READING
“Reading isn’t just about learning English - it’s about traveling without moving.”
As an English learner in my second semester, reading helps me grow academically and personally. I went from a person who hates reading to a someone who really enjoys reading. From epic fantasy novels to real-world business scripts, I’m starting to see English as a window into different worlds - both fictional and real. I find reading very relaxing in a way but it sharpens my critical thinking and vocabulary too.
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
Reading Tolkien’s The Hobbit opened a door to a fantasy universe where language is poetic, rich, and immersive.
Challenge: Old-fashioned words, long sentences - "Far over the misty mountains cold, to dungeons deep and caverns old"
What I learned: Descriptive language, metaphor, adventure vocabulary - "smaug the terrible" or "a thrumming of harp-strings"
Reflection: This book helped me see that English can be more than practical — it can create entire worlds. - The detailed description of Bilbo’s home — “It was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort” — made me realize how even small details create atmosphere
Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer
Why I chose it: A mix of adventure, philosophy, and real-life rawness.
Challenge: Reflective passages and nature-related terminology. - Terms like "arête," and "moraine" required me to look up meanings, helping me better visualize the wilderness.
What I learned: How tone shifts between narration and dialogue, and how to convey deep emotion through writing. - The shift from the calm description of the Alaskan landscape to Chris McCandless’s emotional journal entries like "Happiness only real when shared" showed me how tone can carry the meaning.
Reflection: This book made me think about freedom and choices - both in life and in language itself
The Wolf of Wall Street
I read the screenplay while watching the movie. It was a bold choice — fast, emotional, full of slang — but very eye-opening.
Challenge: Financial slang and fast-paced dialogue - Terms like "IPO," "pump and dump," and "blue chip stocks" were new to me and required context to understand.
What I learned: Modern expressions, persuasive language
Reflection: I started to understand tone — how the same sentence can sound different depending on who's speaking and how.
Academic Articles
I read short academic texts about language learning, especially music and memory.
Favorite article: “Language Acquisition through Rap Music”
Reflection: It helped me connect academic reading with my love of music, especially artists like Santan Dave.
Social Media + Song Lyrics
Reading captions and lyrics on Instagram and Genius.com is also part of my English learning.
Example: Reading Santan Dave’s lyrics taught me about rhythm and emotion - Santan Dave’s lyrics in “Black” - “Black is pain, Black is joy, Black is evident” - taught me not just words, but how to express identity and emotion powerfully with rhythm and structure.
Bonus: I learn slang and UK-specific terms
I’ve definitely made progress in my reading skills - my comprehension has improved, and I feel more confident understanding complex texts. However, reading out loud is still a challenge for me. It’s a completely different experience. When I speak, I often stumble over words, make pronunciation mistakes, or hesitate with long pauses like “ehmmm…” I also tend to read more slowly aloud than I do silently. It’s something I’m actively working on, because I know that strong oral reading skills are important, especially in teaching.
Excerpt from the book Into the Wild
Gallien asked whether he had a hunting license.
“Hell, no,” Alex scoffed. “How I feed myself is none of the government’s
business. Fxck their stupid rules.”
When Gallien asked whether his parents or a friend knew what he was up to -
whether there was anyone who would sound the alarm if he got into trouble and
was overdue - Alex answered calmly that no, nobody knew of his plans, that in
fact he hadn’t spoken to his family in nearly two years. “I’m absolutely positive,”
he assured Gallien, “I won’t run into anything I can’t deal with on my own.”
“There was just no talking the guy out of it,” Gallien remembers. “He was
determined. Real gung ho. The word that comes to mind is excited. He couldn’t
wait to head out there and get started.”
Three hours out of Fairbanks, Gallien turned off the highway and steered his
beat-up 4x4 down a snow-packed side road. For the first few miles the Stampede
Trail was well graded and led past cabins scattered among weedy stands of
spruce and aspen. Beyond the last of the log shacks, however, the road rapidly
deteriorated. Washed out and overgrown with alders, it turned into a rough,
unmaintained track.