Reading is a pasttime for anyone who hopes to strengthen their mind and language abilities. The students at PHS discuss some of their favorite books and what reading means to them. 

“I really liked ‘The Red Queen’ in middle school only beacuse it was super slow in the beginning and then it got super amazing and I just was able to continue reading it,” junior Angela Botha said. “Recently I haven’t really been into it [reading] but I honestly think it’s a really good thing.”

Books are usually full of exciting stories, whether nonfiction or fiction, that capture the attention of the reader. They can take you on an adventure with their words.

“I read one like a week ago that was a French one. It’s called “Un automne pour te pardonner” [An Autumn to Forgive You],” senior Ange Tirbois said. “I like it because it was one of my first fantasy book, most of the time I really like romance and things like this… there were a lot of suspense and I feel like ‘Oh my god what’s going to be next’.”

With the addition of exchange students to our school, foreign material is also being brought into the light. The school library has hundreds of books for all types of people. Many students visit the library daily to check out books or to simply look around.

“That’s where I got that book [The Female of the Species], it’s still in there,” sophomore Geo Dilworth said. “I did my report on it last year. They’ve got books in there I’d love to read.”

Books intrigue the mind which allows the reader to focus and imagine a world apart from their own. They can make you feel a range of emotions from happy to sad; all of this is up to interpretation of the viewer.

“I like that reading is a way to escape the words and a way to relate to things that other people have gone through or reading something that’s not ever going to happen,” Dilworth said.

What do students think are the benefits of getting nose deep in a novel are?

“It depends on the book you read, but if it’s a typical one I will say the imagination. The fact that you can see or feel why you read words. I think that helps also for the writing of the language.” Tirbois said. 

There are millions of books in the world. All are generally unique and have stories to be explored.