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Learning to Read

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Submitted By jtuk21
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Choose a book. If you're reading for your own enjoyment, you'll probably want to pick a general interest fiction or nonfiction book. There are literally millions of such books, so finding one that's right for you can be challenging. A good place to start is by thinking about what you like, and also about what you don't like. Keep in mind how many different types of books are out there. There are dystopian books like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. There are realistic fiction books such as Perfect by Natasha Friend. There are fantasy books like The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer. There are historical fiction books like Dragonwings by Laurence Yep, and so many others.
Knowing your personal taste can really help you find a book you'll find enjoyable. Just because someone else says a book is good doesn't mean you'll necessarily enjoy it. Some people enjoy fantasy novels, other people hate them. Think about what kind of an experience you want to have while reading. Do you want a rousing adventure tale? A cerebral exploration of ideas? An emotional journey through the lives of believable characters? How long of a book do you want to read? How challenging do you want it to be? Are there certain perspectives you want your book to embrace or avoid? Answering these questions will narrow down the field of possible books.
Nonfiction books can be a little easier to narrow down than fiction ones. Most popular nonfiction books are histories or biographies of famous people. Is there a famous person you'd like to know more about? Do you want to know more about a country, a landmark, a war, a historical event? Do you want to know more about oceans, or dinosaurs, or pirates, or stage magic? Pretty much anything you can think of has had a nonfiction book written about it.
Just because you find a nonfiction book about something that interests you doesn't necessarily mean you'll like the book. Some books are well written and interesting, others are poorly written and boring. If you find a nonfiction book about something you like, read the first couple of pages first to see if you like the writer's style. If you find the book difficult or boring on the first page, it probably won't get any better as you read through.
Go to the library. Your local library is a good place to browse books, since if you see one that interests you, you won't even have to pay anything to read it. Tell the librarian what you're interested in, and ask him or her to point you to one or two areas of the library where you might find interesting books related to your interests.
Don't judge the book by its cover. The title and cover illustrations may seem boring or not your taste, but inside the book could be a whole world of pleasure and enjoyment that you will be enthralled by. This, however, is not always the case, so make sure you pick wisely! Also, look at the thickness of the book. If a quick read is what you're look No for, a big, heavy book wouldn't be suitable, and vice versa. Lastly, if you are buying the book for someone other than yourself, think about their age and interests, if you are purchasing for a child, young adult books such as fifty shades of grey may not be the ideal choice.
Ask those around you. Good friends and close relatives may be able to recommend books to you based on what they enjoyed and thought you would also enjoy. But be careful because some people like to read long stories while others don't. If you love science for example, search for science books.
Check online. The Internet is filled with book lovers who are more than happy to share their opinions about various titles. Find a community that discusses books and search for the subjects you like, or just visit online retail sites and browse user reviews of books that look good. Either way is a great method for getting a quick idea of the most popular and best-liked titles in any category of book.
Make it a group event. Book clubs and readings are both fun ways to expose yourself to new books.
Many clubs are focused around a particular genre of book, such as science fiction or romance, but some are more general.
Fiction readings happen regularly at many independent bookstores.
Nonfiction writers can sometimes be found giving readings or even free guest lectures at nearby colleges. Go and listen to see if their book sounds like something you would like to read, and learn a little about something that interests you at the same time. Some books starts with brief explanation so don't get bored after the fir

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