Practice What You Preach - The Importance of Reading

I tell my students ad nauseam that reading is the best way to improve every aspect of their English. Reading helps with writing style, author's voice, imagination, empathy, and the list goes on. For second language students, it can also help increase vocabulary and give in-context examples of grammar they learn in class.

However, I realized that while I was touting the benefits of reading to my students, as an adult, I almost never sat down to read a book. I consumed literature at an alarming rate as a child, but since graduating university in 2016, I hadn't read much of anything besides online articles and textbooks. So around November 2020, I decided to put into practice the hobby I was trying to convince my students to take up. I started reading again. I also discovered Libby.

If you don't know, Libby is a library app that allows you to borrow e-book and audiobooks from your local library. As someone living abroad with no access to my local library, this was a god-send! Of course, I have access to a wonderful selection of books from our school's library, which I still use, but this meant that I could take books with me everywhere I went and read in whatever free time I found. The audiobooks also meant that I could "read" while walking my dog or cooking - all for free. Bless public libraries.

Luckily, I now reap all the benefits I tell students about. I've cut down on my TV watching considerably, and I relax a lot more. I've had much more creative energy which has helped me plan more interactive lessons, and I've generally been happier due to the brain exercise. In the end, I tell my students to read just as much as I did before, but now I can say that I lead by example.

My biggest problem now is finding people willing to engage me in lengthy conversation about the books I've read. I managed to read/listen to 53 books in 2021. I'm aiming for more this year. If you are interested, my 2021 reading list is below. I've included some very brief thoughts about each book so that I've gotten them off my chest without boring my friends and colleagues.

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2021 Favorites - My top 10

1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - My favorite fictional book I read last year! I loved this book and the themes within. Beautiful storytelling.

2. Educated by Tara Westover - This is my favorite non-fiction from last year! An amazing life and an amazing story of overcoming odds. I highly recommend it!

3. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - I read this with grade 8. Brilliant and moving. I highly recommend it to any and all.

4. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes - This book is so engaging. I tell everyone to read it. It is so well written.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's a classic and for good reason.

6. Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell - This book is incredibly well written and made me absolutely obsessed with reading all of Gladwell's books.

7. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell - I loved this one as well.

8. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell - And another Gladwell! I recommended this book to many people.

9. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones - I couldn't put this down. It was devastating and heart-wrenching.

10. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware - I tore through this. It's a mystery with so many possibilities.

Classics - Books I feel I should've read as an English teacher

1. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - I was inspired to read this by Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor.

2. Animal Farm by George Orwell - I loved it. Not much more to say.

3. 1984 by George Orwell - Classic for a reason and just as relevant today as ever.

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I thoroughly enjoyed it. The tragedy of unrequited love.

5. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - The puritans were utterly wild people.

6. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells - Imaginative and strange and a lot of fun to read.

7. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - My first time reading this and I was hooked.

8. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - I enjoyed the story, but I didn't love the writing style, so it took me some time to get through.

9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - An epic, a classic, and it took me a very long time. I'm not sure I would sit through another Tolstoy any time soon.

10. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell - I read this to see if it would be suitable for my class. It gave me some heavy nostalgia because I watched the movie so much as a kid.

11. East of Eden by John Steinbeck - An epic story spanning generations. It took me ages to finish, but it was worth the read.

12. Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard - This is an odd one because I thought it was an excellent book, but I also didn't feel very engaged while reading it.

Fictional and Entertaining - It's nice to get a break and relax

1. The Institute by Stephen King - The master of the thriller does it again. What can I say?

2. Elevation by Stephen King - Not my favorite Stephen King, but nice and short, so worth a read.

3. Things you Save in a Fire by Katherine Center - Lovely. I'd recommend it as an easy read.

4. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell - Well written and creepy.

5. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - I loved the somehow peaceful tone of this book despite its gruesome content. I did not enjoy the movie.

6. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - I enjoyed this and the message within. However, I didn't feel the need to read the sequel.

7. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - I always enjoy a good Christie.

8. The Searcher by Tana French - Entertaining, but I couldn't put it at the top of my list.

9. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins - Beautifully told story of a family's struggle to get out of Mexico. Some controversy behind this one as the writer is neither Mexican nor an immigrant, but I can't lie and say I didn't enjoy the writing.

10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle - I read this to scout it out for my class. Excellent chance to practice allusions.

11. Room by Emma Donoghue - So well written and terrifying. The movie was pretty well made in my opinion, but of course, the book was better

12. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan - Funny and a wild ride.

13. The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry - Checked this out for a class and actually enjoyed it. It's clearly for children, but it's entertaining.

14. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Entertaining and fun for all ages.

15. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - I've read this two years in a row with my students. It is a magical book, and I think everyone should read it.

Non-Fiction - Just trying to learn something

1. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - I had been meaning to read this for ages and it did not disappoint. It is non-fiction with excellent storytelling.

2. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer - Fascinating and informative book about Mormon extremism.

3. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell - I really became obsessed with this author.

4. A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell - Fascinating story of a female spy in a time when people didn't want to let her be one.

5. David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell - Another Gladwell

6. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell - Still obsessed.

7. The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell - This was the last one.

8. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond - I really enjoyed this! It was dense, but well researched and informative.

9. Dolly Parton, Songteller by Dolly Parton - I loved hearing the stories behind her songs and learning about Dolly's life. She's so talented.

10. Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda - A great background on the making of the musical.

11. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman - I've only seen a few sporadic episodes of the TV show, but I realized very quickly that this story has little to do with the show. I enjoyed the book!

12. Argo by Antonio J. Mendez and Matt Baglio - Fascinating and thrilling.

13. Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden - This is about a man who escaped from a North Korean prison camp and was definitely worth the read.

14. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson - A fun way to learn a little bit about astrophysics.

Books I didn't Enjoy - There were only 2

1. Calypso by David Sedaris - I did not find this book all that funny or interesting. Perhaps I was the wrong audience.

2. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith - I didn't love this book. It's a detective story, but nothing terribly special. Sorry, J.K. Rowling.