This blog post will be based on an adapted version of Robin Bright‘s Reading Interest Survey from her book Sometimes Reading is Hard (2021). This survey is a powerful tool educators can use in their own classrooms to support matching their students with books that spark a lifelong passion for reading!

Describe your ‘one book’ that changed everything for you as a reader.

When I was a young, I vividly remember being at my grandparents’ house and finding their pristine collection of Stephen Cosgrove’s Serendipity children’s books. They were neatly filed in a glass cabinet and kept in perfect condition. As I browsed through the covers, I was immediately drawn to Leo the Lop. I have always been a big animal lover, so I most likely gravitated toward the book because of Robin James‘ adorable rabbit illustration on the cover!

I was only about five years old, so I grabbed the book and ran to my grandpa, asking him if he could read it with me. He has always been a fascinating storyteller, he made sure to read with plenty of expression, giving each character a different voice. This made the story even more entertaining, capturing my full attention. After reading it, Leo the Lop quickly became a favourite of mine. I re-read it countless times that day with my grandma, parents and older sister.

Every visit to Kamloops to see my grandparents after that discovery was characterized by me sneaking away to reach for another Serendipity book, but Leo the Lop always remained my favourite. I became so obsessed with it that my grandparents even started travelling with the book anytime they knew they would be seeing me!

This book changed everything for me and my journey as a reader because of the lesson it shared with me. As a young girl, I was often told to toughen up, and that my emotions were too much. But this book helped me to change my own self-perception (even if I didn’t realize it in the moment). It taught me that being “different” isn’t a bad thing, rather, being different makes you uniquely you! This book will forever stay with me because of the memories I have reading it with my loved ones and the powerful message it instilled in me at an early age <3

How do you feel about reading? Tell me about it.

Reading is something I absolutely love when I have the time for it. I find it transports my mind to a completely different place and feels like a mini escape from everyday life. When I find a book I love, I often get lost in it, trying to squeeze in pages wherever I can throughout the day.

As I have been a post-secondary student for the past seven years, I have definitely seen a decline in my own reading for enjoyment. Most of the reading I do now consists of required textbook readings but luckily, they are super informative and very beneficial for my future teaching career 😊  

What types of books do you like to read?

My favorite types of books to read are undoubtedly romance novels, but I also enjoy reading non-fiction books about personal growth!

List some hobbies and things you like to do outside of school.

Outside of school my favorite way to spend time is in the outdoors! I have a goldendoodle named Rigatoni and I love finding ways to include him in my day-to-day activities. Whether it is hiking, running, cross-country skiing, paddleboarding, swimming, golfing or walking, being active with my pup outside always fills my bucket 😊

I am also very family oriented so I try to spend as much time with them as possible. Together we enjoy pickleball, outdoor adventures, games nights and family dinners! When I have down time, I love to listen to music, do puzzles, bake, and work out!

Who are your favourite authors?

Colleen Hoover, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and of course Stephen Cosgrove and Dr. Seuss!

Tell me a bit about the last book you read that you really enjoyed.

One of the last books I read and really enjoyed was Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear. This book was a super interesting read and taught me so much about the power of habit formation from a scientific and psychological lens. I found it interesting to learn more about practical ways to work on my personal growth by implementing small changes, habit stacking and focusing on progress over perfection!

Tell me a bit about what you have been doing since last semester during your winter break. How have you been spending your time?

During the winter break I spent a ton of time with my family at home in Fairmont Hot Springs. Last summer I became an auntie, so spending Christmas with my new nephew was incredibly special. I attended four family Christmas dinners, leaving my belly and heart so full.

I was also so grateful to have the opportunity to catch up with friends from high school when I visited home, including going skating and cross-country skiing together. I also enjoyed my downtime by doing lots of puzzles, watercolour painting Christmas cards, baking cookies and playing daily rounds of crib with my partner.

What subjects or topics do you like learning about?

My favourite subjects to learn about are science, outdoor education, and physical and mental well-being!

If you could read a book about one thing, what would that be?

If I could read a book about anything it would be a collection of true short romance stories from the past. I love love and I think it would be beautiful to read about people’s experiences finding their person before the boom of technology!