I am a person who loves to read, but I have not always been that way. These are some tips that helped me choose a book that I look forward to reading, and tricks that helped me to make sure I had time to read them.

As a high school student, it is important to read because it helps your brain develop, increases your vocabulary, increases your grammar skills and helps you as a writer by showing you different ways to structure sentences.

1. Sometimes It’s okay to judge a book by its cover. Although you should not judge every book by its cover, the outside of the book that can help you decide whether or not it is a book that you will enjoy.  “I do pick books, a lot of times, by its cover, especially by the synopsis on the back,” English teacher Hannah Venesky said.
2. Read the first five pages. Reading the first five pages might make the book seem boring because it, a lot of times, is an introduction to the setting and characters. The reason you read the first five pages is not for the plot of the book, but for the writing style. It will show you if the book is written in first, second or third person. It can also show you if it is a writing style that you connect with.
3. Get recommendations. Getting book recommendations is similar to getting movie recommendations. Getting them from your friends or teachers you trust can show you books that you have never heard of before. “I also get a lot of recommendations from Mrs. Urschel up in the library,” Venesky said.
4. It’s okay to read more than one book at a time, and choose them based on your mood. Reading more than one type of book can help because you can pick which one to read based on where you are or what mood you are in. For example when you are on vacation, you don’t want to read deeply thought provoking literature. It is better to choose an easier read in times that you don’t want to have to fully focus on the book.
5. Start slow, then the harder literature will come easier.  “I’m all for reading bad books because I consider them to be a gateway drug,” Ann Patchett said in her book Book Love. “People who read bad books now may or may not read better books in the future. People who read nothing now will read nothing in the future.”
6. Read books that have relatable characters and messages. When you read books that are not relatable to your own life, you can not fully understand the character’s thought process. “Perks of Being a Wallflower is my favorite book because I think that there are so many mini truths in it, that even if you don’t feel like you are fully one of the characters, you feel like there is a part of you in each of the characters that you can latch onto,” Venesky said.

   Reading books that have characters around your age or that like the same things as you can help you choose a book that you will want to read.

7. It is okay to stop reading a book in the middle. If you find yourself in the middle of a book that you don’t like, you do not have to finish it. If you try to read books that are too hard or unrelatable, you might get discouraged about reading and stop. Nothing says that if you buy a book you have to read it cover to cover.
8. It’s never too late to start reading. Even as an English teacher, Venesky did not start reading for the pleasure of it until she was a sophomore in college. “I didn’t feel like there was much of a connection of the books that we read (in high school) to my life, and so I didn’t start reading until I was a sophomore in college when I found it to be an escape, and I started with the Twilight series,” Venesky said.
9. Half the time you are going to watch tv, read instead. This is a good rule of thumb because it forces you to stop watching tv and pick up a book instead.

In conclusion, it is never too late to become an avid reader, and choosing a relatable book can help you to not only want to read, but also enjoy it.