Book Nerd The New "It" Girl?
Reading: what once used to be a dreaded assignment has become a favorite pastime.
Lanie Weikert, '23
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The B-word. Not the five letter word, but the four letter word - book - that brings some students sadness, and makes them feel tortured. But, on the other hand and more recently, it brings some students happiness spending all their free time soaking up the words on a page. Last year, many students began reading as a regular habit alongside those who have been reading for years because friends or family recommended them a book, or they stumbled across BookTok on their TikTok For You Page.
Taylor Romer, a junior at the high school, began reading regularly in the year of 2022.
“I got into reading because my best friend Emma Yerington begged me to read Ugly Love, by Colleen Hoover. I loved it and now I just read in my free time,” Taylor said.
Author Colleen Hoover became popular throughout last year thanks to TikTok, and word of mouth from friends. Hoover’s popularity stemmed from her romance novel It Ends With Us which came out in 2016, but was not popular amongst teenagers till early last year. Her other romance novels have become well known choices with teenagers since last year.
Ringing in the new year, many people have goals to read a certain amount of books for the new year.
“I didn't read a ton of books last year, maybe around 10-15. I know it’s lame, but I want to try to read 15-20 this year, which isn't a ton but I want an attainable goal for 2023,” Taylor said.
Goals are important to set in any aspect of life because they can bring another level of focus to achieving said goals. Twenty books may not seem like a lot to some, but balancing school, extra-curriculars, and sometimes work, it can be difficult to find and make time for the things you enjoy. But when you do find yourself lost in a book, it can be hard to stop.
Kara Schlawin, a freshman at the high school said, “I like to read because it is an escape from the world and it can get me off my phone. Some advice would be to find a book that interests you whether it's a book about sports, music, or history.”
Many people think reading is boring, and would rather fill up their time on their phone, or watching the newest Netflix show. The argument is that the book is always better than the movie, which is not necessarily a fact. However, it is undeniable that movies tend to leave out some details the book includes. That being said, some people just choose to enjoy their free time differently.
One of the best things about reading is its ability to connect people. Everyone has heard of book clubs, and though they are not as popular with our generation right now, students still find ways to talk with each other about similar books they have read.
Taylor said, “Something that motivates me to read is being able to talk about it in depth with others. A popular book I read recently, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has easily become one of my favorites.”
Some people believe it is a negative thing to read popular books because it can be seen as a bandwagon. But the nice thing about it is how easy it is to find people to talk about the book with.
Whether you read zero or fifty books in 2022, it is a new year! A time to set new goals and a fresh start with 2023. It can be challenging finding the right book, but when you do, it can lead to a more appealing time than you would think.
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