Editor's note: "Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on... it's a way of making contact with someone else's imagination after a day that's all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss." So wrote the American author and filmmaker Nora Ephron.

What does reading mean to you? To celebrate the upcoming World Book Day, we ask our student journalists and editors about how reading has shaped their lives. The following is some of what they share.


Vincent Jeong, a postgraduate from the School of International Studies
Favorite book: All the Light We Cannot See
Reading makes me want to hold on to the thought of "the world will be better." A book can allow me to relive the lives of different characters and experience events from their points of view. By doing so, I can establish communication with those characters and learn what is the best possible choice to overcome the ordeals presented throughout society. When I get to overcome those challenges, I can definitely say that "there is still something good in this world."


Fu Jiaqi, a doctoral candidate from the College of Engineering
Favorite book: The Kite Runner
Reading makes me cherish my current life even more. It enables me to transcend the constraints of geography and delve into the lives of people from all over the world. In moments when life seems burdened with troubles, reading the stories of others who have faced even greater hardships helps me approach my own struggles with a greater sense of composure. Books like The Kite Runner and And The Mountains Echoed, which detail the tragic lives of Afghans, leave me yearning to connect with people from all corners of the globe. 



Lee Ricson, a first-year undergraduate from the Guanghua School of Management
Favorite book: A Random Walk Down Wall Street
Reading makes me think differently. Our thoughts and ideas are often shaped by our own experiences, and reading gives us the opportunity to slow down and try to understand a whole new perspective at our paces. Hence reading is crucial in developing one's empathy, which is something our world urgently needs.


Wu Jiayun, a first-year undergraduate from the School of International Studies
Favorite book: Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?
Reading makes me feel alive. I read as I tread lightly on the Earth, knowing how much there is to be explored-- if not in person, then in pages.



Li Wanqi, an undergraduate from the School of International Studies
Favorite book: The Catcher in the Rye
Reading makes me think more about the world we live in and my own circumstances.


Ang Shao Heng, an undergraduate from Peking University HSBC Business School
Favorite book: Have You Eaten Yet?
Reading makes me more inquisitive. Reading isn't easy for me. It requires a lot of patience and discipline to complete a book. Curiosity is a natural driver for me to read, something that makes reading fun and engaging. Reading has piqued my natural curiosity to learn more about our world and has led me to read a wide range of books this year: from a study on what makes Germany so efficient to classical Chinese short stories. 


Solongo, an undergraduate from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature
Favorite book: The Little Prince
Reading makes me learn, wonder, and think about life and myself; reading makes me happy, sad, and satisfied.


Glenda Ho, an undergraduate from the School of Journalism and Communications
Favorite book: Tuesdays with Morrie
Reading makes me see the world in a different light.



More stories about reading and books from PKU News:

Book time: a round-up of places to read at PKU

The joy of being a “professional reader” – A glimpse into Profs Chen Pingyuan and Xia Xiaohong’s study

Edited by: Dennis Meng
Cover photo: VCG
Photos by: Zhu Chengxuan, Deng Yanglanduo, Gao Peichao, Shi Zhuming, Zheng Tao, ChuZhaohan, Cai Xiangyu, Xu Xuanzhuo