Elsewhere in London, Septimus Smith is suffering from shellshock and on the brink of madness. Their days interweave and their lives converge as the party reaches its glittering climax. Here, Virginia Woolf perfected the interior monologue, and the novel’s lyricism and accessibility have made it one of her most popular works”.
I found that the majority of the students that do read, take some form of English for A level, and those who take English and read typically stick to the books they are set in class, or similar genres for their LiKE study. For example, as part of her English coursework, one student is reading “The Handmaid’s Tale”, by Margaret Atwood, and another is reading, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, by Oscar Wilde.
Overall, not many students that I asked actively read. I believe we should strive to read more, as the many benefits that come alongside reading. It can expand your vocabulary and is a source of entertainment that does not require looking online, and it should not just be restricted to English students.