"Future Literate Me" (Entry #8)

Oprah's Book Club: a rather good source for new book suggestions

When I think about the future of my literacy, I imagine the long list of books I want to read. My first thought, of course, goes to my monthly ritual of browsing the “Book Club” section of the Oprah magazine in hopes of finding new novels that have been reviewed by one of my idols (or perhaps her trusty associates). So far this practice has yielded good results, and I plan on keeping it that way. Although I always make hollow promises to myself that I will read books frequently, I consistently let myself down. To be honest, I don’t think that I will ever read as often as I want to, even when I have the time and resources… The best I can do however, is maintain the small daily rituals that contribute to my literacy, for instance, checking the news every morning or staying up to date with new television shows and movies. As long as I am an academic student, this will probably be the extent of my literacy with the rare exception of reading a good old-fashioned book if I am truly inspired to do so by someone or perhaps by divine intervention. I do look forward to continue reading in English classes I will take in the future, because even if I don’t like the book at first, I always find a way to give it meaning in my life, whether it is through morals or finding references to it in other places, the experience is rather rewarding. Although I may not be the avid reader I aspire to become, I know that I will continue to have an increasing cultural literacy through books, because the feeling of enlightenment that I get after reading a book will help maintain my zeal for literature of all sorts.