Assignment #2 - Ellis Padgett - To Read, or Not to Read, That is the Question

When I was younger, I was an avid reader.  My username on various platforms was "the certified bookworm" up until high school.  Yet slowly, a love of writing worked its way into my life, gently nudging the former into a smaller pocket of time.  Now it isn't about how many books I can carry; instead it's about finding the right one out of that stack.  In the past twelve months, I have read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a section of Blood of Wonderland, and The Teenage Brain.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky was a treasure I discovered over Christmas break.  What had great impact on me was the writing style of it all.  To capture the uniqueness of the main character and show the extent to which he was truly a "wallflower", Chbosky wrote him with short and choppy sentences that stated exactly what was occurring, followed by the slightly jumpy inner thoughts.  I found this style very enticing, because though it didn't flow as nicely as other texts, it really helped keep me on my toes as I tried to piece the short sentences together into a situation. This book also took place in high school, and I felt myself wanting to connect to it.  On some level I wanted to be a part of the little group in the book, because just like the main character I was drawn to the feeling of togetherness.  This relatability aspect combined with the unique writing made me fall in love with this book, and I was sad to see it go.
Immediately wanting to immerse myself in another story, I jumped into reading Blood of Wonderland by Colleen Oakes.  It was the fictional sequel to a book I'd read in eighth grade- and I sure did love it then.  Reading the sequel now, though, made me realize how much I have changed.  Making it only a third of the way through, I didn't finish.  The writing seemed immature to me now.  The love interest had no re-building, and the characters felt practically foreign.  Maybe I had lost the relatability that I so much enjoyed with The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  It almost seemed as if the author hadn't known where the story was going, and every time an issue occurred it was countered with the first solution that was available.  Lost in the woods?  Here is a guide!  Running out of places to go?  Here is a convenient village!  I think that this series was more suited for eighth grade me. 
After doing some more reading for school, I ended this period by reading The Teenage Brain.  Slightly scientific and totally analytic, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  At times it was difficult.  If a certain subject didn't interest me or confused me, I would glaze over.  But in the end I was very thankful for the knowledge it gave me.  Just like the writing of The Perks of Being a Wallflower helped me relate to the characters, The Teenage Brain helped me relate more to myself and teenagers all around me.  More than anything, though, it gave me understanding of myself and others.  I found myself interested in how the different brain regions correlated to different things, and how the still-developing teenage brain sometimes has trouble connecting and making decisions.  I might've had to force myself to read it all, but I absolutely loved talking all about it to my unsuspecting family!
Reading is really fun with the right book, and these are three books that helped me learn more about what I like.  I may not always have my nose in a book anymore, but I'll always have one on my nightstand!