It is that time of year when I start to transition from entering UGA freshman and current transfer applicants to the next group of students, those who will be looking at UGA for 2012. And as I normally do at this time of year, I want to get on my soapbox and focus on reading. Yes, that type of hitting the books! As my two children can attest to, I am a book lover, and I do my best to make sure they both have at least one book that they are currently reading. My son just finished with one of my favorite books, The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, and my daughter is currently reading Virals by Kathy Reichs. As well, the wonderful world of summer reading lists will be out soon, and I am guessing it will mean a summer filled with To Kill a Mockingbird for my son (along with a few others), and we will wait to see about my daughter’s list.
Why do I post this on my blog? Why do I push reading? If you want to do better in your English classes, write better, have a stronger SAT Critical Reading, stronger SAT Writing, communicate better, etc, one great way to do this is to dig into books. Read across the spectrum, from non-fiction to thrillers to sci-fi, but no matter what, read! There are a number of other things that a student can do to prepare themselves for college, but this is by far the most available and easiest ones around. So go to your public library, download the latest Nook book, borrow a great novel from a neighbor, but no matter what, read!
Alright, now I can climb off my soapbox. And just so you know, the next book I am suggesting for my rising HS freshman son is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, a wonderful book that I am planning on re-reading this summer as well (for probably the fourth time).
Any suggestions from the blog audience?