Hello everybody!
My name’s Stephi and I’m the writer behind the blog Surviving Millennial. Today I’d like to write to you here to talk to you about reading.
Yes, I’m talking about something you are literally doing right now. But we’re going to keep it specific: how to start reading for beginners.
Given this technology-driven day and age, it definitely seems like people favour watching and listening over actually reading. Whether it be YouTube, Films, TV – movies or film adaptations of books too – Twitch, anything where you can watch instead of read, it does seem to be the popular choice.
Now for this post, I hope to be able to give you:
- Some suggestions on what you could read
- Some genres to look into
- Suggestions outside of my 7 main recommendations for what you could look at
- Ways for you to get into reading
No matter your age, when you first get into reading you may not know where to start. There are who knows how many books out in the world and over thirty different types of genres, it may seem slightly overwhelming.
If you’re not sure where to start, then here are a few options to try:
- Look at what you watch on TV and at the movies. What Genres interest you there? If you like crime shows, why not look for some crime novels? If you’re a fan of the show ‘Bones’, then why not give Kathy Reich’s ‘Temperance Brennan’ series a go? The books which inspired the actual show!
Like comedies? Give ‘Rubbish Boyfriends’ ago! - Have friends or family spoken about any books they’ve enjoyed recently? If you know an avid reader, why not pick their brains on what they’d suggest for you? Ask if they have a favourite book and if you can give it ago – just don’t hold the book in a way which will leave creases or folds in the book, you will either not be forgiven, or less trusted when it comes to being lent books!
- Got a favourite movie which was based on a book/book series? Fan of ‘The Hunger Games’? Or perhaps you enjoyed ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’. Whatever movie (or in some cases, TV series) you liked, look up the book it was based on and give it ago. See what matched and what differs from the movie adaptation!
- If you’re a fangirl or boy, you could always look up fanfiction of shows, games, movies, or anything you like and find some fan-written fiction. You can find some incredibly skilled writers here!
Where to read the books:
We’re in a technology-driven world. So it isn’t just physical copies you can read from!
- Books: paperback and hardback
- eBooks: Kindle Unlimited allows you to have up to 10 books at a time to read for only so much per month! You can also buy books which are either free or as little as 99p.
- Wattpad: You can find some really good series on there. The writing isn’t always professional, so quality may vary depending on what you read, but it’s worth looking at to see if you find anything you like.
- Fanfiction: The site – and app – is where you can go to find fan-written content on shows, books, games and literally anything you can write fanfiction about.
When it comes to reading the books recommended, the first two options will be the best options. But if there’s a genre you’re interested in, I’d also suggest Wattpad!
Book Recommendations
Outlaw – Michael Morpurgo
“Lost in a dark, strange forest, Robin is rescued by a crew of misfits. He yearns to seek justice against his cruel oppressors, to finally defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham, once and for all.
After a fierce storm, a boy of today discovers a human skull, buried beneath the roots of an ancient tree. A skull with a legendary past: the heroic story of Robin Hood.”
Wonder – R J Palacio
(Also a movie)
My name is August.
I won’t describe what I look like.
Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.
Harry Potter – JK Rowling
(Book and movie series. 7 books, 8 movies)
When mysterious letters start arriving on his doorstep, Harry Potter has never heard of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
His aunt and uncle swiftly confiscate them.
Then, on Harry’s eleventh birthday, a strange man bursts in with some important news: Harry Potter is a wizard and has been awarded a place to study at Hogwarts.
One For The Money – Janet Evanovich
Stephanie Plum has lost her job, her car, and her marriage and is about to lose her apartment if she doesn’t raise some cash quickly. What’s a girl to do? Bond enforcement, of course. No experience is necessary, especially since her sleazy cousin Vinnie owns the bail bonds company and can easily be blackmailed. Plum’s first case is to bring in former boyfriend (it ended very badly) and current police detective Joe Morelli. Morelli is wanted for murder and is going to be hard to find. Plum will need help from expert bond enforcement agent Ranger, a hooker named Lula, and her Grandma Mazur, who is always on top of the latest Burg gossip
One Day – David Nicholls
15th July 1988.
Emma and Dexter meet on the night of their graduation.
Tomorrow they must go their separate ways.
So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after?
And every year that follows?
How To Be A Grown Up – Daisy Buchanan
“In How to be a Grown-Up, she dispenses all the emotional and practical advice you need to negotiate a difficult decade. Covering everything from how to become more successful and confident at work, how to feel pride in yourself without needing validation from others, how to turn rivals into mentors, and how to *really* enjoy spending time on your own, this is a warm, kind, funny voice in the dark saying ‘Honestly don’t worry, you’re doing your best and you’re amazing!’”
If you’ve gotten here and have seen some suggestions you like the look of or have come up with some ideas on what you could try but seem unmotivated or unsure of actually sitting and reading a book, I’m here to give you a suggestion to get you started with books.
Audiobooks
Whilst it isn’t actually sitting down and reading a book, you can instead listen to it as you go or while you’re doing other things.
If you start getting into listening to audiobooks, you could always try a shorter book – or just a short story – and see how you find sitting and physically reading it instead of listening
If it doesn’t work out, you can stick to audiobooks, if you do enjoy it, grab some more books! Just because you’re now a fan of reading books doesn’t mean you can no longer stop listening to audiobooks. Both have their advantages when it comes to reading/listening to them.
While this has been a long post, I do hope you’ve enjoyed it and found it useful.
Reading can be such a fun pastime as well as a hobby.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a slow reader or someone who can go through a novel in a day. So long as you enjoy yourself!
Until next time,
Stephi, Surviving Millennial.
http://survivingmillennial.com
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Harry Potter is my all-time favourite book series and I didn’t read it for the first time until last year! I will definitely be adding ‘How To Be A Grown Up’ to my reading list and thank you Stephi for the fantastic recommendations and a great read. – Sarah (editor of Hobbyism)