hey guys im looking to get into the habit of reading books so i can do well in writing stimulus texts (like for HAST) ive never really read a book unless its part of a school assessment. can youse recommend some books to read and tips on how to actually sit through them
depending on what texts your school does for hsc, and whether youre planning to do adv or std, you might want to avoid modern literature as i find the language not complex enough to build a more sophisticated vocabulary. that being said you don't have to stick to classics, and if a modern text sticks out to you it could be worth a read. try to find something in a genre you enjoy, for eg i enjoy sci fi so i read dune in year 10 (for fun not for hsc prep). i wasn't a serious bookworm at the time and its a pretty difficult one to read, but looking back a lot of the political language was kind of relevant for 1984. a few others could be catch 22 (war, historical fiction, satire, non linear narrative), to kill a mockingbird (historical, legal, fiction), lotr (fantasy), a stephen king novel, or just the texts you will do for hsc. if the book gets tedious id say read at a time there's nothing else to do, like before bed, put away distractions, and if you start glazing over the words too much maybe call it a night and continue tomorrow.
