Posts by urbantinker8

Finally, someone actually weighing in with some real expertise—unlike most people on this forum who just blow smoke about whatever happens to be on a middle school reading list today🙏>
but still.
we'll see what others have to say...🍿>

Majo, I mean, why on earth would you think that Ivo Andrić, Arthur Conan Doyle, a Raven-like writer, or Verne would actually grab a kid's attention these days?
Or maybe even more so than the other authors currently stuck in the curriculum?
I'm pretty certain they’d be just as bored to death by Verne's endless descriptions as they would be by Marcel Proust's long-winded reminiscences.🙂
Non-fiction, essays, literary criticism? For kids today, that sounds like a total nightmare. Maybe if the subject matter was all about bloggers, vloggers, or Instagram influencers, they might actually bite.

And besides, what's really the value in the works of Stephen King and J. R. R. Tolkien, and why should an educated person bother reading them?

Christian Wilson28 said:Required school reading, not literature in general. The topic is specifically about why we assign certain books in school—so stay on track. Everyone knows what literature is for; the issue here is the mandatory school reading list.

Good grief, seriously🤦

just so we're clear, required reading is—regardless of how many people here try to argue otherwise🥱—actually a representative subset of literature that carries some actual weight.😉
I suppose I’m a bit worried that a lot of people in this thread don't quite grasp what literature is supposed to accomplish beyond being mindless entertainment, which I guess is kind of the crux of the matter.🙄

I am still sitting here waiting for some sort of constructive suggestions for reading lists that aren't just endless stretches of Dostoevsky, that incomprehensible Dr. Seuss nonsense, or an exhausting version of Pinocchio.
Honestly, guys, at this rate, I’ll be retired before I get an answer.
You can't just keep cycling through the same empty loop of: "Everything sucks. I don't actually know what would be better, but yeah, everything sucks." 🙂

I suppose I should probably say something about chocolatecookie, though I’m not entirely sure what there is to add at this point, given how much has already been discussed, but I guess I'll just offer my two cents if anyone actually cares to hear them. It feels like we’ve been circling the same drain for a while now, and maybe I’m just being overly cautious, but I can't help but feel that certain perspectives are being overlooked in favor of more immediate, louder opinions. It’s a bit like watching a slow-motion replay where you think you know the outcome, yet you still find yourself questioning the physics of it all, I suppose. Anyway, I don't mean to ramble on about nothing, but sometimes these discussions seem to lack that certain level of nuance that makes them worth having in the first place, which is a shame, really. kaže:
urbantinker8, I still haven't quite wrapped my head around what the point of required reading is supposed to be, though I suppose that’s just me, maybe. 😁

I mean, you have to admit, it’s honestly a little tragic when you see someone who is clearly an adult with a decent education putting out a statement like that. It just feels a bit off, I guess.😢

If someone truly doesn't grasp what literature is actually for—beyond just being a way to kill time or have a bit of fun—then I honestly, with all due respect and given my own professional habit of being endlessly, almost unnervingly patient when it comes to explaining things, just don't really have the heart to sit down and break it all down for them. I suppose I just lack the will to go there, sorry.🤷

Susan James said:Parents are always to blame, 😬 🧐
whether it's because they try to teach kids to read too early, or they don't teach them at all—especially if they aren't reading aloud or offering picture books from day one. And apparently, it's also their fault if they push extra books beyond the school curriculum; if a kid starts reading sci-fi or fiction on their own and then doesn't have the time or interest for the assigned classics, the parent gets the blame again. 🐔

Reading is vital, though. It builds vocabulary, fuels imagination, and helps maintain focus...
It’s great to offer books to kids or read to them, but that definitely doesn't guarantee they'll become lifelong readers (like Summer mentioned, it can actually backfire sometimes).

That said, schools really should require students to read certain works, get to know them, and discuss them. If we leave everything up to the student's choice (or the parents'), what's the point of sending them to school in the first place?

There really needs to be some way to check reading comprehension.
Whether it's through writing or class discussions...

are we maybe, just a tiny bit, intentionally twisting what people are saying here...?🐔

I suppose there is a distinction between reading picture books to a child, and then there is the whole other issue of forcing a child to already know how to read and write every single letter before they even start elementary school, just so they might have a slightly lighter workload once they get there (for those who aren't caught up—there's actually a thread about that further down this PDF😉)
so, I guess you could say that parents absolutely should be reading to their children from as early as possible, and I don't think there will be any "backfire" as long as the parent is acting reasonably, isn't forcing age-inappropriate topics on the kid, and isn't pushing reading at all costs if they see the child isn't interested or doesn't particularly care for a certain picture book.
but, at the same time, they shouldn't be pressuring them to master every letter and word before they officially start school. if a child picks it up naturally while being read to, then that's great. if not, well, they'll learn it in first grade.

Is that clear enough, moderator..?🙂

by the way, I am still sitting here waiting for someone to actually name those supposedly "perfect" book titles for specific age groups that would make everyone fall to their knees?
anyone?

wanderingbadger44 said:It is actually because it isn't true that "nobody cares" about reading that schools curate such valuable literature in the first place.
That is exactly why you get something like Pinocchio instead of just some random list of famous titles.

Yeah, yeah, I get it—you’ve already decided that Dostoevsky is garbage, and we’ve all heard that song before.
It’s like if your grandmother cooked a terrible meal once and you decided you hated that food forever. You hold onto that grudge so proudly that you refuse to ever try it again, and you act like that decision hasn't cost you anything. But maybe, just maybe, you could have actually enjoyed it if you hadn't let that one bad experience define your entire palate.

You know what? It feels incredibly childish to act like every teacher and Dostoevsky himself should be personally offended just because you branded Dostoevsky's work as trash simply because it was on a required reading list.

And yet, everyone seems to jump to defend literature in a way they would never dream of defending math.
Why deal with those grueling algebra problems, those messy fractions, or complex equations, when there are "easier" tasks that kids actually enjoy and wouldn't mind solving, which might prevent them from hating math altogether?

Instead of reconsidering your stance—that the classics are junk just because an inexperienced kid decided they were—you keep doubling down as if that opinion is some universal truth.

And what about the fact that not every kid can finish Pinocchio? (And I’m not talking to you specifically here. 😁 )
Not every kid can ace every single math problem, not everyone can sing a song perfectly in tune, and not everyone can jump rope without tripping. Does that mean we shouldn't offer those skills to the rest of the children?

Look at this blunt academic truth: not every student is an honors student, regardless of what their grades might suggest.

Sure, why not... because, you know... life skills training.🙄
Letting kids just decide everything for themselves—what they’ll do, how they’ll do it, when they’ll do it, or if they feel like doing anything at all.
I guess we won't get very far that way.🤦
Instead of catching up to the education standards in Finland, we'll probably end up trailing behind much more radical systems.🐔

briskjackal5 said:I’m not really sure how that connects to this.

I mean, this idea "the whole point of schooling is just training kids to be adults who follow orders at work without questioning things—even if the tasks are tedious, stupid, or totally senseless—just so they can afford their utility bills when they grow up" ... I wouldn't say that's actually the guiding philosophy behind picking which books end up on the required reading list. 😁

So, since that isn't really the point, I guess we can consider that critique settled.

I also personally feel like you can get so much out of reading (even school assignments), even if someone is a total dummy, and I don't think there's much of an argument to be had there.

So, I'm not entirely sure which exact stance or specific part of this story is being questioned here.

And I definitely wouldn't agree that people who actually enjoy the current required reading list will end up hating it; honestly, I think those cases are pretty rare exceptions. Plus, there's always the factor that one person might 'like' this book, while another person prefers that one.

When hormones are flying and kids have a million other things on their minds, required reading is basically doomed from the jump. 😁

-Steve

But now it seems like even before the hormones and the distractions hit, these heavy-handed reading lists are already starting to kill any interest kids have in actually reading.🕺
Shame on you, Pinocchio!

Linda Price5 said:I was under the impression that before middle school, kids attend elementary school, where they aren't exactly diving into the heavy hitters of various literary eras; they're more likely to be stuck reading Ante Gardaš. 😁

Well, I suppose it’s pretty obvious that I was actually referring to those high school reading assignments that everyone seems to treat like some sort of looming nightmare.🙄

But, yeah, looking at this thread, I guess I see how that dread starts building up during middle school too, because... well, I don't know, maybe it's just me, but things like *The Outsiders* or *The Giver* or *The Catcher in the Rye* or even *Where the Red Fern Grows*...
I mean, who would actually want to read all that? Like, what's the point, really?😲

rowdypanther12 said:Pinocchio might be fine for third grade, but I honestly don't think most kids can handle a book that thick and heavy when they're only in second grade.
Yeah, most kids are still struggling just to recognize letters in second grade. I actually think the reading list is pretty reasonable for that age group. 😁

As for kids who don't read much, look at my experience—I haven't really read to my little one. It’s not that I didn't try; I’ve been attempting it since she was a baby, but she just wasn't interested.
Not even a little bit.
I mean, maybe we could squeeze in a bit before bed, but otherwise, she wouldn't sit still for more than three minutes, let alone focus on a book.
It wasn't until she learned to read fluently on her own and calmed down a bit that she started picking up books by herself. She’s definitely not a voracious reader, but I’m grateful for every single page she finishes. 😁

And honestly, that’s what matters most—that you actually tried.

Peter Doyle2 said:Honestly, you can say whatever you want about parents, but my folks just didn't read to me—and they certainly didn't make a habit of it. I didn't even really discover the local library until I started school; once I did, though, I guess I was checking out new books practically every single week.
My husband's mom has enough books to start her own library, yet she refuses to touch a Kindle, so my husband has basically only read one book in his entire life—*The Bourne Identity*, lol. Then there’s my cousin, who was devouring comic books since he was five and read an insane amount of stuff, which meant he absolutely hated every required reading assignment in high school; meanwhile, his younger brother never cared for reading at all and probably hasn't finished a single assigned book in his life. It's funny how two kids from the same house can turn out so completely different. 🤔 Yeah, I'm sure it's definitely the parents' fault if the kids find the classics boring or way too dense. 🙄

Did I actually say anywhere that parents are to blame for kids finding classics dull?
Honestly, everyone, let's please stop putting words in my mouth.🙄
What I said was that school definitely isn't—and can't be—the sole reason why people "grow to hate" reading.
School can't really ruin a habit that you never even had to begin with. True, it can encourage someone to develop that habit, but it largely comes down to an individual's interest and the specific book itself. Not every book is wonderful or fun, but then again, they aren't all the most horrific things imaginable either.

Peter Doyle2 and Linda Price5, look—school doesn't really care about a kid whose parents never bothered to read to them, but it is significantly harder to introduce literature to someone who lacks any reading habit whatsoever, including that early experience of looking at picture books as a child.
To me, it seems almost unbelievable when parents don't read to toddlers—it feels like it borders on a form of neglect.☕
Obviously, someone who hasn't read anything from *Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark* to *The Very Hungry Caterpillar* before starting school is unlikely to be thrilled by the titles on a required reading list. But the purpose of these assignments is to introduce readers to some of the canonical works of an era, regardless of whether those specific works appeal to them or not. It's not there to cater to the tastes of an audience that has zero reading experience or even a sense of what they might enjoy reading.
Good grief, we've gone from debating fishing rights to reaching the level of a heated Pinocchio argument.🤦
Anyway, why don't you all give me five to ten suggestions for what would be perfect reading material for your kids, from first grade through senior year of high school, and explain why you chose them.
I'm listening.🍿

Michelle Nelson4 said:So, I suppose it all boils down to what kind of environment your parents created for you...

...or just how much luck you had with your specific teacher.

And then we end up looking like we're lagging behind developing nations when you look at the correlation between parental education levels and a child's academic success. It brings a whole host of other issues along with it, too...

That’s pretty much it.
But we tend to point all our fingers at the school system and the homework load, because, well, I suppose it's easier to blame the institution than to admit a parent might be just as responsible for a kid's lack of interest in reading as anyone else.

unknown

Michelle Nelson4 said:Who actually grows up reading? It’s usually someone whose parents actively steered them toward books. But what about kids who don't have that guidance at home? I can't help but worry about how many children have parents who just don't read, or never bother signing them up for a library card because they simply don't see the value in it. It honestly scares me a little... And then there's the attitude within our American school system, which seems to be more of a "do whatever" approach. It feels like if a student wants to read, they'll find something on their own regardless of those incredibly dry, incomprehensible classics we're forced to assign, but if they don't, as long as they finish the required reading list, the job is considered done. It's all a bit of a mess, really.

The rest is just minor details, depending on whether you happen to catch a teacher on a good day or a bad one...

Yeah.
And yet, in the end, people still blame the required reading lists and the public school system when someone doesn't pick up a book. ☕
If you just start reading to kids from the earliest possible age, they probably won't grow up hating the classics—that’s basically the whole point of it all. 😉

rowdypanther12 said:A true reader isn't going to lose their passion just because of this; most people will simply skip over books they aren't interested in reading anyway. 😂
The real issue lies with everyone else who isn't a dedicated reader. We might be able to draw some of them in by offering better-structured reading lists, but let's be honest—that's a small group. Most people aren't going to read anything beyond storefront signs or clickbait headlines, so we should at least try to have schools mandate high-quality literature. If we can convince even 10% of them, every child matters. 😁

I have my doubts about that, honestly.🤷

Christian Wilson28 said:It’s pretty simple—you read three terrible books in a row, decide the fourth one is going to be just as awful, and skip it. But then you never actually find out that the fourth one was actually great.
Or, you just get lucky and stumble onto a winner right away, which gets you hooked on the rest of the series.

And let's face it, there are plenty of trashy titles out there, so that first scenario happens all the time.

But hey, why would you even listen to me? Since I don't agree with you, I guess I obviously have no clue what I'm talking about.

And what do you mean, "whoever loves, will love"? You have to actually *like* someone before you can love them—that's elementary school stuff. Sure, people say it's set in stone by high school, but that doesn't mean things can't change when they need to.

So, fine—for those who grew up loving books, or kids who started reading way before they ever touched a required school assignment, everyone's going to have different takes on specific titles. Some books might seem brilliant to them, while others might be absolute trash, but collectively, none of it should "kill" their general desire to read.
Besides, nobody is stopping anyone from reading whatever else they want alongside the assigned stuff.
But no, it's much easier to just say, "Because of one bad experience in school, I'm never stepping foot in a public library again." It's a bit dramatic, isn't it?🙄

Christian Wilson28 said:It’s honestly such a struggle trying to get people here to understand—we’re losing readers for a million different reasons. Mandatory school reading lists just make kids hate books entirely. Sure, we have e-books and some local titles available, but let's be real: the selection is thin and nobody is actually promoting it. You can't even borrow e-books from the public library yet, and if you want audiobooks, you're stuck with old CDs that require a disability certificate just to access them? I don't get it. Is this some copyright nonsense or just pure stupidity? It should be as easy as clicking a button, just like an e-book. Honestly, insisting on physical books in a digital age is a losing battle—and refusing to update those outdated school reading lists? Same thing.

Mind you, okay, they have introduced plenty of new and great resources in elementary schools lately—though unfortunately, they've added some idiocy in there too. But high school? It's pretty much the same mess it was back in my day.

And honestly, this one massive "truth" that everyone seems to swallow whole? It’s just completely and utterly nonsensical.☕
I sometimes find myself wondering how on earth a required reading list can actually make someone hate books altogether. It seems almost counterintuitive, doesn't it? You’d think giving people more stories would foster a love for reading, but I guess when you force a student to grind through some dense, outdated classic just to pass a test, it can really sour the whole experience. Maybe it's that feeling of being trapped by a syllabus, or perhaps it's just the sheer exhaustion of analyzing every single metaphor instead of just letting the story breathe. It's like being forced to eat a gourmet meal while someone stands over your shoulder with a stopwatch and a grading rubric; eventually, you just stop tasting the food and start dreading the next sitting.🤔
If we're assuming that Zornik's mountains are somehow some kind of boring masterpiece—which, I mean, that's a pretty heavy claim to make—then I suppose you’d have to conclude that everything else ever written or painted is just equally tedious. It’s a bit of a slippery slope, isn't it? If one specific work hits that level of monotony, then maybe our entire standard for art is just fundamentally broken, or perhaps we're all just collectively lacking a sense of wonder. I guess if that's the case, then yeah, everything else might just be more of the same.
If we’re looking at the American Renaissance as this grand period meant for soul-searching and confession, I guess you have to wonder if every single era in world literature serves that same purpose. It feels like maybe all of them do, in their own way, though I suppose some are more obvious about it than others.
I suppose if someone actually sits down and makes it through all three books of Dante’s Inferno, they might just be the type of person who leaves all hope behind right there on the sidewalk in front of the New York Public Library.

I mean, there’s really no point in lying to yourselves or anyone else, I guess. It just seems like a lot of unnecessary effort.
The kind of person who lives for those deep, meaningful quotes... well, I guess they’re just going to keep quoting things, no matter what happens.
I guess you’ll eventually run into that one person who complains about a required school reading, and they’ll probably claim that some single bad assignment just totally soured them on books for the rest of their lives.😉

Kate Cox2 said:In that case, why not just hand him Pinocchio and see how he fares? Let us know how it goes...

He actually read it over the summer, and I guess he actually liked it.😉

Kate Cox2 said:Every single school in my city (and it's certainly not some tiny town) assigns Pinocchio to second graders. Just to satisfy my own curiosity, I reached out to some friends in Chicago, and they confirmed that at least three elementary schools there also teach Pinocchio in the second grade.
I have also confirmed this for two schools in San Diego and about a dozen schools across the Midwest. That is just based on my personal network—where I have friends working in schools or relatives with elementary-aged children.
The point is, Pinocchio isn't some bizarre outlier being read in second grade. I am not entirely sure if they are reading the original Pinocchio or some simplified adaptation, though I would assume it's the original.
Essentially, someone decided Pinocchio belongs in the second-grade curriculum. My only question is: who was this person who decided second graders could tackle Pinocchio all on their own? Did they ever actually look at a seven or eight-year-old child?

And let me be clear: this has nothing to do with whether kids are "interested readers." My own child is an exceptional reader and has been incredibly enthusiastic about books since she was very little. Last year, she was reading Anne Frank’s diaries all by herself. So, yes, she *can* read.
But this specific book contains such an overwhelming number of unfamiliar vocabulary words that it's frankly absurd... It simply isn't realistic to expect a second grader to navigate this independently.

I never actually said that Pinocchio was some strange anomaly for the second grade. Once it was included on the suggested reading list, it wasn't really a shock, and I'm sure there are plenty of teachers picking it from that list of, let me repeat, 5 titles that students are supposed to read.
I suppose you didn't really need to call up all those colleagues.
Personally, I don't think it's difficult at all for that age group, and it certainly doesn't seem unrealistic to expect an eighth grader to manage it—let alone anyone else—but then again, it's not my call.🙂
And of course, it does have everything to do with engaged kids and strong readers—my kid will swallow 200 pages in one sitting, or maybe two days max, without any trouble. If she hits a word she doesn't know, she just asks. It's no big deal.

Peter Doyle2 said:But isn't the one who put it on the list really the one at fault? 🤔

http://www.scholastic.com/kids/books/reading-lists/

Well, no, I suppose the horse isn't the one who put it there, since Pinocchio isn't exactly War and Peace.
For decent quotes and keeping eight-year-olds interested—it's really nothing controversial at all.

Kate Cox2 said:I was looking through the required reading lists recently, and it seems like *Pinocchio* is practically universal. It shows up on everyone's syllabus! I actually suspect it might even be mandatory at this point. While the specific books vary from one school district to another, there seems to be one constant thread: everyone has *Pinocchio* on their list.
Our supervisor only assigned it for the first of the month, so there's plenty of time to get it knocked out over the holiday weekend.

The general recommended reading list for second grade includes about 19 books, where only one is strictly required (those Andersen fairy tales), while the teacher gets to pick four others exclusively.

So, yeah, that’s about all I have to say regarding the horses.😁

Kate Cox2 said:I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback by the required reading list for second grade... it’s just some fairy tales, short stories, picture books, and then—Pinocchio. It’s a charming story, don't get me wrong, but there is absolutely NO WAY a seven-year-old can just tackle that book on their own... there are so many unfamiliar words, some of which I honestly don't even know the definitions of! There are such long, convoluted words and complex sentences that there's simply no theory that a child could process this independently. I mean, unless the kid is some kind of once-in-a-generation prodigy, this is strictly a job for the parents. I’ve been sitting right next to her for days, reading the material to her because she couldn't pronounce certain words even after five tries. Honestly, I really don't understand why some of my colleagues act like such jerks when parents actually step up to help at home, especially when certain parts of this curriculum aren't even age-appropriate to begin with.
It truly infuriated me.. here is a child who has lived in the local library since she could walk, someone we constantly pick up books for and read together—and yet, for the first time ever, she actually burst into tears while reading. She's an excellent reader, too. It really makes me wonder what kind of idiot decided this belonged in a second-grade syllabus.

Mine is also in second grade, and Pinocchio isn't on our list.
So, if you ask me, the only "idiot" in this scenario seems to be the teacher.😛

wanderingbadger44 said:I mean, what's the actual utility of learning new—or old—words that feel totally foreign and out of place? By the time a kid hits five, they’ve essentially mastered the language as a functional system; they have more than enough vocabulary to express every single one of their vital needs. Why push them beyond that?

Think about it: why does a term like "maritime" need to exist in a geography textbook? Seriously, what's the purpose? What about "solmization"? Or "watercolor"? Why should an eleven-year-old be expected to know "photosynthesis," let alone "cryptogams"? Aside from a biology major, who actually uses those terms in real life? And don't even get me started on terms like "republic" or "aristocracy"—those are just more historical headaches. Then there's all that technical jargon; who cares about it unless they’re planning to go into that specific field? And if they do choose that career path, they'll learn it then.

Besides, why do we even bother with words at all when we have emojis, hand gestures, and facial expressions to do the heavy lifting?

You really have to watch out so you don't accidentally stumble upon an unfamiliar word, whether it's ancient or modern. It might seriously damage your ignorance.

🙏
I guess you hit the nail right on the head. You really said it all.

I suppose there’s a certain kind of person out there—someone I’ve always found somewhat baffling, really—who just refuses to grow up, acting like a total manchild. It’s that specific brand of arrested development where they expect the world to bend to their whims without ever taking any responsibility themselves. I guess it’s just one of those things you encounter more often than you’d like, though maybe I’m just being overly observant. It's a strange way to navigate adulthood, isn't it? Moving through life with that sort of mindset, almost as if they're perpetually waiting for someone else to step in and fix everything. I don't know, maybe it's just my perspective, but it always seems so exhausting to witness. urbantinker8 says:

I suppose a fifteen-year-old wouldn't really need to bother with Judith or the death of Smail aga Čengić, if you think about it that way. It seems like a bit much for someone that age, I guess.

Honestly, I don't think I can stomach reading such incredibly simplistic sentences anymore.🙂

I suppose people just don't need everything handed to them on a silver platter, regardless of whether they're fifteen or fifty-five.
Honestly, I don't see the point in quadratic equations. I didn't need them twenty-five years ago, and I certainly don't need them now. In my case, I suppose spending any amount of time trying to memorize that nonsense was really just a massive waste of energy.
I don’t think I’ve ever once in my life actually needed to sit down and calculate the acceleration of a train traveling from Point A to Point B, and honestly, I’ve never given a single damn about exactly where it might cross paths with another train heading from Point B back toward Point A.
I don't think I could ever bring myself to sit down and craft some little birdhouse or a decorative napkin holder just for the sake of it, no matter how much they tried to convince us back in shop class.
I suppose I’ll probably never actually sit down and bother balancing chemical equations just to figure out exactly how many molecules or atoms are required for some specific reaction. It feels like such a tedious way to spend an afternoon, though I guess there's a certain logic to it if you really think about it.
I guess it’s just one of those things, but honestly, since I finished high school, nobody has ever once turned to me and asked whether a birch tree actually reproduces through seeds or if a snail is technically hermaphroditic. It’s a bit strange, I suppose, how all that specific knowledge just sort of sits there in the back of your mind without any real reason to surface.
I guess you could say that since my school days ended, I haven't really felt any sudden, inexplicable urges to go out and attempt a standing long jump or try my hand at leaping over garden fences. It’s funny how that works, isn't it? You spend all those years being physically challenged by gym class, and then suddenly, life just settles into this much more stationary rhythm. Maybe it's just maturity, or maybe I've just lost that specific kind of restless energy, but I haven't found myself jumping over anything more significant than a curb in quite some time.
Should I keep going...?🙂

I don't know, maybe it’s just how I’m wired, but I honestly don't feel like all that "excess" knowledge has ever really done me any harm, or caused some kind of lasting trauma or emotional distress, I guess.

I suppose if I actually wanted to be some kind of STEM geek, I probably should have spent more time worrying about quadratic equations and acceleration, though I'm not entirely sure how much that would have changed things.
I suppose if I had actually gone down the path of becoming a biologist, I probably would have ended up focusing on the breeding side of things—you know, the whole process of plant and animal reproduction. It’s a bit of a niche thought, I guess, but there’s something about that specific cycle of life that always seemed interesting to me.
If I had actually wanted to make it to the track meet, I suppose I would have been leaping across the sand like some kind of gazelle.
Whenever I find myself needing something like a napkin holder or maybe a little birdhouse for the yard, I usually just end up heading over to Target.🙂

I guess you could say it all started when I was just fifteen. I wasn't entirely certain, I guess. I’m sitting here wondering what on earth I should do next. It’s one of those moments where everything feels a bit suspended, I suppose, and the options just sort of blur together into this vague, uncertain haze. Maybe I should just sit tight and see if anything clarifies itself, or perhaps I ought to actually make a move, though I can't quite decide which direction would be less aimless. I guess we all hit these little crossroads eventually, don't we?

I suppose I’m not really diving directly into any specific reading material today, though I find myself reflecting on it all, and honestly, I don't regret a single book I've ever picked up—whether they were absolutely gripping or just as tedious as a rainy Monday in Seattle.
Back in the day, I honestly thought *Dundo Maroje* was one of those incredibly silly books you were forced to read in school, but looking back now, I have such an immense respect for *The Bridge on the Drina*. I find myself constantly amazed by how the author managed to pen such a prophetic prologue five centuries ago; it feels just as relevant today as it did back then, which is pretty wild when you think about it.😲
For anyone who might have skipped over it—and I suspect there are a few of you out there😳—I’d really suggest taking a long, slow look at that prologue.🙏🙏🙏

Christian Wilson28 said:unknown

Why is that? One person writes a great book, another makes a movie—and then there's the person who just goes off on some radio show.

I suppose everyone has their own thing going on, but I guess it’s a bit sad when people don't see the value in celebrating reading.

Kenneth Wood3 said:And why should they? Maybe people are interested in other things? Robotics? Video games? Sports? Learning a new language? Binging high-quality shows and movies?
I will never understand this obsession with glorifying books.

It's kind of sad, really.