Hey! This post is just kind of meant to hype us all up for the beginning of the school year. If you’re anything like me, you much prefer summer, but school has to start eventually so we might as well make the most of it. Plus, the day this post comes out is actually my last first day of school. That’s right! I’m going to be a senior! (If you couldn’t tell, I’m quite excited.)
As many of you know, I work at my local library. One thing I noticed this summer is that the amount of YA books I shelved exploded when school got out. Way more YA books are checked out in the summer than when school is in session. Of course, this makes sense. You have more free time and you don’t have any books you’re required to read for class (which somehow always suck. Why is that?) so naturally, you have more time to read the books you want to read.
That being said, the amount of YA books I shelve during the school year is kind of pathetic. Like, adults are killing us guys. It’s kind of sad. That being said, I get it. I read way more books in the summer than I do in the school year too. Hence, this blog post. In this post, I’m going to share some tips and ideas on how to read more during the school year and hopefully it will inspire both of us to actually do so.
Making the Most of Free Time at School
I don’t know about you guys, but I have a lot of free time during the school day. It’s actually kind of pathetic the more I think about it. What the heck American school system? I usually have at least one study hall in my schedule, free time when I get my work done in class, and like half an hour before school when I’m already there and just waiting awkwardly for the bell to ring. My instinct is always to pick up my phone, but imagine how much reading I could get done if I picked up a book instead.
I mean, there are days when I just have work time in every class. (This seriously happens almost weekly. I think my teachers have given up lol.) And I don’t have that much classwork to work on. I mean, I could almost get a full book read in that time! Now, I’d like to think that your guys’ schools are a bit more challenging, but even so, I bet there’s some time in your school day you can find to pick up a book. If not, I’m sorry, your school sounds awful, but also feel free to proceed to my other tips. I’m sure one of them will satisfy you. Hopefully. If not, that’s on you.
Reading Books for Class
I know, I know, I just made fun of required reading books. However, many schools (in America at least) are transitioning away from required reading books. Instead, they’re allowing students to pick a book to read, possibly from a set list but sometimes just any book, instead of having the whole class read the same book. At my school, we read a full-class book about half the time and read an individual book the other half of the time.
If you get the chance to pick what book to read for a certain class, make the most of it! I don’t add required reading books to my Goodreads or anything. It just doesn’t feel right. I mean, obviously I’m going to rate them low. I was forced to read them. I do add books that I read for school that I got to pick out though. And I’ve found some great books this way. Freshman year, I read The Princess Bride, which is the inspiration for my favorite movie ever. (Can you guess the movie?) I loved the book just as much as the film. It was for an assignment where we had to compare a book to its film adaptation and I actually had a lot of fun with the assignment. Last year, I wrote an essay on The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas which I’d been wanting to read for a while. It didn’t disappoint in the slightest!
Point is, when picking a book to read for assignments, I recommend picking books that are already on your TBR. And, if you are forced to read a certain book, who knows? It might not totally suck! (It usually does, but there’s always a chance!) I read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls freshman year and really liked it.
Reading After School
Okay, I know this seems really obvious, but make the most of your free time after school! I don’t know about you, but if I don’t have work or an extracurricular after school, I tend to just rot on the couch watching TV. And that’s fine sometimes. We all need breaks. But, reading can be a nice break too. Plus reading is super relaxing after a stressful school day. So, next time you flop onto your couch, maybe bring a book with you.
Like I said before, reading can be really relaxing. Personally, I try to read before bed every night (which is technically still after school). It helps me to calm down before bed and I usually sleep better when I read first too. As a student, getting decent sleep is vital. So if you think about it, reading is pretty vital too. That’s just logic.
This post was a bit more chill than some of my others, but I hope you still enjoyed it. I had fun writing it. If you have any comments or post requests, make sure to let me know down below. I’d love to hear from you! I hope you all have a great school year, and as always, I hope this post finds you well and you have a great day!
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