Compelling Conversations - Reading Pleasures and Tastes

“The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.”

- Mark Twain (1835-1910), American humorist

Exchanging Views: Reading is a solitary activity, yet can bring people together in conversation. Interview your partner and exchange reading experiences.

1. Did your mother read to you as a child? Did you have a favorite story?
2. Did you have a favorite book character as a child?
3. Where did you first learn to read? At home? School? Church?
4. What language did you first learn to read in?
5. What were your favorite books as a child? Did you have a favorite author?
6. What kind of books does your mother read? Your father? Your children?
7. What did you like to read in high school? Why?
8. What was your favorite book that you had to read in school?
9. What was your least favorite book that you were assigned to read? Why?
10. As a teenager, did you have any favorite books, comics, or magazines?
11. Do you read emails? Postcards? Websites? Newspapers? Magazines?
12. Which magazine or newspaper sections do you scan? Why?
13. Who are some famous writers from your country?
14. Who are some famous writers who write in your native language?
15. Can you think of some movies that are adapted from novels?
16. Can you suggest a good movie that was originally a book?
17. Do you prefer to read poems, essays, or short stories? Why?
18. Do you prefer reading fiction or non-fiction? Why?

Vocabulary: Circle the words that you know. Then write a long sentence using at least three of these vocabulary words. Share your sentence with your partner.

Proverbs: What experiences might have inspired these proverbs?

Drink nothing without seeing it; sign nothing without reading it.

- Spanish proverb

When all else fails, read the instructions.

You can’t tell a book by its cover.

THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES...

1. Do you have a favorite poet or short story writer? Who?
2. Did you have to memorize any poems in school? Which?
3. Where do you find books? Have you bought any books online?
4. Have you read any good biographies? Memoirs? Self-help books?
5. What are some books that you’ve read and enjoyed?
6. What kinds of books do you tend to read? Dislike? Why?
7. Have you ever re-read a book? Which? Why? How many times?
8. Do you have a library card yet? Do you like to browse in bookstores?
9. What book, or author, has influenced you the most? How?
10. Have you ever been in a book club? Did your club focus on a genre?
11. Why do you think book clubs have become so popular in the U.S.?
12. How do you select books? Covers? Ads? Book reviews? Word of mouth?
13. What magazines do you usually look at? Which articles attract you? Why?
14. Are you reading a book now? What is it? Can you describe it?
15. What are your friends reading these days? Relatives?
16. Do you think books make good gifts? Why? What about magazines?
17. What book are you planning to read in English this year? Why?
18. What books are you looking forward to reading in English in the future?

Quotations: Pick your favorite quotation, memorize it and the author. Share at home.

1. “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”
   
   - Richard Steele (1672-1729), Irish writer
2. “No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting.”
   
   - Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762), British author/critic
3. “The pleasure of all reading is doubled when one lives with another who shares the same books.”
   
   - Katherine Mansfield (1888 - 1923), short story writer and poet
4. “However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act upon them?”
   
   - Buddha (563-483 BC), founder of Buddhism
5. “Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.”
   
   - Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862), essayist
6. “A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.”
   
   - Robertson Davies (1913-1995), Canadian novelist
7. “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”
   
   - Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English essayist
8. “I would rather be poor in a cottage full of books than a king without the desire to read.”
   
   - Thomas B. Macaulay (1800-1859), historian
9. “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.”
   
   - Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967), screenwriter
10. “A book should serve as the ax for the frozen sea within us.”
    
    - Franz Kafka (1883-1924), novelist
11. “There is a great deal of difference between the eager man who wants to read a book and the tired man who wants a book to read.”
    
    - G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), English essayist and novelist
12. “Any book that helps a child to form the habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”
    
    - Maya Angelou (1928-), American poet

ON YOUR OWN:

Bring to class a book which is important to you. Show the book to the class. Tell them the author, the title, and the main reason why this book is important to you.