What kind of stuff should I read?

Well a true and frank answer to that question would be more like everything and anything under the sun. But where and at what level you start of your reading would depends on how much of a reader you have been during your school and college life. Remember whatever your current reading skills are, there is always a level of writing which will challenge you. The basic concept that you need to adhere to for your reading exercise is that you should read things that constantly challenge and invigorate your mind.

However be careful to ensure that the challenge that the reading material puts forth to you should be small not too big. If the material you choose to read is too challenging, the end result might be that you loose comprehension and subsequently, your interest in reading an end result we are definitely not targeting. Based on their reading exposure students might be classified into the following four categories-

• The poor reader- this category of students has had no exposure to reading in English. Most students whom we have encountered under this category come from vernacular medium schooling backgrounds.

• The average reader- in this category, students does not have a basic problem in reading and understanding English. However what we have seen is that in spite of the advantage of having studied in English medium school this category of students have not developed their reading skills simply because they have not worked towards developing their reading habits. This group of students faces problems the moment they are confronted with a slightly complex or an unfamiliar topic.

• The good reader- this category of reader has developed himself through consistently being in touch with reading. His/her reading exposure includes reading novels, coffee table books, and books on self development and daily newspaper. He/she will not face any problem in reading and connecting to the author’s message. However for this level of reader, something which goes beyond his/her comfort level of reading poses a problem.

• The excellent reader- this category of reader has gone beyond the level required. He/she has typically read a lot on diverse topics and at varying levels of language usage. At this level the reader need to continue his good reading and further expand his level of exposure and increase the coverage of topics of familiarity.