Nadia Plokker is a third-year honors Humanities student at Amsterdam University College interested in film, culture, and media.
What does reading mean to you?
As an activity, it means reading stories, books, or things online. I have to read a lot for my classes. For example, for my intensive, I have three different texts daily that we are expected to read. When I am reading a text, I focus on all the sentences and highlight everything I think is important for academic texts. When I read in my free time, I focus more on the general story. I have annotated one non-academic book with my friends when I was sixteen because we saw it on TikTok and it sounded cool.
Which book has made an impact on your life?
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Arikawa. The book is told from the perspective of a cat as he goes on a journey with his owner. The owner is visiting three of his old friends across Japan. I like that it is from the perspective of the cat because it is a whole new way of looking at the world; a new type of storytelling I hadn’t encountered before. I liked this book when I read it in high school. The reason why I like The Travelling Cat Chronicles so much is that I can just read it and enjoy it. I can immerse myself in the story without having to think ‘oh what does the blue curtain symbolise’. Reading it was a nice break.
Would you recommend this book to students – and if not, would you recommend a different one?
I would recommend it to anyone, so yes. It is sweet, and it is from a non-human perspective. It is a really beautiful story. I thought it was interesting because it takes place in Japan, and the cat describes the landscapes. If you like Japan, you should also read it.
Has going to university or becoming a university professor changed how you read? Is reading for pleasure the same as reading for disciplinary purposes?
It has changed how I read, but it depends on the kind of text. When I read for class, I read really in depth and highlight everything that I think is important. Then I can look back and see what the argument of the text is. Because we have to read so much for our classes, university has affected not only how I read, but also how much I read. I have read maybe four books a year since leaving high school, which to me is not a lot. I find myself thinking, ‘Oh, I am not going to read another book’ because I already have to read so many academic texts. Even though I like reading books, once I commit to them and I start enjoying them when I start reading.
Match favourite reading moments, referring to a place or a situation.
I have a nice chair in my room that I like to sit in when I read. When I read, I usually have a cup of tea that I have one sip of and then forget about. That happens every time. If I read something for school, I am in the library. Or I like to read before bed.