I did not really enjoy reading until I entered high school. It might have to do with the fact that we become more aware of ourselves as well as the issues that affect the society. The desire to know more about issues I cared about was the key to mine developing interest in reading. I also credit internet because it is quite easy and convenient to find information about a topic that interests you.

I am more interested in nonfictions than fictions because my primary objective in reading is to learn rather than to seek entertainment. I prefer other media for entertainment such as movies, TV shows, and music. I am embarassed to admit I do not read as many books as I would like to, and most of my reading takes place in the form of reading news and educational articles online, many of whom I come across through the social media.

One of the things I like about myself is my desire to learn about a diverse range of issues and knowledge fields. I read articles on almost every major subject including politics, business, history, sciences, and arts. I have become more active in following political news over the last two years because I feel that both local and global politics are going through unprecedented transformation in recent history. I spend at least two hours on reading everyday including news articles. It is fair to say that I follow politics on a daily basis.

I used to read in the past because I was required to, mostly by my course teachers in school. However, now most of my reading is voluntary, i.e. I read to because I want to, not because I am required to. It may be that reading is fun when it is on something we are interested in. This could be said of almost every activity. When we enjoy something, we can spend hours without realizing it but a boring activity seems long even if it consumes only half an hour of our time resources.

One of the benefits of living in America is that there are publications about almost every activity you may be interested in. If we were not living in the age of internet, I could definitely see myself subscribing to a number of magazines including The Economist, Wired, Scientific American, The Atlantic, Fortune, and Vanity Fair. However, almost every major publication has major presence on the internet and some of them allow unlimited free articles while others allow only limited number of free articles. I feel I can read most of what I want to, free on the internet. Many online articles are the same that also appear in print publications.

I recommend two books, one of which is Guns, Germs, and Steel. I think the history should be taught just as this book does. It takes scientific and objective approach to understanding history. The other book I often recommend is How to Win Friends and Influence People. I am not surprised this book has been selling for such a long time because it has easy and intuitive suggestions to gain respect of people and influence them to cooperate with you.

My interest in reading grew in high school as I became more aware of myself as well as the rest of the world. Internet has been a major influence in developing my reading habits. I read on a wide range of subject matters because I mostly read to learn. Two books I highly recommend are Guns, Germs, and Steel and How to Win Friends and Influence People.