Monday 14 February 2011

My Path as a Reader (aka I love books!)

As it's Valentine's Day today I thought I might do something a little different and talk about how I developed my love of reading.  I'm sure many of you will have similar stories to share!

When I talked to my Mum, she said that I was most definitely not a reader when I was very young!  She can remember trying to get me to sit down and read a book which I was not interested in doing at all.  I really can't imagine that now ;)  When I was a little bit older, I can clearly recall sitting with my Dad in the evenings and working my way through every book that Roald Dahl had ever written.  My Dad and I used to take it in turns to read a chapter each of Matilda which was one of my absolute favourite books.  I still have all of my very dog-eared copies today :) 

At school I had a particular teacher that really encouraged my love of reading.  He started a book club and we all brought in copies of books which we shared with other students in the class.  I think I was about 9 or 10 when he lent me a copy of 'The Hobbit'.  I absolutely adored the book and it opened up a whole new world for me.  Soon after, he lent me the books which make up 'The Lord of the Rings' which I was completely hooked on.  My parents bought me copies of the books for my birthday and it remains one of my all-time favourite novels.  I try to re-read it every couple of years and each time I do I seem to enjoy it even more than the time before.

From that point on I've been a voracious reader with a really wide taste in books.  I like nearly every genre (except for maybe horror as I scare easily) and I'm always very willing to try anything and everything.  I love getting recommendations for books and discovering new and exciting authors.  Because I read so much when I was younger, I can remember devouring all the books in my local library, which was only a small rural branch.  That meant that I started reading books which were probably above my age-range.  I was always allowed to read anything I wanted to and I've maintained the attitude today that people should be able to choose what they want to read without having their tastes censored in any way. 

I've been through various stages of becoming hooked on certain genres or particular authors and I literally can't go into the library without coming out with a stack of books about a foot high ;)  I read a lot of YA when I was a teenager and then I branched out to other books.  Over the last few years, although I'm most definitely not a teenager anymore, I've reverted back to my love of YA and starting this blog has fostered that love even more! 

I love everything about books :)  I love reading them, I love buying them and exploring second-hand bookshops to find interesting new titles, I love talking about them with friends and family and fellow bloggers, I love organising my bookshelves (which I have to do on a regular basis) and I love the sheer pleasure of curling up in bed with an amazing book and forgetting everything else around me.  I'm a complete bookaholic and I'm proud of it too!

What started your love of reading?  Do you have an early memory of yourself as a reader?  I'd love to hear your stories :)

5 comments:

  1. I went through our school library in primary school, by grade three I was already reading the grade 5 and 6 books because I'd finished all the rest! ;) Also, we were given "points" for the books we read in grade 4 (new librarian) - the higher the book level, the more points. So the kids still reading baby books got like 1 point per book... I decided to read Oliver Twist for a whopping 50 points! And by the end of the year I had about 100 points more than the person in second. I was just always reading - we were only allowed a certain number of books at a time (prep-grade 3 was 1, grades 4 and 5 were 2 and in grade 6, 3) and had library class once a week. I took to going to the library at lunch or recess or after school because even three books did not last me the week! I can't remember a time of not reading.

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  2. Reading rocks! Did you get anything for having the most points?!

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  3. Sadly not, or at least not that I can recall! Just a good report card and the eternal glory? xD

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  4. I was always a reader, and my mum says she used to read everything and anything to me, starting from when I was a tiny baby. Since then, I've been completely addicted to books. Plus, I've always been above my age in reading: I read Harry Potter when I was 7, even though it was written for 11-or-so year olds. I read absolutely any genre, especially loving the whole YA supernatural romance section, but also in love with crime, historical and classic novels.
    Honestly, I can't ever remember not loving reading. Most people say their favourite shop's some clothes shop, or something. My answers always been: Waterstones. There is nothing like browsing the shelves, is there? (:

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  5. What a great post. Thank you for sharing. I hoope I have that kind of impact on the pupils that use the school library :D

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