What have you been reading lately?
When was the last time you read a book?
Are you a wide reader?
In a gathering, you can tell who the wide readers are. Wide readers think and speak well. They win the admiration, respect, and good opinion of others.
Reading expands the mind. In fact, many people consider it as one of the satisfying pleasures of humans, for it involves physical as well as mental activities.
Reading is primarily a mental activity. After all, you read with your mind and use your imagination to paint the setting of the detective thriller you are reading. You use you mind to imagine the pain that the main character experiences as the story unfolds. You bring into play the different arguments and ideas brought up by the author in that self-help book you are holding.
To read effectively, reading helps you develop a wide vocabulary through extensive reading. A skillful reader has a wide recognition vocabulary. He may not know exactly what every word means, but he will have a good general idea of the meaning of the sentence.
Reading makes you alert and curious about new words. Other readers develop the dictionary habit. Every time they come across a strange word, they try to figure out what it can possibly mean by the context. If they cannot do this, they refer to the dictionary.
Likewise, reading develops intellectual curiosity by exposing you to a variety of materials. You learn to read by reading books of increasing difficulty and variety. As in other forms of activity, you learn by actually doing.
Reading trains you to have an active and open mind. Merely grasping the writer’s idea is not enough. You must make a positive response to what you read. Be an active, not a passive, reader. Develop the habit of drawing your own conclusions, the habit of active thinking, of agreeing or disagreeing with the author. Keep your mind open; understand and weigh the ideas that you read. A practical part of active reading is the drawing of conclusions.
Allow me to share four basic rules for effective reading and better comprehension:
1) Try to read more and more. Remember the saying that practice makes perfect. Practicing in the correct way makes perfect.
2) Develop the habit of reading for main ideas. Look for the subject and predicate. Do not waste time on details or little words.
3) Learn to read with focus and concentration. Think of what you are reading. Do not let your attention wander somewhere else. Good readers read with understanding.
4) Learn to budget your time. Experiment with your reading time. Try purposely to read faster. Give yourself a time limit on specific material that you read.
Reading is a stimulating mental activity. It expands your reality and capability. You have so much to gain in discovering the joys of reading. Go ahead; grab a book right now!
April 14th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Bola,
Your Newsletter has become my daily tonic.Alot of Nigerians do not have a reading culture and this has contributed to a very large extent to the level of underdevelopment and unemployment in our system.The school system has to address that.Am also guilty as charged but for the awareness I got from DTI4.Bola,this campaign has to go beyond here .Think about it.
Best personal regards.
April 14th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Hi Bola,
You have said it all,as nothing can be compared to reading.
It really act as stimulant to ones mental activityand helps in
building a total human being.Keep it up BOLA.
April 14th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Hi Bolly,
“Reading expands the mind. In fact, many people consider it as one of the satisfying pleasures of humans, for it involves physical as well as mental activities.”Culled from the above article
You know the most significant about reading wide is that when you talk
people listen because you’ve been able to use your time judiciously.
I hardly get satisfy if i do not read a day if it’s only one chapter i will be okay.
The secrets are in the books.
April 16th, 2008 at 4:25 am
Nna,
Well you have said well. I am also looking at how to take the message beyond this website but the truth is that I can’t do it all alone. If we all join hands together, Naija will become great again. Let’s all join hands together to start spreading this message of hope to all.
April 16th, 2008 at 4:28 am
thanks adewale lawal. There is no enlightenment without reading. If we look at all the great men we are celebrating today, we will find out that a book is behind their change in attitude and mindset.
God bless you Sir
April 16th, 2008 at 4:31 am
shibra,
True talk, the secrets are in the books. I’m not sure I would have been where I am today if not for the books I have read.
Keep up the habit of reading daily, it is the best investment you can ever make, far better than even investing in the stock market
April 16th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I have been a lover of books.One thing I have found out is that what ever difficulty I am having now in my life,is as a result of something I dont know.
The secret is in a book and reading reveals this secret.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:01 am
Hello!
That was a great piece of writing. Reading is a powerful thing that one should get oneself involved with. It sharpens our reasoning ability more especialy when we brainstorm along while reading. Brainstorming itself is: Reading + Understanding + Thinking.
It flows in that order.
Reading helps in fluent speaking with confidence because you will always know the next thing to say. Even if you used a different word in a speech or something and you did not actually want to use the word, there is a way you add another word to normalise it in line what you have in mind. A good reader should be a custodian of English language. I rest my case. Keep the flag flying Bola.
Cheers!!
April 18th, 2008 at 3:03 am
Bolly,I believe every literate person knows what reading does to one’s reasoning capabilities just to mention a few.In your words Bolly,”the secrets are in the books” I enjoy reading a lot and i enjoin everyone to please,increase our reading harbits . Don’t be tired my people!Just feeding on Sidney Sheldon’s “If tomorrow comes” right away.
April 18th, 2008 at 11:52 am
SIR,
I BELIEVE THAT ONE OF THE FACTORS TO BECOME A SOLUTION TO THIS PRESENT GENERATION IS TO BE A BOOKWORM THAT IS A READER , THE MORE YOU READ THE KNOWLEDGEABLE YOU BECOME, IN ACTUAL FACT BY READING YOU DEVELOP A WING THAT YOU BEGIN TO FLY . READING EXPOSES YOU TO A DIFFERENT WORLD THAT IS UNIMAGINABLE.READERS ARE LEADERS. YES ,THE CHANGES HAS BEGUN IN OUR NATION NIGERIA. YOU MUST NOT STOP INSPIRING NIGERIAN.NIGERIANS NEED IT DESPERATELY. GOD BLESS YOU IN JESUS NAME.
April 25th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Hi all, sorry I didn’t respond to your comments been busy for a while
April 25th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Frank what a great insight there. Yeah, what ever chllenge one is facing can always be found in a book.
Big up to you my man
April 25th, 2008 at 7:58 am
John, quite a long time. What a great forumula you gave there:
Brainstorming itself is: Reading + Understanding + Thinking.
Thanks for the wonderful comment.
April 25th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Ben, I’m not sure all literates know the importance of reading, except if you want to talk about the reading of school materials. Not every literates love to read after getting done with school.
Am I wrong?
Thanks for being here. You are GREAT!
April 25th, 2008 at 8:14 am
olajide,
You have always been GREAT! Thanks for your wonderful comments. I love the line: READING EXPOSES YOU TO A DIFFERENT WORLD THAT IS UNIMAGINABLE.
True talk. If not for reading, I won’t be where I am today.
God bless you my man.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Spot on! Those who do not read are not better than those who cannot read! The west is advanced simply because they have imbibed a reading culture. the average white guy is always reading something when he’s travelling or has free time, but unfortunately, we black folks are always either gisting, listening to loud music and just ‘having fun’.
Reading opens your mind to new realities, especially when you read wide and value adding material (not dirty and gossip material).
hearty cheers to all quality readers out there.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Thanks for your visit and your comments Tayo.
The best way to kill time, is to invest in something worthwhile and that is READING!
God bless you.