Page 69 - 普台之星14

英語寫作

English Writing

Just Me and My Books

國三甲 張毓真

I love to read. Reading books is one of the wonderful things that I treasure the most. I often absorb
myself in books and forget the outside world. The pleasure of reading books surpasses most of the
things I’ve experienced throughout my life. The words and their power envelop me and calm the surge of
emotions in my heart. Sometimes, when I’m at home, I like to sit down with a cup of tea and read books
which provide me with something so profound that I am always left with a deep longing for more.

Many people often ask me why I like to read English books. It is a complex question, and yet, it can
be answered with a single word: toska (тоска). It is a Russian word, and it means a deep desire, or
longing, for something. The yearning for more books to read is nothing I can explain with words, and the
feeling I get when I read is more than gratification. Every time I open a book, I feel as if I open a new
world right in front of my eyes. I believe, when we read a good book, somewhere in the world a door will
open to allow in more light.

Books help us explore the inner and outer worlds around and within us. In Bird by Bird: Some
Instructions on Writing and Life , Anne Lamott writes: “What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat,
rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world. Books help us understand who we are and how we
are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.”
I completely agree with what Lamott writes. Books help me understand more about myself and those
around me. Her remarks remind me of what the book Tuesdays with Morrie has taught me.

Tuesdays with Morrie taught me a lot about life, including regrets, money, family, love, death, and
forgiving. It invigorated me strongly, and I kept thinking about professor Morrie and his student. Professor
Morrie had a disease called ALS (amyotrophic laterals sclerosis) that could not be healed. Due to the
disease, he would gradually lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe. Even so, professor Morrie
did not sink into desperation and depression. Instead, he learned to live with his disease. He remained
optimistic and he treated each day as his last. He always asked himself: “Is today the day? Am I ready?
Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?”

Before I read this book, I used to live an idle life in elementary school. I didn’t want to do anything
except playing and reading novels. My teachers told me about my bad habits, but what she said didn’t
have any effect on me. However, after I read this book, I knew I had to make a change. Professor Morrie’s
situation moved me and I knew I couldn’t live my whole life without any goals. I started to pay attention
in class. My schoolwork improved, and at the end of the semester, my total score was ranked the sixth
in the whole class. This book made a real difference in my life, and I knew that, without reading, my life
would have never been changed.

To conclude, reading helps me know more about who I am. Through books, I have come to believe
that books are my mentor because they teach me how to make my time worthwhile and live the life that I
know is right for me.

亮在紙頁上的光 67