MY READING LIFE / STUDENTS' WORKS
How I went from hating reading to being a bookworm
Unforgettable experience
Published: May 25, 2023 10:31 PM
Editor's Note:

"Read ten thousand books, and your pen will be guided as if by the gods" is an ancient Chinese idiom that can be seen in students' textbooks. China's Ministry of Education has published an action plan to further promote reading among students across the nation. With new and diverse book recommendations, the reading scene is expected to be revived not only at schools, but also across society. To contribute to this endeavor, the Global Times launched "My Reading Life" essay contest for middle school students.

Please pick up a pen and share your stories with us at reading@globaltimes.com.cn

Participants will be rewarded once the article has been selected.
Photo: VCG

Photo: VCG

Reading is a part of a person's life as it increases a knowledge that a person has. I think everyone has their own taste in books. For example, some people like sci-fi, horror, mystery, etc. In this way everyone has their own reading life.

When I was 4 years old I used to hate reading books as I thought that they were boring and they made me feel sleepy. However, when I was 6 I read Toy Story and it felt really nice. 

Moreover, I didn't feel sleepy or bored while reading it. As I grew up I started to become more and more interested in reading books. Finally, when I was 9 years old, my mother got me a membership at a library. 

I would usually read books for entertainment or because I had nothing left to do. My favorite book became and remains Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I found the book very interesting and really engaging. As I had to do my homework on school days, I did not usually have time to read any extra books so I would read them only on Sundays or Saturdays.

Whenever I read, I feel like I am being magically teleported to the place where the story is taking place and I am watching everything happen with my own eyes. Sometimes, I also feel like I am watching a television show. My mother also encouraged me to read more books, and soon I was learning words that I didn't know existed. When I grabbed a book and sat down to read it, I would lose track of time. When I was finished I wouldn't even know how long it took or how fast I had finished it.

I'm currently a student of St Mary's High School, class 6 in Nepal. Nepal is a beautiful country with rich cultural legacies. Reading books has helped me improve my English and my vocabulary and now I can speak English very fluently. 

Reading books also helped boost my imagination. Whenever I immerse myself in stories, I find that I end up becoming even more creative than when I didn't use to read books. Soon I think I'll even be able to write my own stories. 

In school when we were learning how to write a story I wrote a really long one that had a moral to it. This was all due to reading books. My creativity in writing has increased significantly and reading books has also made a huge impact on my life, so I will always continue to read books. Reading has been very valuable to me and I will never forget the experience.

The author is a student at St Mary's High School in Patan, Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Nepal