When I was younger, I used to eat, breathe, and sleep with books.

Library trips would consist of at least ten books and I would be back there in a week to get new ones. I read these novels cover-to-cover within one afternoon and would move right onto the next. I used to read two books at a time- one at home and one at school; sometimes so often, that I would get the two stories mixed up. There was no greater feeling to be engrossed in a book, being in a part of another world, another story.

Now if you ask me what’s the last novel I read for pleasure, I couldn’t tell you. Reading stopped being a luxury, and more of a chore in high school. The only books I remember reading are books for class and that’s it.

School simply does not permit time to read. High school days are never-ending when you’re stuck in a chair for 7 hours a day, then you go home and do homework all day, and then if you get time- you sleep. Yes, it is possible to clear some time out to maybe read a chapter of a novel. But I personally like to sit and read a book in a long stretch, especially when it’s really good. Why create cliffhangers for yourself? The real issue is that school is so overwhelming that not only do we not have time to read for fun, but many of us sacrifice our free time, meals, sleep, and mental health for school.

By not reading, I am missing out on so much. Not only am I missing out an opportunity to go on an adventure from the comfort of my own bed, but my vocab and literacy skills are poor now because of the fact that I simply do not read anymore. I decided this year that I need to change this.

I recently received a book recommendation from a high school teacher called “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman. I started reading it and the nostalgic feelings of reading came back from when I was a child. And it felt amazing. I am currently in the process of reading it still, but I plan to read more books this year whether they are novels or poems.

I will always hope for a day where I can just sit and read like I used to be able to. It’s sad that I may never get to read as I used to but I am making it a priority now to read again- And you should too. Reading does not hurt anyone and it simply is a great feeling to be a part of another world for a while.