What made you the reader you are?
Those of you who read Bookseller Chick already know the sad news that her store is closing. Last night she posted the most beautiful homage to the bookstore of her childhood–the one that turned her into the reader she is.
For me it was the library a few blocks away. I’d go there every Saturday and check out an armful of books, tear through them all, return them the following Saturday for more. And in the summer the library held a reading contest where you could win little prizes for passing the 25, 50, 100 mark and onward. I always did really well at those because I am highly motivated by gold stars and fancy pens and other cheap little tchotchkes (yes, I had to look up how to spell that).
I have a secret plan to go back to my childhood library this summer when my book comes out and gift them however many they want. They may not care so much, but I sure will. It’s my own personal version of the circle of life.
What place or person or book or author made you the reader you are? Can you pinpoint one experience and say, “Yep, that was it”? And if you can tax your memory even more, do you remember the first book that made a huge impression on you?
Technorati Tags: Bookseller Chick, Reading, Books, Reading Lists, Reading Contests, Libraries
I read all these books with animals for protagonists. I can’t remember the titles or authors though. Wish I could.
It was definitely my childhood library. My mom took me there a lot. And they didn’t need to bribe me with trinkets…
My son is the same way. He only put 1 thing on his Christmas list. A book.
I always loved to read… and I used to love the summer reading programs in my library. However, the one book (or in my case, series) that totally changed how I read was L.E. Blair’s Girl Talk series. This was the first series I read that followed the same characters in every book and to this day I still prefer to read books that are a part of a series. Harry Potter, Stephanie Plum, Eve Dallas… I like the feeling of knowing the characters and I like feeling like I’m a part of their worlds for a little bit!
Yeah, Christen, I love series, too. It’s fun to be able to take the time to really get to know characters and their world. Can’t wait for the new Harry Potter! And I’m reading the last Lemony Snicket right now. Slowly, to savor it.
Patrick, awwww! I love your little boy!
I need to reread the Lemony Snicket books. I stopped at the Slippery Slope (I think). Those (as well as my Harry Potter books) are still at my parents’ house. I’ll need to go and bring them all back to my apartment asap! So many books… so little time!
Yeah, but it won’t be fair if we let him in on the 50 novel challenge. Unless we only count the bigger books, such as “Night of the Ninjas”. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780679863717&itm=1
(By the way: I prefer this series to Junie B. Jones)
RE: Lemony Snicket – Good? I’ve been considering sampling those. I seem to be in a YA phase of reading. Last year was Thrillers.
My first book experience was at my local library which was sadly torn down several years ago. It was a huge literary castle that had separate floors that you had to climb massive sets of stairs to reach,plus in the Young Adult section(it has its own room downstairs),record albums could be borrowed as well.
One of the reasons that I adore Little Women was that it was the first book that was given to me as a Christmas gift from one of my aunts. She even enscribed it to me and it holds a place of honor amongst my classic fiction titles.
Reading was difficult for me in the early grades. I had to have remedial help, both at home and school. I hated reading. Then in the middle of 3rd grade I picked up a book on my own. It was a book about Davie Crockett. I read it on my own. No one looking over my shoulder. I loved it. And I haven’t looked back. So that was the book that made a huge impression but my favorite early books were Doctor Dolittle.
I read as a child, but it wasn’t ’til I became an adult that I can became an obsessive, avid reader
I blame my high school drama and English lit. teacher, who I’m lucky enough to still call a good friend, and my older brother, Donnie, who I looked up to in every way possible. Ms. Breland made reading cool and exuded passion for literature, even bringing Sting lyrics, for instance, into the classroom to show us that poetry and good writing are everywhere. And Donnie always had a book in his face. Since I wanted to be just like him, I started doing the same.
My grandfather would take me to Waldenbooks at Crossroads mall in OKC and buy me books. I had very odd tastes for a kid, like a hardback of Charlie Chan mysteries. The store has moved to a different and larger location in the mall, but it still has a special place in my heart.
I do remember the required reading or book fair purchases from school, like Where The Red Fern Grows. Completely traumatizing. I hated that book. But I loved Tiger Eyes and Forever by Judy Blume.
My father took me to the local library as a 3rd grader and got three books. That night I asked him to take me back again the next day because I had finished my books. He didn’t believe me and asked me about the books.
He took me back the next day and got some 5th grade books. It took me slightly longer to finish those books and I have been a reader ever since.
I really mentally debated whether I wanted to be a reading teacher or a librarian. I thought that I could help more kids by being a reading teacher.
Change of subject…….
So we can really count “mind candy” books on our list of 50?
Cozy mysteries or romances?
Yes, Readerdiane, “mind candy” counts in the 50-book challenge.
The point isn’t to impress anyone with how sophisticated and literary we are, it’s to get out there and enjoy reading our socks off this year. It’s to devour books, one after the other. So if you want to read 50 romances in a row, whatever. If your thing is WWII biographies, great. If you like a mix of historicals and cozies and YA, then good for you.
My real purpose is to give myself permission/motivation to read every one of the books staring at me right now on my overflowing TBR shelf. I bought all those books because I was excited to read them, and I never seem to get to them all.
Life is long. Let’s read our way through it. Or else life is short, in which case, better get crackin’.
And to everyone else, I love these stories of how you got started as readers. Thank you. Keep ‘em coming!
It was a cold day, colder than – well, cold, (Yes, THAT cold) when I first started reading. The snow was high and white when the chicken people threw me out of their Super-Fast rocket – Psshhuuueeew, with nothing but three books and an ear of corn. I kid you not.
The books were “Rosie O’Donnell: Weight loss and make-up tips for lemurs”, “Anne of Green Gables”, and “I, Robot”.
And that day I learned to read. I read those books to keep alive in the bitter cold blizzard. My brain burned of fire at the words on the page and melted the snow.
Where was I you ask? A place called Sahara. There used to be a glacier there before I learned to read.
Patrick, now I understand how it is your little boy yells out things like, “Let there be FISH!â€
Latest ramblings of a 4 2/3 year old.
“When I grow up, I want to live somewhere where I can eat lots of fish.”
“Oh, do you like eating fish?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had fish.”
“You haven’t?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Yeah you have. What do you think tunafish is?”
“I don’t want to talk about that.”
“What about fish sticks, isn’t that fish?”
“I don’t want to talk about that either.”
I need you to teach your boy to type so he can come join us here.
I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember. Going to the library as a kid was a real treat for me. I used to bring home as many books as I was allowed to take out at a time and read them all.
Aside from that, one of the biggest influences in my reading life was my 3rd grade teacher. She always encouraged me to read and even bought me bookmarks and once a book. It was Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds. I’ll never forget that book.
He can type, but his computer blocks sites with “Naked Kate Winslet” as topics. Sorry.
Kimmy, have you ever thought about sending a belated fan letter to that writer (if he or she is still around)? So many authors are available via the web these days, and I can assure you that getting a fan letter makes any writer’s day.
Just something to throw out there . . .
By the way, Heather, Where the Red Fern Grows is one of my all time favorites, although I agree with you it’s completely traumatizing. But I can’t stay away from it, even though I know what’s going to happen. I’ve never cried harder or louder while reading a book than with that one. And that was just a few years ago when I reread it. Why do we do that to ourselves?
That’s a really great idea. I may just do that.