Transcript

Charity 0:01 This is Planet Book with Charity and Jen. On this show we talk about the stories that mean the most to us. If you love books, you've come to the right place. Planet book is made possible by the Springfield-Greene County Library District. Welcome to the Planet. Hey, Jen.

Jen 0:15 Hello, hello.

Charity 0:16 Well, here we are, again, talking books and today we're talking about what to read when you don't love reading, you know, that's okay.

Jen 0:26 I just think you haven't found the right book personally. But-

Charity 0:31 Yes, that's what I say. Like when I hear parents say, oh, my kid's a reluctant reader. I say they just haven't found their hook yet. And I think if that's you, like you don't love reading, you just-like keep just trying all different kinds of books, you eventually will find something that you can't put down and then you'll get it. Then you'll love books like Jen and I do.

Jen 0:54 Yes, well. Charity, let's kind of discuss some of the reasons and the research behind why people weren't gravitating toward. Do you have any ideas from that?

Charity 1:04 Well, I, you know, certainly with kids well, and people in general, not just kids, but I think, you know, anyone that struggles with reading, or even like when they were younger, maybe struggled learning to read, and that process was really challenging for them. You know, it's kind-

Jen 1:23 They've got a negative association.

Charity 1:25 Yeah, they've got a negative association and that is totally understandable. I totally get it. This is why I hate math today, because I have a negative association with math due to my elementary years. So I get it. I mean, so I feel like that's a big one.

Jen 1:39 And I think there was, I don't know what it's like now, but there was a period-and it goes back and forth. Like, if you look at education trends, when one of my bosses that was a librarian was in school, she was considered-there was like, Red Bird, Blue Bird, black bird. And, I'm paraphrasing here, I don't remember the actual order, but black bird was the, you know, you're a slow reader. And, so that made her not love reading for a long time until she was an adult. And then she branched out and realized she loved to read. So whether it was AR, like you were given some number that you had to stick in some parameters. Sometimes it's the parameters, sometimes the subject matter, and sometimes it's the format. So we can kind of talk about those. What do you think? Any ideas on that?

Charity 2:36 Well, I would agree with that. I also think based on what I see with like teens, and I'll say like, maybe college age readers, it seems like school just burns them out on reading for pleasure, which I totally get. So like, in the summertime, you know, libraries all over the country are doing their summer reading programs and are trying to get young people involved in those. And for some of those students, like they've spent all school year having to read hundreds, maybe even 1000s of pages. Like they're done in the summer. And I totally get that too. And so much of what is required in school, sometimes it's just not the most interesting, those aren't the most interesting books. And so again, it develops that negative association. But yeah, I think you have to find your niche, you have to find the format that works for you. So I've got just some general categories that I think if you're a reluctant reader, that you might try these formats, and I've got some titles to recommend. So I'll just go ahead and start. So I always recommend audio books. And I find that for some reason, like sometimes those families, those parents that come in that want recommendations for their kids, maybe who are reluctant readers, for whatever reason, audio books often don't seem to be on their radar. But it's like, well, this is a great way, especially if you I've heard people say, well, I'm a slow reader so I don't like to read. Not that there's anything wrong with being a slow reader, but if that's what hinders you, well, my goodness, do audiobooks. And it just allows you to enjoy that story on such a different, maybe even a deeper level listening to it.

Jen 4:14 Right. And some people can only process by hearing. So if you're the student that needs the teacher to read the questions to you, and then you answer them, then of course, you're going to need an audio, I mean, you're probably going to enjoy an audio book more than the printed word. But also, I'm not the fastest reader and so I enjoy audiobooks and we have some co-workers they get irritated because the audio books so slow so you can actually speed up the narration.

Charity 4:45 Which is what I do. I always listen to it faster. But I mean, I'm a fast reader but even I like to listen to audiobooks because you can just knock out so many more books. So I have some of my favorite narrators, which when you really become an avid audiobook listener, and probably half, maybe even slightly more than half the books I read in a year now, are audio books. So Jayne Entwistle. And she has narrated a lot of things, but she's probably, you know, one of her bigger titles for middle grade or YA she narrates the War that Saved My Life and that sequel which is a beautiful-I know, we've talked about that on previous seasons, so I won't go into it. But Jayne Entwistle is a beautiful narrator. Kate Winslet, she narrates a few books for young people. And oh, my goodness, are they like, so fascinating and entertaining to listen to. She's great. And Dion Graham. He well, also, he has narrated a ton of things for kids, young adults, adult fiction, but he has narrated a lot of things for Nic Stone, who's a big YA author. And I like him a lot. So if you're going to try audio books, don't let a bad narrator throw you. So you have to find a narrator that you love, figure out what you like. And then you can, you know, go down the rabbit hole of that narrator and listen to what they've done. But any of those three. And I've got other favorites, too. But like, oh, my goodness, you can't beat a good audio book.

Jen 6:22 I agree. Audio books are great. And like you said, if you've tried one, and maybe you started out with historical fiction, and they all have crazy names, it's really hard to keep up, then maybe switch to something a little bit more accessible, like, start with the Hate You Give or something on audio that's more contemporary, and then see if you like that and enjoy that. The other thing I always suggest when families come in over the summer, is choose a title for the entire family to listen to together.

Charity 6:54 Oh, yeah.

Jen 6:56 In the car. And then you get to have those conversations with your kids or your mom and dad, or whatever. But that's a lot of fun.

Charity 7:08 Yeah, there's so many great middle grade novels that work well as family read alouds. And my goodness, also like that group listening experience, where you can all listen, you're all getting something different, you can have those conversations, that is such a rich and wonderful experience. And I want to say too, before we get too far into this conversation, that wherever you live, wherever you're listening to this, find your local librarians, and pick their brains for these suggestions. So if you're like, how do I even know what kind of audio book like go talk to those librarians, because we are the experts at recommending books. So we could help figure out, oh, you didn't like this, but you do like this? Okay, well, here are some titles for you. So take advantage of your local libraries. And to help, you know, give you more suggestions along the way.

Jen 8:04 I also like, format wise, the novels in verse for reluctant readers.

Charity 8:10 Yes, that's on my list, too. Yes.

Jen 8: 13 What were you going to say about that?

Charity 8:14 You know, I like novels in verse. I like audio books and novels in verse and graphic novels. Those are my three formats that I was going to talk about today. But I like them all, mainly, because you can feel so accomplished quickly breezing through these stories. So novels in verse so that's where they have taken, you know, a novel and when you look at the page in the book, it looks like it's a poem. So it's not like paragraphs of text, which if you have struggled as a reader, if you're a slow reader, that can be very daunting. I mean, gosh, even I have put books down when I open them up and I see it's just like a solid block of text and small margins. I'm probably not going to read that. So novels in verse, that is a great format. If you, you know, maybe you haven't quite found the book to make you love reading. And there are some great ones out there. So I'll share some of mine that I would love to hear yours, Jen. But I thought of Jacqueline Woodson and I know I've mentioned her before, but she's got Brown Girl Dreaming and that's written in verse and that is such a beautiful-I mean, it's fiction, but it's also like loosely based on her life, I believe, like she's got a lot of her own personal details in there. But it is so beautiful. I love her. Jason Reynolds is another author who writes a lot in verse. He's known for Ghost, A Long Way Down. He's written for kids, teens and adults. Well, and so has Jacqueline Woodson like she's written for every age group. But Jason Reynolds, man, he does such, I feel, like fresh, innovative creative things. And his books are usually really interesting to look at. Like there's some visual element to look at them a little bit. So novels in verse. Yeah, absolutely.

Jen 10:03 Speaking of Jason Reynolds, in addition to novels in verse, I am a fan of short stories. That's kind of what hooked me into classic literature. Back in middle school, I picked up J.D. Salinger's is it Nine Stories? Anyway, the first one is a Perfect Day for Bananafish. And it was just-it really hooked me. It's a really short story. And so among the movement, We Need More Diverse Books one of the first short story anthologies was called Fresh Ink. The very first story is by Jason Reynolds, and it's called Eraser Tattoo. And it's about these high schoolers in New York, whose communities are kind of being gentrified so they're having to move away and like each neighbor that passes by, they kind of comment on, and then one of the kids is moving and they are talking about how they're gonna miss each other. But yeah, just really fresh, really accessible. A story about something that's happening now, instead of like 50 years ago, yeah. So you're, you're right, like, he will hook you in immediately.

Charity 11:12 I love that we are right there on the same page, the same wavelength. And Jason Reynolds. I mean, I'll just plug him, like, look him up on YouTube or something, look up his website, I should have written down what that is. But he has been doing, like, a lot of author talks and discussing some of the important topics and current events of the day that we're going through. And he is just so awesome to listen to. like he's got such a great worldview and perspective on things. And so I think he is definitely-if you don't know Jason Reynolds, like, just check him out because he's good.

Jen 11:50 Another reason I chose Fresh Ink is because Lamar Giles does an introduction about his love/hate relationship with reading, because he hated reading as a teenager, because as a black man, he only saw himself in books as the bad guy or the token friend or just whatever stereotype we can throw that way. So he's now writing stories that he wanted to read. He wants to be the superhero. Now we're getting that and we're just now catching up to that. If you've never seen yourself in a positive light, of course you hate reading. Do you know what I'm saying?

Charity 12:30 Right, exactly. And well, there's, you know, we still got a ways to go. But I feel like book publishing has come a long way in the last few years. So there are more of those stories for every age group from picture books to adults, like, so if you're struggling to find that book, where you can see yourself represented, you know, again, visit your local library and get those suggestions.

Jen 12:54 Pick up an anthology like Fresh Ink, because it has everything from an American born Middle Eastern girl going to a punk rock concert and crushing on someone, an Asian American girl going to a cosplay and having a, I think it's called, Meet Cute. And anyway, they're all so much fun. And there's every format, there's even a short graphic novel short story, and they're all by top notch readers, I mean, writers. And then if you like one of the stories, it gives you a springboard on where to go, like, this is the author I like, let me check out more of their stuff.

Charity 13:32 Yeah, that's a good point, too. I think sometimes I forget about short story collections. But that is a great way to kind of introduce yourself to some different writers and get a feel without having to, like, commit yourself to reading, like, a 300 or 400 page novel. Like, who do I like, what kind of writing do I like?

Jen 13:52 And specifically, I will say the We Need Diverse Books really does these great anthologies. A couple of years ago, they did one on, like, based around food and a neighborhood of, like food shops, and then most recently, I think they did it's called Black Lights, I think. So anyway, just look up We Need Diverse Books anthologies. And if you're interested in that kind of thing, but the other thing is: topic. Like what was your format, graphic novels?

Charity 14:23 Yeah. So that was my other last category that I was going to talk about. I was really, I guess, a reluctant graphic novel comic reader. But I mean, like so many great things have been coming out in that format. And the art is incredible. And I'm such a visual person. So finally, like I was just drawn in, and I won't say that I read a ton of them, but I am reading more and more all the time. And so I feel like again, if you are kind of trying to find that book that you like to read, you want to be a reader. Graphic novels are a great way to get some reading done. And one of my, I think it's a YA title that I read, maybe last year, so in like in 2020. But it's called the Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown. And it is such an interesting, it's really more of a comic than a graphic novel. But it's about these conjoined twins that live, I want to say in like, the early 1900s, back when people who were body diverse were turned into like, kind of slideshows.

Jen 15:39 Freaks.

Charity 15:40 Yes. And so, these conjoined twins, like, what other life are they gonna live and they've got to make money to live. And so they join this sideshow circus. And so the art is, the art is just really interesting to me. And the story is, it's funny in places, it is a little sad in places. But I find that when I find a graphic novel that I like, I will just read it pretty much in one sitting cover to cover because, right, you know, it's not like a novel where there's a chapter and there's a good place to stop and like, so you just keep reading, and they're just, they're enjoyable.

Jen 16:16 And then that brings me to web comics. Now even the stuff that starts out as web comics is being produced then as a graphic novel. So you've got something like Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, which started out as a webcomic. And it is just such a sweet, sweet, tender romance between a rugby player and a little kind of nerdy kid that's out. But it's all just, like, it's so PG. It's so PG and you can recommend it to anybody that's a fan of romance and wants a good heartwarming story.

Charity 17:00 Yeah and who doesn't want, like, a good, you know, kind of feel good story once in a while. Well, I love that we've had this conversation.

Jen 17:09 Oh, I want to add one more thing.

Charity 17:10 Okay. Go ahead.

Jen 17:11 History. Like because we cannot forget that history is one of those subjects that reluctant readers can sometimes latch on to. Like, if I'm in a conversation with a kid, I'll be like, so here, I'll ask you now, Charity. Who was the most successful pirate historically? Do you know? If you had to guess, would you say male or female?

Charity 17:35 I mean, I would guess a man. Like were there female pirates?

Jen 17:39 The most successful, like, she was over 80,000, like, I don't know, if you call them troops or boats or whatever. Um, that's where I would need the kid that's into history to, like, correct me. But her name was Zheng Yi Sao. And she was probably, like, better than Blackbeard. Do you know what I'm saying? So sometimes I'll just be like, here, here's this topic that they're interested in? And if you can hook them with like, did you really know? Did you know that this is actually what happened?

Charity 18:17 Oh, my gosh, I had no idea. I'm gonna have to go down that rabbit hole.

Jen 18:23 Just those little kind of nuggets of nonfiction. Like if you see the kid's interests and if you can hook them in that way, like, hey, and there's a graphic novel about that pirate.

Charity 18:37 Wow, that is fascinating. Oh my gosh. But yeah, that's another good in, is thinking about, like, what are the topics that you are really interested in? Somebody has written a book about it, you know, and so like, that's another way maybe to find books that you love. One of the questions that I ask if there's like a kid who maybe isn't sure what he wants to read, you know, like, what are your favorite characters? What's your favorite show, your favorite movie? That, you know, there are books maybe that have that similar feel as your favorite show or your favorite movie. So that's another way to find your way into books.

Jen 19:16 Also, there's a lot of comedy out there and a lot of times it's under a memoir. So you can help put those funny stories into kids' hands too, because there's a lot of funny writing out there if they know where to look.

Charity 19:29 I am so grateful that we had this conversation. And, you know, hopefully if you have not yet found the book that makes you love reading, you've gotten some good suggestions today. And whether you have struggled in the past or you're a slow reader, none of it matters. We just want you to find books that you love. And, you know, being a part of that community of readers is a pretty special thing. Like some of the coolest people that I know are readers. Thanks for chatting books with me again.

Jen 20:00 Oh yeah, can't wait till next time.

Charity 20:02 Thanks for joining us for another episode, send your book and show suggestions or comments to imagine@thelibrary.org. We'd love to hear from you. Follow us on Facebook for the latest news and events. This has been a production of the Springfield-Greene County Library District. Thanks for listening.