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My earliest reading memory is reading "Goodnight Moon". Some of my other favorites included "Green Eggs and Ham", "Go Dog Go", and "Ten Apples Up on Top". I remember loving the rhyme scheme of these books, and being able to easily identify which words rhymed, and which words didn't. Loving music at such a young age, the rhythm that the rhyme provided was appealing to me.

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The woman whispering "hush" was a sign for me to stop making noise and go to sleep.

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In first grade, the teacher pulled out a chapter book. "Junie B, First Grader: Toothless Wonder". At first, the lack of pictures and the multiple paragraphs on each page were intimidating. However, the teacher guided us through it, and I was hooked on this series. I found the plotline to be very interesting in every book. There was always a lingering sense of dread, or a concept of suspense, waiting to see what would come next. Though shorter books I had read in the past had a simple plotline, this was the first book with a true, complex plotline. I ended up reading over 20 other books in the series during the rest of the school year.

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It's always great when the person who's been mean to you finally doesn't have the last word.

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Around 3rd grade is when I noticed I was moving away from books with illustrations and moving onto chapter books with great amounts of text in them. While it made me feel mature knowing I was ahead of most of my classmates, it definitely got old after a while. It didn't take long for me to become bored of reading, and therefore less motivated to do it. Then one day, the teacher did a diagnostic to see what genres we would enjoy the most, and recommend that I begin reading historical fiction, mostly for my love of history at the time. I followed his instructions, and I'm glad I did. I began reading these stories, and instantly loved how immersed I felt in them, whether they be about the Holocaust, World War I, or Vietnam. Seeing a perspective on an event I could only learn about but never truly experience was eye-opening to me.

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As middle school began, I started to read lots of historical fiction. Many of these stories were based off of the accounts of actual people, with their story twisted slightly to better fit the plot of the story. Getting an account of how people lived during notable historical events opened up a whole new perspective for me. It allowed me to see how amazing--or horrific certain events in history really were. The story I most vividly remember reading was "Refugee" by Alan Gratz. The story included three different perspectives, one from a boy with his family during the Holocaust, one from a girl with her family during the Special Period in Cuba, and a boy with his family during the Syrian Civil War. The perspectives are separate for the majority of the book but are then tied together at the end. Not only being immersed in three different time periods in three different scenarios, but also seeing it from the perspectives of people close in age to me was truly a different experience. I was constantly reminded of it while reading "As I Lay Dying" because of the similar multi-perspective nature.

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Bringing the two perspectives from two different time periods together. It also gave reader closure, seeing Josef achieve the goal he had been working towards all along.

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In 7th grade, I was placed in "Lit Plus", which implied that I was advanced for my grade level in English. Upon arriving, I quickly realized that the workload was far more than I was used to, which quickly discouraged me. By December, I was very tired of the class, and had little motivation to keep going. However, the next book we were assigned was "The Outsiders", which immediately grabbed my attention from the second I read the first page. I was fascinated by how well the story was able to immerse us into a time so far removed from my generation.

However, this is where I truly realized how sad some event in history truly were. The amount of death in the books I was reading was becoming too much. None of the stories really seemed to have a happy ending, especially in the historical fiction novels, where at times people would lose their entire family and walk out the last surviving member. However, I was able to overcome this challenge by acknowledging the concept of learning about history. History is taught and studied to ensure the bad parts of it don't reoccur. Rather than focusing on the truly sad ending, it could have been better to focus on the happy ending, how this character may have bettered the world following their experience, or simply them living a better life afterwards.

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Such a sad---yet iconic moment in the novel.

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After I completed 6th grade, I was very unhappy with my English teacher and her style of teaching. I found her to be very impatient and felt as if she was always out to get me. I was shocked when I got my schedule in 7th grade and saw that she had recommended me to take the advanced English class. Initially, I was not looking forward to the class, expecting it to be a repeat of the year before, the only difference being a heavier workload. Upon arriving, I knew it would not be the same. My teacher, Mrs. Varcadipane, was incredibly extroverted and excited to help us learn. Her classes were always incredibly interactive, and I never found myself looking at the clock waiting for class to end. In that year, we read "The Outsiders" and "The Last Lecture", a story about a college professor who was nearing the end of his life from terminal cancer. The story, along with her teaching, taught me a great deal about life, and how to have a better outlook on life events as a whole. On top of this, her class truly taught me how to analyze stories, and look for the deeper meaning. Without her class, for all I know, I could have continued to dread English class and never put the effort in that I needed to move onto AP.

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Entering high school, yet again placed in advanced English classes meant I would have to put more time into reading, and not just simply read for the purpose of getting the assignments done. I was very prone to skipping reading and just simply watching summary videos instead the first two years of high school. However, when it became evident at the AP level that I could not continue doing that, I found myself sitting at my desk nightly carefully reading the books. Though it was time consuming, it truly helped me learn the deeper meaning of novels, and the true meaning of the author's purpose. Though it may seem silly and overbearing to ask, "why did the author put a period here?", small details such as that are very prevalent in this subject, and clearly not a waste of time. Books like "Beloved" and "As I Lay Dying" enhanced my ability to dissect the novel, and analyze the true deeper meaning.

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Life of Pi was the book I chose for our choice reading. It had always been sitting on a shelf in my house. But when I opened it, I found out he book version my parents owned was in large print, meaning there was no space for annotations. With that, I hopped on my bike and trekked through several hilly neighborhoods to get to a bookstore in the next town over to purchase a normal copy of the book. Because of that, I cannot look at this book without thinking about a bike!

The novel goes in depth like no other novel I've read before. We learned about a stream of consciousness in "As I Lay Dying", and I was able to directly apply my knowledge to this book, as it did the same thing. The main character, Pi, was always in deep thought, and had a very philosophical approach to the marine and animal life that surrounded him. His mind is always running as fast as possible, and never has any sign of stopping. He reminds me of myself when I'm in a less stimulating environment, where it's just me and my thoughts.

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I love being immersed in stories involving a plotline that would likely never happen in my lifetime, or simply one that is fictional. It provides an escape from the world that I'm living in and opens a door to a new world that offers new perspectives and philosophies. Stepping into the shoes of the narrator or main character provides a view of their world, something I can never truly experience in my human life.

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Not only can reading give your brain a mental exercise, but can also improve your lifestyle as a whole. It has been found to reduce stress and remove any strains commonly found in life. That being said, it's important to keep reading a significant part of anyone's life. Without it, life can be a very stressful, tedious chain of events with few ways to relax the mind.

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Health benefits of reading

Bookworms, rejoice: Reading is great for your health. We got the scoop on the health benefits of reading from Angela Buttimer, MS, NCC, RYT, LPC, a facilitator at Thomas F. Chapman Family Cancer Wellness at Piedmont.

Reading reduces stress

Studies have shown reading helps reduce stress, likely because it requires concentration and focus. Researchers at the University of Sussex found that participants who read for just six minutes experienced reduced muscle tension and a slower heart rate.

Reducing your stress is also good for your immune system, particularly if you are undergoing cancer treatment. Stress causes the body to produce the stress hormone cortisol, which leads to inflammation in the body. Inflammation, experts say, may play a role in cancer growth or recurrence.

Reading helps you sleep better

"Reading is an excellent way to relax and can be a great nighttime ritual," says Buttimer.

We know the bright light from digital devices, such as a smartphone, television or computer, can hinder quality sleep, so reading a book is an ideal way to unwind before bedtime.

Reading keeps your mind sharp

Studies have found reading regularly may slow mental decline and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. While scientists don't know the exact mechanism of how this works, research has indicated some benefits.

Reading can improve your relationships

Reading can also help you develop empathy toward others.

"Reading about people who are different from us can help us understand another person's life experience and give us gratitude for our own life experience," says Buttimer. "It's also helpful to read books about people who have gone through the same things we have. They may have a way of describing their experience that helps us articulate our own experience."

What to read for better health

Buttimer recommends getting outside of your comfort zone when it comes to the book genres you select.

"Read something new and different. This is one of the forms of positivity: Cultivating interest and curiosity in new topics," she explains. "For example, if you're curious about meditation, read a book on the topic."

What not to read for better health

Not all books are helpful for reducing stress or boosting health.

"We have mirror neurons in our brains. When we read stressful content, our brain interprets it as if it's happening to us," says Buttimer.

She adds, "In my mindfulness class, I caution against reading too many negative things, such as crime novels. Some people enjoy them, yet they are violent and full of negative information that's going into your mind. Once that information is in your consciousness, that bell can't be un-rung. Watching or reading negative, violent or stressful content can have a detrimental effect over the long-term."

What if you don't enjoy reading?

If you don't enjoy reading for fun, try these tips to help you develop a reading habit:

Listen to an audiobook while you complete chores, commute or cook.

Choose a book that has shorter chapters and read a little bit at a time, such as five minutes a day.

Set realistic goals for yourself. Aim to read a chapter a day or a week. Go at your own pace.

If you make time for reading like you would exercise, meditation or preparing healthy meals, you can make it a beneficial new habit (and hobby!) in your life.

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I don't read as frequently as I should. Knowing that I could be going for a bike ride, or playing a video game commonly overshadows the idea of reading a book. Now that I have the freedom to read a book without the need to study for an upcoming test, or annotating the book until the pages can't handle the amount of ink on them, I can have a more relaxed approach towards reading, while still applying all the skills I learned in terms of analysis and the author's purpose.

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My poem is titled "Cherish the Time".

These books all involve some sense of closure, ending, death, or loss. Several of the characters in these novels have a sense of remorse because they did not cherish the good times in their life before their life took a dramatic turn. This is a way of life I like to live, since there is no way for me to predict the future, and for all I know, the good times I am experiencing are about to have an abrupt ending. In the meantime, while I live in the moment, I must also be aware that the moment won't last forever.

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