READING LISTS:

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin

So why should I bother to read?

1. Reading, whether fiction or non-fiction, gives you an insight into a multitude of subjects from history and politics to science and art

2. If you are thinking about applying to university, the texts you read are something you can refer to on your UCAS form or even discuss in your interview

3. The more you read, the more your vocabulary will grow giving you access to a whole new world

4. Reading improves your writing no matter what subjects you choose to study

5. Reading provides you with new ideas, facts and things you can talk to other people about

6. Most importantly, READING IS FUN!!

However, you also need to challenge yourself. Don’t just stick to your GCSE or A-Level set texts. No one will be impressed by the fact you have only read the entire series of ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’! Instead, expand your vistas and have a go at reading adult literature – you just might be surprised by discovering a new author, genre or style that captivates you. You could even set yourself a reading challenge on www.goodreads.com and record everything you read so that you can keep track, rate the texts you read, create ‘to read’ lists and share what you are reading with your friends.

So…here are some useful and challenging lists that might start you off.

It is also a great idea to keep up to date with marvellous modern fiction. There are a number of literary awards every year that might give you an idea of what to read in terms of challenging and brilliant contemporary literature:

Booker Prize: An annual prize for the best fiction novel written in English and published in England. It is one of the prestigious awards: https://themanbookerprize.com/

Nobel Prize for Literature: An Annual Swedish award for an author of any nationality who has produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction" (Alfred Nobel): https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/all-nobel-prizes-in-literature/

National Book Award: An annual American book award where prizes are awarded for the best work of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, translated literature and young adult literature: https://www.nationalbook.org/

Costa Book Awards: These award outstanding literature annually in the fields of poetry, children’s books, novel, first novel and biography written by authors in the UK and Ireland: https://www.costa.co.uk/costa-book-awards/welcome/

The CLIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Award: An Annual award to a new book for children or young adults: https://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/

The Women’s Prize for Fiction: An annual award to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year: https://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/

So…How many will you read?