I don't know how to start reading better books?

Question

I really like reading books that aren't bad but really aren't helping me learn anything. My mom keeps wanting me to start reading these good books that are classics likea tale of 2 cities. and books like that. I know that when school starts again that I will have to start reading better books but I know that I won't suddenly be able to go from reading 5th grade level books to 12th grade level books. Some one please help me figure out how to get myself motivated to start reading better books.

Answer 1

I know exactly what you mean.

Classics are an acquired taste. It takes some time to start enjoying them, but trust me, once you start there's no turning back.

Although, "Tale of Two Cities" is an amazing novel, I'd suggest you read a classic, with a theme that appeals to you. Whether that's romantic books you're after, or something a bit more mysterious, is your choice.

Ask your mom for some advice. She obviously knows what she's talking about.

Good luck and happy reading!

Answer 2

Have you tried Harry Potter? Ok so your mom might not think Harry Potter is better reading but it's a starting point. The books are pretty long so they help build endurance & they are very intracate so they help you learn to read between the lines. Also there are a lot of references to mythology, phylosophy, and the Bible and it will inspire you to look further into other books and genres. For instance most of the magical creatures are taken from mythology, Nicholas Flamel was a real alchemist, Dumbledore defeated Gindewald around the same time as a very major war ended. Another reason that you might get more involved with reading other things if you start reading HP is because there is a whole fandom out there that discusses all things Harry Potter. I will include a great list of sources below. Most libraries have the HP series available. Your best bet is to buy the series in paperback and grab some highlighters, a pen & some post it notes and start taking the book apart. Don't let it stop at just reading about grindylows & unicorn got to the forum and post some questions or try to answer some questions. Google some of the creatures and find their origin, or places find out if they are real and where they are and why JKR would choose them, also some of the famous witches and wizard google them and find out if they were real people also. HP is just a starting point and can light a spark for you to want to read many other things. The HP books are not light reading, they are filled with death, sacrifice, ridicule, good vs evil, love, hate, loss. So I hope this has been helpful, HP increased my appitite for reading 10 fold which is significant because I love to read anyway but even in my college years I hated history after I got into HP i started to read more and more about history and mythology and I have discovered a whole new area of fasicnation. So give it a try, and if you've already read them, check out the sites below and then maybe the spark will be lit for you to do some more investigating.

Answer 3

Sometimes it takes a long time to warm up to the classics. When I was in high school, it was easier to read the classics when two things would happen: (A) I read in a literature circle (and discuss the book with others reading the same book) and (B) when I rented the movie and saw it first and my interest was gained. That way I was able to understand where the plot was going.



Not all the classics are classics because they are easy to read. Take 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It was a classic at the time because of the science as well as the quality of the adventure. Now, you could honestly skip the flora and fauna discussions every other chapter and probably enjoy it just as much OR even more. Just be patient with the so called

better books. The key thing is to read what you find interesting to you... especially when reading for pleasure.

Answer 4

I have to agree with Sara S. - take a look at Rory's book club list for the classics on that list. There's a lot of good ones on there that are really good reads that will keep you interested, and a lot of current ones that are good too, like The Time Traveler's Wife.



Dickens is not the best thing for an 8th grader to read - I was a very advanced reader in 8th grade and high school, but could never get into Dickens. Don't burn out your interest by trying to read books that you just don't like. If you've read about 100 pages and still don't like it, just stop reading it. Some books do take a while to get into, but 100 pages usually gives you a good picture.

Answer 5

What I like to do is to go to the public library and just browse. I read the back of a few books until I find one that sounds like something I'll like. Then I take it home, and start reading. If I get a bit bored with the story than I stop reading and do something. In a day or so I go back to the book and give it another try. Most times I find that my interest has perked up and I end up enjoying the book, and feeling good that I tugged along through it instead of giving up. I also go back and forth in reading levels, as well as book length. I don't read anything too education, I just read as a hobby...I keep that in mind when I look for a book. If a book looks to school-like, but seems interesting I pick another more fun book to take home with it. This way if I end up not wanting to finish the first book, I have a back-up so that my trip to the library at least bared fruit. Good luck.

Answer 6

First off let me say, it's wonderful that you want to gain knowledge through reading. Not many young kids today have time to read and would rather watch a movie or play a video game. You could check with your local librarian, or ask for suggestions from your mom or teachers. I will tell you a few of the books I have read that while considered great books, may not be as boring as some of the classics. A Tale of Two Cities might be a bit ambitious for a first read though, it is VERY long and written in a style that might be difficult for a younger reader. The old classics are often written in an older style language with words that we do not use everyday. So this is a good way to utilize a dictionary, but it isn't the most enjoyable way to read. Try starting out with some of the modern classics that will also peak your interest. One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest is a wonderful book that is considered a modern classic but also has a great story you might enjoy. It will teach you not to accept things at face value and that there is always more than one side to every story. I also enjoyed reading James Mitchner when I was a teenager. He writes very well researched historical novels about the birth and development of America and makes them very interesting by expanding the actual characters you read about in history books. Anything by him is stellar in my opinion, but you might start out with Texas, it covers the Louisianna Purchase and immigration by Mexican Americans as well as European Immigrants into Texas. So his books can help you put your history classes into a more humanized perspective but they don't read like a boring old history book at all. Frank Baum's books are considered classics and are also very enjoyable to read. He wrote the Wizard of Oz, but there are a whole series of books about Oz by him that not everyone has read or heard about that were not quite as famous. The Chronicals of Narnia are also a series that only one book got real famous from, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, but all the books in the Narnia series are very good to read. You may also enjoy reading Kurt Vonnegut, also considered modern classics. He has way too many to list, but any of his books you will find very funny as well as containing life lessons about greed and politics. I think that's a great start and enjoy your reading adventures.

Answer 7

Classics can be great books. Especially if you're approaching them with a positive attitude. I think one of the many reasons classics are an acquired taste is because they are required reading. Having a teacher require you to write essays, answer trivial questions about the significance of certain colors and whatnot and how many of this or that...or what significance is there in this character's name...etc. tends to take all the fun and enjoyment out of a book.



To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Gone With The Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

Anything by Jane Austen, particularly Pride and Prejudice

Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare

The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas

The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas

Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand

Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery



Most classics have at least one movie adaption. And while I would never suggest that watching movies replace the practice of reading books, perhaps you can "reward" yourself with watching the movie version after you read a book. Maybe even use this as a time to discuss these books and movies with your mom.



My other piece of advice, don't feel bad for enjoying to read books that are "below" your reading levels. This is normal. Everyone does it. Just because one is capable of reading and understanding this higher-level (more challenging and demanding) book...doesn't mean that one has to always read those kinds of books. Sometimes you just need to relax and read something fun. I often go from reading classics or something typically viewed as "mature" straight into the "junk food" category of books--for me romance novels. Are they stimulating to the mind...no...but do I enjoy myself and love every minute of it...yes.

Answer 8

Hi,



The local library is an excellent place to start. If you aren't up for Dickens right now you might consider Gone With the Wind, Ben Hur, The Robe or authors like Hemingway, or F Scott Fitzgerald. These are things that I read when I was your age and my daughter liked, too. You might also look into reading books that have won the Pulitzer or Booker prizes. They are more modern in style than some of the "classics" but also fine literature with challenging themes. Some of these books have themes that are for mature readers so you may want to consult with your parents about your choices. Good luck. Keep reading!

Answer 9

Most of the so-called classics are tragedies.They always make me depressed at the end.I certainly wouldn't recommend 'Tale of two cities' for a beginning.However I'll name the few classics i loved.



1.Count of Montecristo by Alexander Dumas.The hero is Edmond Dantés, a young French sailor who, falsely accused of treason, is arrested on his wedding day and imprisoned in the island fortress of Château d'If. After staging a dramatic escape he sets out to discover the fabulous treasure of Monte Cristo and catch up with his enemies. A novel of enormous tension and excitement, Monte Cristo is also a tale of obsession and revenge, with Dantés, believing himself to be an `Angel of Providence', pursuing his vengeance

to the bitter end before realizing that he himself is a victim of fate.The author did a great job describing the emotions of the prisoner.Disbelief,denial,self pity,madness,apathy and finally hope.For God's sake don't see any of the movies based on the book.They don't do justice to the book.



2.The three musketeers by Alexander Dumas.The three musketeers have become symbols for the spirit of youth, daring, and comradeship. The action takes place in the 1620s at the court of Louis XIII, where the musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, with their companion, the headstrong d'Artagnan, are engaged in a battle against Richelieu, the King's minister, and the beautiful, unscrupulous spy, Milady. Behind the flashing blades and bravura, in this first adventure of the Musketeers, Dumas explores the eternal conflict between good and evil.Be warned.This book does not have a happy ending.The heroine dies at the end.



3.A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.In Dickens' tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser is shown his past, his present, and if he does not change, his future.The first ghost reminds him how he once enjoyed life's pleasures. The second ghost shows Scrooge his current deplorable state. The final ghost foretells the likely outcome of his skinflint ways.



You can read all these books on-line from Project Gutenberg.

Answer 10

One suggestion-this is a book I think everyone should read. Its an american classic in its own rights. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a wonderful book about a very difficult subject. Even if you've seen the movie (another american classic!) do yourself a favor and read the book-I guarantee once you start it you won't be able to put it down-its that good. If you find that you like this book pick up something by John Steinbeck-another great american author.Of Mice and Men, The Grapes Of Wrath, East Of Eden-all great books that are just so enjoyable and easy to read. These are all books that will put you on the road to reading good literature. Best of luck to you on the road to reading "good" books-you have many pleasant and interesting surprises in store for you!!

Answer 11

I was like that when I was your age. I LOVED to read.. but I didn't read any "classics" and rebelled against required reading. Probably mostly because grown-ups tried to make me read what they thought was best. When I became an adult and started reading them on my own I found out there was a reason why they were considered classics. Surprise, surprise! They were actually really good books.

But still, reading for enjoyment is more important than reading something because it's a classic. If you already enjoy reading and are good at it you have a lot more than people who don't/can't read in the first place. Try reading a book you are attracted to followed by a book someone like your mom recommends. Two of my favorite classics that my own daughter read around your age (and loved!) Were A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN- by Betty Smith and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - by Harper Lee

Answer 12

You should read The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot...it's very good for light reading.. I guess the reason why you don't get motivated to read is because the titles people recommend way too serious books... Start with light ones first.... I know you could relate to that book since you're almost in the same age as Mia...



Try reading books that have been turned into movies.... It really is a great motivation to be able to compare the real one from the edited one...

Answer 13

Go to a librarian and ask for advice. I think "A Tale of Two Cities" is a good choice to begin with, as it happens; it's a fun novel, quick-moving, and very popular. Honestly, if you're willing to forget that it's a classic, "Moby Dick" is much the same in many parts - the first few chapters are actually very funny.



Another good technique might be to go to the "Reading List" shelf at your library, grab off a random book, and read the first few pages. If it hooks you by then, finish it. That shelf generally has books that people consider worth reading (and that schools assign).

Answer 14

Pick a topic or book that you love. Start there. Run it through Amazon and look for the books listed that are related or lists by other readers. Read, read, read. Talk to a librarian about how to slowly move up. Have an adult read to you a book in your interest that is higher than your reading level, and have them explain any word, phrase or part you don't understand. The key to good reading is interest in the book, the ability to read at its level or have it slightly (and I emphasize slightly) challenge you, and to read, read, read. I attribute my top scores on SATs, LSATs, and my ability to get through law school to the fact that I found genres and authors I loved and just read and read. The more you read, the easier it will be. People get turned off by lack of interest, or a book that's beyond their reading ability or comprehension. So start slow and work up. A teacher or librarian should be able to help guide you. You can always talk to me.

Answer 15

The best thing to do is go to a smaller bookstore, not a chain if you can find one in your area, and ask the employees there what books they would recommend. Librarians will also help with this. In fact, libraries have all kinds of lists of award winning books! And they're FREE!



Once you have some books to look through, find one that has a topic that really interests you. You don't state what your interests are, but "better" books doesn't have to mean Dickens. Now I like Dickens, but he isn't for everyone.



You don't have to turn to classic lit. to enhance your reading, after all. There are all the modernists and post-modernists. People like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner....or Ray Bradbury and Ursula K. le Guin! Flannery O'Conner wrote as part of the whole Southern Lit movement back in the 1940s thru 1960s. In fact, there's all sorts of so-called regional writers out there. People like Willa Cather and others.



If you like really current fiction you could read some of the so-called ethinic writers such as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Sandra Cisneros, Leslie Marmon Silko.



Then there's also poetry. Don't underestimate the power of poetry to help you expand your language, your thinking, and some people even find it soul-inspiring and uplifting (depends on what you read...some if REALLY depressing - LOL)! So you could check out Frost, Adrienne Rich, Joy Harjo...the list goes on and on.



Then there are current retellings of classics! Like Seamus Heany's Beowolf.



You could also pick up Wicked, or The Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. Lamb by Christopher Moore. The Drowning Season by Alice Hoffman. Housekeeping by

Mariann Robinson.



I guess a good on line place to start, maybe before the library trip, might be with Amazon.com and their LISTMANIA feature. Those are people like you and mean who have read books and made lists by topics of interest.



Just find one book to start and read it one chapter at a time and each new chapter will lead you further into the story, and further into the area of "better fiction" that you want....and painlessly!



Good luck!

Answer 16

first start by expanding your interests. read something a little different, outside your normal reading list but something you'll still be able to enjoy. try all kinds of books near your level, dont try a tale of two cities right away, or even at all.... instead find out what kind of reader you are. the best way is to cultivate a love for reading itself. personally I like things with more imaginative flair, something that goes along with many science fiction books is a working understanding of science and science terminology. whatever you find that you like to read understand that there is a whole world of information that you need to have in order to fully enjoy the reading experience. take a look at the books you already enjoy and try to see if there are any more books that have a slightly higher difficulty level. once you find that reading isn't so much of a chore, once you even start to like reading, the problem of what you read shouldn't be that much of a problem anymore.

Answer 17

Try reading some books that are interesting and have better writing such as Farhenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Red Badge of Courage, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe, and Treasure Island. These are classic books but by no means are they uninteresting. A few years ago I went and re-read many of the old classics to update myself. It was great and re-enhanced my knowledge of literature.

Answer 18

I love reading all kinds of books, romance, classics, short stories. What really got me reading is having a list to go by. Oprah I know has a great list and Rory's book club from Gilmore Girls. The latter is the one I have been following. She has classics and new books about many different topics. Hope this helps.

Answer 19

Have you ever came across an older movie that you thought you wouldn't like, but after watching it thought that it was very good and THAT was what all the fuss was about? The same goes for a good book. People, and even parents, reccomend things for a reason. They either know or believe that you may like it. A good reader tries to read many different books and isn't always playing it safe. Good luck.

Answer 20

Good for you! I heard Zig Ziglar say the other day on the radio that he reads the bible every day. He also reads autobiographies so he can learn new stuff. Zig is a very smart man. Start out reading some autobiographies of people your age or people you are really interested in. Make sure not to get something to difficult to read. Check out your library. They can recommend the correct books for you to read. Tale of Two Cities?? I have never read that book.



Good luck!

G.G.

Answer 21

With your parents' permission, consider reading books on the banned books list (you can find that on ala.org). Books are often listed that are controversial in some way, AND people want to read or teachers find an educational value in. Many of the suggestions you've seen already are on the list.



I also like Rory's book lists. There are great suggestions for both modern lit and "old-school" books.

Answer 22

Go to your public library and tell the librarian that you want to begin reading the classics, but need to start slow. They'll help you. Start today. Also, sometimes you can see an old movie of the classic and it will get you hooked enough to read the book. You can also go to the youth section and read their version of the classics to get started. Listen to your mother, she's very wise to direct you.

Answer 23

Check out James Herriot, Walter Farley, and Pearl S. Buck, they wrote several good books. John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" and Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge Of Courage" are great classics.

Take your mom's advice, "A Tale of Two Cities" is worth it.

Answer 24

All books are teaching you something, don't allow someone else to dictate what you read. School is another matter, you will be required to read certain books and that is ok. read them , learn from them and take alot of it with salt....remember sometimes a rock is just a rock, not everything represents something earth shattering.



Your teachers(unless you have some really great teachers) will try to tell you what you are supposed to feel about what you read. Feel what you feel , not what someone else wants you to.

Answer 25

I notice that many responses recommend going to your librarian which is a tremendous solution! If that's impossible for some reason try web sites such as Amazon.com. You browse around a while, you'll get the hang of it and come up with a tailor made list.

Answer 26

i started reading books when i was 11. there was a complete set of nancy drew mysteries and hardy boys mysteries in our library. these books cover were so attractive that it caught my attention. then i started borrowing one, when i finish highschool i read all of them.

its hard to start with classics, because some used old english and as you go along you become bored and sleepy. maybe you could start reading harry potter series. you start with the first one. it has a nice plot and as you go along it becomes more interesting. and once you get used to reading you will come to appreciate classics.

Answer 27

look for books with the same interest that you have. Then look to see if it was made into a movie. Try books on tape. You can get them from the pubic library on any subject. There are a lot of how to book, for example how to play chess, how dance, how to talk in public. just go to the library and have fun with it.

Answer 28

Try using the banned book list as a guide, it is always interesting to see what people consider/ed obscene/objectionable, and the list is mainly comprised of books that can be considered classic novels.

Answer 29

Just read progressively more advanced books until you get up to the classics. A good start would be "Huckleberry Finn" or "Tom Sawyer" and work up from there.

Answer 30

Try some historical fiction books. One of my favorites is "The Kitchen Boy". You can learn something, plus, being partly fiction, the author can jazz it up some to help hold your interest. Anything by Edward Rutherfurd is good, too.

Answer 31

i have a book called "1001 books you must read before you die" by Peter Boxall. it reveiws books dated from pre 1700s-modern books. Maybe you and your mum could sit down with this book together and discuss which books would be best for you to read?

Answer 32

hi reading books can be fun try reading books like harrypotter, Narnia,sherlock holmes or watch the movies tht r based on these kinds of books tht should help u a it did to me.

Answer 33

Join a book club, talk to others about books they hav e read,read comments of books to see what others thought of it.

Answer 34

Ask your local librarian or a book seller that you trust for advice. You may also want to let them know what genre actually interests you!

Answer 35

Go to www.ala.org to get a list of Newberry Award Winning books. They are so good, you won't be able to put them down!

Answer 36

make yourself get through the 1st few chapters. (usually pretty boring) but then you'll be so hooked you may even go back and re-read them for more detail. (tale of 2 cities is awesome once you get into it)

Answer 37

Librarians are professionals trained to help people just like you. Start at the library.

Answer 38

Aska public librarian to help you get started.

Answer 39

try reading harry potter