The importance of reading habits

Communication is divided into two categories: oral and written communication. In this case, we are going to focus primarily on written skills, concretely reading. Reading habits have changed throughout history, as shown in the pictures below. Nowadays, there is a wide variety of textbooks, and also, the increase of users of digital books is a fact that is currently happening in our society.

This first picture, for instance, shows an adult woman who is teaching a child to read. It seems she is an older member of his family, probably his grandmother, because of her age and clothes. The fact of reading in this image is not an imposition as some people might suggest; Reading is part of our culture and a skill which is necessary to learn. Reading helps us to develop our linguistic skills, as well as the acqusition of new vocabulary. And, of course, this is something that we do with our students daily, in the case of being English teachers. The textbook 

On the other hand, what about the second picture? Even third-age people have chosen electronic devices to make easier their reading processes, such as changing the size of the words due to their sight problems or using audiobooks. This fact shows us that choosing different reading formats has no age, and technology is accessible to all people, too. I can't see the woman's expression or gestures, but in this electronic device, the words are bigger than in textbooks for adults. So, it seems that she can read easily in this format instead of paper books. 

In my particular case, I adore reading. For me, having a book is the best present somebody can have. I usually compare the process of reading to an imaginary trip: once you start reading a book is compared to the moment in which the plane departs, far away from your hometown. You can imagine all the characters, descriptions and create your own images, as well as if you travel abroad and observe calmly all the landscapes, the geographical features, even the people who live in that place. 

I always read both in Spanish and English, especially women authors. I love classical authors like Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, George Eliot, and Elizabeth Gaskell. In addition, I am very keen on poetry too. I admire Sylvia Plath and her capacity to write about her pain and how she shows her struggles and her inner strength. Finally, I also read essays about feminism, because it is one of my favourite topics, and I always talk about this issue in my daily lessons with my students (but I recognize that I tend to read in Spanish these kinds of texts because of the specific vocabulary and the complexity of developing the ideas). The importance of women is still non-recognized and I consider that making women's literary works visible is crucial to improve our culture too. I prefer paper books, I adore their smell and to collect them in my bedroom. 

In terms of reading habits, I usually read at the weekends or in my spare time, concretely in the evening or in the afternoon. I can't sleep at night, because I fall asleep easily!