IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'describe a book' answer

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.

Here's my band 9 answer, using vocabulary from last week's lesson:

• I’m going to talk about a book that really made me think, and that has had a positive effect on my life. The name of the book is ‘Atomic Habits’, and it’s about the compounding effect that small decisions and minuscule changes can have on people’s lives.
• I decided to read Atomic Habits after seeing an interview with the book’s author, James Clear, who is a world-renowned expert in the field of habit formation. In the interview, he told inspiring stories and revealed some simple life hacks that can make people more productive, motivated and happy. I found the whole idea of the ‘science of tiny habits’ fascinating, and so I bought the book straight away.
• While reading the book, I was forced to confront my own habits and behaviours. I realised that I’m nowhere near as productive as I could be, but that some small tweaks to my routine could make a significant and long-lasting difference. The book also gave me a framework to understand how good habits are formed and how bad habits can be broken. It has encouraged me to analyse my own habits accordingly.
• I thoroughly enjoyed reading Atomic Habits because I thought it was well researched, well reasoned and well written. The author’s ideas and advice aren’t simply his opinions; they are taken from cutting-edge research and real success stories. I enjoy reading books that change my way of thinking in some way or give me practical, life-altering ideas, and this was definitely one of those books.

Comments

[Jessica]

It makes me want to read this book!

[China Candidate]

Are there too many words that can't be expressed within the limited of time?
We are not native speakers and naturally speak at a lower speed regardless of how hard we have practised.

[Simon]

FROM SIMON:

Yes, read it Jessica!

...

China Candidate,

My answer is supposed to act as a 'model', and I wouldn't expect a student to be able to answer at this level or with this amount of detail in a real test.

So, don't worry about whether it's realistic to give an answer like mine. Just use it for what it can teach you (e.g. vocabulary ideas and how I express them). If I gave you a low-level answer from a student, you wouldn't learn very much.

[Hannah]

May i ask which one below is grammatically right?
- I realised that I’m nowhere ...
- I realised that I was nowhere ...
Many thanks.