Every year, most people set goals for themselves to read a certain number of books. 【小题1】. They can make your mind think deeper, teach you more about your field, sharpen your skills, and generally just help you grow to the next level. Whatever your field or interests might be, it’s very important to develop a habit to read beyond your horizons. 【小题2】.

Determine your reading goal

In order to create a reading habit and culture, it’s important to start off by setting a goal. 【小题3】. When you find concrete reasons and a purpose attached to your goal, you’ll be more motivated to keep pushing and achieve it.

【小题4】

Once you’re done setting your reading goal, you’ll need a list to back it up. Write out a list of the amazing books you want to read. A reading list will help you stay organized. Take it a step further by creating a log attached to that list, including the start and finish dates, key notes or lessons. A list and log with notes about your thoughts will encourage you to look through them months later, just in case you need some inspiration at some point.

Set reading time

【小题5】. Put away distractions such as the TV and other things that may affect your reading time. Ready for at least 30-40 minutes a day is a great start and would help you develop a concrete reading habit as you’ll always look forward to having your ‘me time’ that supports your reading goals.

In order to truly achieve your reading goals, you’ll need to be hungry to grow beyond your comfort zone.

Marie Lantelme! The name struck me from somewhere in the back of my mind. Miss Lantelme, as I called her in my youth, worked as a librarian at the East Meadow Public Library when I was a pre-teen girl.

On one occasion, in search of a book to read, I walked slowly over to the desk taken up by a librarian-Miss Lantelme. Serious, polite, and speaking with the voice of a professional(专业的) librarian, she asked what kind of book I liked to read. I thought about it for a few seconds and replied, “Mysteries(悬疑小说).” When I first learned to read, my grandfather gave me a book called The Smugglers of Sandy Bay. It was written by Ruth Holberg and still takes a place in my book collection. I sometimes hold it in my hand to reconnect with its mystical power.

Miss Lantelme told me to follow her, and she led me into the mystery part and pointed me in the direction of books written by Agatha Christie. Miss Lantelme handed me a book called The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I will not tell the ending to anyone who has never read that book, but I loved the surprise that I never saw coming. Every week I dug deep into the works of that uncommon writer whose stories still attract me now.

On one occasion, Miss Lantelme handed me a book written by John le Carre. The title of the book is The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. For years, I waited for each new book by the recognized master of spy thrillers. Of course, I wished Miss Lantelme to hand the new mystery of John le Carre to me.

All these memories flashed through my mind while I sweated my way through my work—out of breath, giving thanks to the librarians of the world, like Miss Lantelme, who gave me a lifetime of joy, not only the stories.

2002 it was, and I, a young girl who set out with the idea of getting my own library card, was permitted by my mother, Nichelle Nichols, to walk the mile from Prince George to the library in nearby Port Perry.

Down the street from Port Perry High was the library—a dark-brown brick building, imposing to a child of only seven years old.

To the left of the sidewalk was a series of steps that I climbed to push through a heavy door into a very large room filled with books. To an older lady I said, “I’d like a library card, please.”

She replied, “The children’s section is downstairs.”

“But I want adult books, because I can read.”

“Well, you are a child. You can’t get a card up here.”

“I’m six and I can read and write.”

“Go along child,” she said in a pleasant but authoritative voice.

I found the side door and walked in, seeing short and low shelves full of children’s books. Upon opening one, I read, “See Spot run. Run Spot. Run.” I opened another book. It read, “Once upon a time there was.” Sighing quietly, I walked out and back up to the main desk. By now, it was getting dark and I had to hurry.

“You’re back.” said the librarian.

“Yes. I will make you a deal. You hand me any book you like. If I can read a paragraph in it, you’ll give me a library card.” Shrugging (耸肩) happily, she handed me a thick book, I opened it and began to read. When I finished, the lady took the book back without a word.

I waited for a while and finally the lady stood up, handing me two cards. On one was printed the days and times the library was open to adults, and on the other were the precious words, Bonita Sue Nichols. I thanked her and quickly left the library.