Tag: book nerd

5 Reasons Books Make Great Gifts

As Christmas approaches and we all look around for presents for adults and children, why not consider buying some books? I know that I for one am always happy to receive a book as a Christmas gift and my mum commonly includes them in my festive gifts. There are many reasons books make great gifts.

When trying to come up with satisfying presents to give this festive season, books should be high on your list of exciting options. Books show thoughtfulness, understanding and kindness.

1) Books are inspiring

People are grateful to receive novels for Christmas because a lot of thought goes into selecting them. Rather than buying a random present like chocolates or drink, a book is something special.

2) They are a good use of time

Reading a book is a great use of time. Encouraging others to read well chosen books is a positive move. If a narrative is strong then the reader will get sucked in and hours will be happily spent absorbed in that story.

3) A well chosen book will satisfy

Many readers get a lot of enjoyment out of stories and so, if you know the person loves books, such a present will go down a treat.

4) Books can provide education

Providing a non-fiction text about something that you know the recipient is interested in is a good move. By feeding a fascination or giving more insight into a famous person with a biography, non-fiction works well.

5) A book is a gift that keeps on giving

Books are great gifts because, once read, you can reread them many times. Also they can be regifted later on and shared with family members. This also enables the spread of love for reading.

I hope that you agree that books make the perfect Christmas gift. Here is a previous article about some brilliant book suggestions.

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Which Writers Impressed You At School?

When I grew up my reading was heavily influenced by my teachers. Luckily some of my primary teachers rather liked Roald Dahl and the rest also made brilliant literary choices. I wonder if this is typical of English schools and what writers stand out in the memories of those of you who grew up abroad?

When my infant teacher initially read the BFG, with incredible accents for each giant, I was totally sucked in. The following year another wonderful teacher read us George’s Marvellous Medicine and then The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. C S Lewis then became a firm favourite of mine and I started consuming the other Narnia stories, such as The Silver Chair.

Being Read To Matters

I do wonder if my love for reading would have been less evident if I hadn’t had teachers who really read with passion. The reading bug needs to start somewhere and Roald and Lewis definitely triggered the obsession for me.

My mum also read to me daily and as time moved on I started to read to her. I would read Enid Blyton books and those involving Professor Brainstorm. I’d also try poems and fact books. Mum bought me a whole set of illustrated Charles Dickens books (children’s editions).

As I got older, teachers introduced me to Michael Morpurgo (Why the Whales Came) and Shakespeare (starting with Macbeth). One thing was certain, the more books I sampled, the stronger my passion for reading became. At the same time some fiction turned me off and helped me fine tune my taste or reluctance for certain genres. For instance, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ was taught by an uninteresting teacher and was dragged out over months.

Inspiring Tales

So yes, my brilliant teachers brought amazing narratives into my life and I am forever grateful. I will never lose my love of Roald Dahl books, no matter how many times I come across them. Similarly, I have a place in my heart for Narnia and Hogwarts. Admittedly Harry Potter was first read by me as an adult but I bet J K Rowling’s books have a massive impact on today’s young people and encourage many to read more often.

For another article about Roald Dahl have a read of this. If you enjoyed this post perhaps consider following my blog.

Kindle or Paperback? (Books)

One of the things that intrigues me about reading is how some people are so passionate about printed books and others are perfectly content with electronic stories. Some readers are fairly polarised about this issue but I tend to read both.

As a writer and avid reader of narratives, it fascinates me that many have really strong opinions on this matter. Below are some of the points that people I know have made about the two types of books.

Kindle Ebooks

– Easy to read on the move as they can be accessed using your mobile phone, kindle reader or iPad.

– Navigable. You can use a drop-down list to select what chapter or page you want to find instantly.

– They track where you have got to, even updating different devices. If I read on my iPad kindle app, it will update my phone app too so I always know where I am. No bookmarks falling out and making me lose my place.

– Kindle books are usually cheaper, often just a few pounds or up to ten pounds if newer.

– Ebooks take up less space.

Paperback books

– They smell good when freshly opened. Nothing beats the feel of a brand new book.

– Being compact, they are great to take on trains or read on holiday by the beach.

– You can make notes in them or add post-it notes. Some readers like to highlight sections or add comments.

– Books can be handed to friends to read when you have finished or sold on afterwards.

– Paperback books tend to hurt your eyes less as they don’t emit bright lights.

This was just a fun book related post as I have had a very busy few days. Please comment your thoughts on the matter and maybe follow my little blog.