Favourite Book
Sample topic***
Describe a book that you enjoyed reading because you had to think a lot.
You should say:
- what this book was
- why you decided to read it
- what reading this book made you think about
and explain why you enjoyed reading this book
- Select a book about which you are going to speak ( Here I have selected the book “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel)
- Read the book reviews from the online sources. You can read the review of this book here
- You can also use Idea Bank for Books for reference.
- Prepare your speech, and then practice speaking. While speaking, record your speech on your phone. Do this 3-4 times.
Sample Answer:
I can call myself a voracious reader, and it is as hard for a reader of several books to choose a favorite book as it would be for a mother to pick her favorite child.
I draw this analogy whenever someone asks me this same question. Having said that, I would choose “Life of Pi” as my favorite book if I were to choose only one book.
A story of a young boy from India named Pi who was stranded in a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a tiger. This book is written by Yann Martel – a Canadian author who created a masterpiece by using his experiences as a traveler in writing this story.
I was studying at university when a movie based on this book was released. I usually like reading a book first, and then , if chance permits, I watch the movie based on it.
This time, the opposite happened. I saw the movie and then realized that it was actually a book that the movie was based upon. The next day I was at my local library, browsing the bookshelves.
Fortunately, I found the book there. And I was so excited that I didn’t wait to read the blurb on the back cover, I simply got it issued from the counter and dashed to my place to start reading it.
It has a beautiful message of ‘letting go’ that has been expressed beautifully in the movie, but there were time restraints that didn’t allow the movie director to have artistic freedom. To understand and enjoy the story better, I was reading that book. And I am happy that I read the book.
It was a year of daily struggles, new challenges , and occasional setbacks for me. And this book gave me hope. Just like the protagonist Pi, I also got courage and motivation by letting go of the unnecessary worries about the future, and consoled my troubled soul with the hope that ‘there is a higher power somewhere in the universe that guides our actions, which ultimately leads us towards peace and success.’
Discussion Topics
- Children and Reading
What are the most popular types of children’s books in your country?
Indian literature abounds with the stories for the young readers. Our epics Mahabharata and Ramayana are full of interesting mythological characters that hold the imagination of kids. And we can’t underestimate the popular characters like Mullah Nasruddin, Tenali Raman, Akbar & Birbal when it comes to the bestseller Children’s books. In my country, each region has its own myriad folk tales that have been passed on from one generation to the next one.
What are the benefits of parents reading books to their children?
This is an activity that has numerous advantages. It helps develop children’s imagination. Imagination leads to creativity. And creative minds yearn for more knowledge, which will ultimately set them on the path towards success. And the other advantage that is the least noticed one is the bond between parents and kids gets stronger with bedtime reading. Kids would always remember the stories their parents told them. And when they grow up, they still can’t forget the magical world that their parents created for them every night at bedtime.
Should parents always let their children choose the books they read?
It is a very difficult thing to answer. Not letting kids read a book that is full of indecent content is the right thing to do. But this is not possible every time.
In fact, children should be allowed the freedom to choose the books they want to read. They themselves will learn to differentiate between the books that are good and the books that are bad for them. Let them read the bad literature first, so that eventually they will get tired of them and move towards the better one.
Keeping the bad books away from them will invariably lead to kids getting attracted towards them. And this no parent would like to happen to their children. So we must let kids become the judges of what is good and what is bad for them.
- Electronic Books
How popular are electronic books in your country?
In comparison with the Western countries, electronic books are a newer concept that has yet not been fully spread across the entire country, especially its rural areas. There is a rising trend among youngsters from big cities of reading books on their electronic devices. But, this is mainly limited to academic books or popular fiction and comic books. Literature lovers prefer not to read a classic on an electronic device. They still prefer making notes in the margin, and underlining the quotes or passages in a printed book.
What are the advantages of parents reading electronic books (compared to printed books)?
The advantages are few and far between. Electronic devices allow a parent to read a story without any external light source at night. The illuminated screen of the device is sufficient for that purpose. Other than that it is cheaper to purchase 10 electronic books than to purchase a printed book. And one peculiar advantage is the easy access to an online dictionary that can only be had if one uses an electronic gadget to read a story. If we just put aside these advantages, there is no difference between electronic or printed books when it comes to reading to a child at night. From a child’s point of view, it is just the spoken word from a parent that is at play here. And a child just likes to listen to a good story , regardless of the source it is read from.
Will electronic books ever completely replace printed books in the future?
On the contrary, the sale of printed books is on the rise. Electronic books can’t create the magic of printed books. One likes to cuddle with a good book at night and get transported to a world of imagination. On a cold winter night , a hardbound volume of Shakespeare’s plays affords more pleasure by the fireside than a digital device for reading the same works.
https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break/reading-zone/b1-graded-reading/life-pi-book-review-b1
*** The topic has been taken from Cambridge IELTS 14- Academic book.