What book(s) got you started reading?

[Milda]

I read a lot and started at the very early age, which makes it hard to answer this question. But I do remember clearly what got me started reading fantasy.
It was the story 'A Grain of Truth' from The Last Wish The creeping horror, unexpected sarcasm and the most beautifully described death, blood and emptiness spoke to my heart and wouldn't leave my head.
I was a teenager then and the story was published in the magazine my father prescribed for fiction horror and thriller. Alongside it there was an extract from Dresden Files which I enjoyed as well for lighthearted tone, humor and open sexuality (the story where Susan drinks the wrong potion and Harry uses lightning to empower his spell and strike the demon) I don't think Dresden Files was translated into lithuanian at the time, so this part was eventualy forgotten. Only recently - 20 years later, I was reading The Dresden Files thinking the story sounds familiar - it occured to me where I've seen it before. :)
Needless to say the magazine became the most anticipated read every month. And that particular issue was read and re-read hundred times. :) I immensely enjoyed The Witcher series when I finally got my hands on it. Up to this day it is one of my favourite books. And it started my love for fantasy! :)

[Robert]

I honestly can't remember a time before I could read. This is both a function of my faulty memory and that I read early and often.

If I dig back to those early days, the first book I remember reading was The Monster at the End of this Book. Other early reader favorites were Danny and the Dinosaur and Morris Goes to School. Quickly graduated from these basic books to Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. We also had a book of children's Bible stories in the house.

From there, pretty much anything in the house I could put my hands on. Our old hardcover set of Encyclopedia Britannica. Various Reader's Digest condensed books. I particular remember the RDC version of Jaws that I read at about 8 or 9.

It was pretty haphazard until I discovered a copy of the Hobbit at a neighbor's house when I was about 10. Then I was on a serious kick to find more books like it at the library. Figured out what section Tolkien was in and pretty much went at SF/Fantasy like gangbusters. Brooks, McCaffrey, Donaldson, Bradbury, L'Engle, and on and on. Looking back on it, I'm not sure some of those were appropriate for an 11-year-old. But I seem to have turned out alright. ;-)

Going on 35 years later ...

[[deleted user]]

You read the encyclopedia?

[Lucinda]

Charlton wrote: "You read the encyclopedia?"

This made me laugh because...yes, I've read the encyclopedia.

When I was growing up, you would *never* utter the words "I'm bored" in from of my mother. If you did, she would grab a random volume of our World Book Encyclopedia or World Book Yearbook and tell you to sit and read.

Sometimes I could think of something I'd rather be doing...but, more often than not, the next couple of hours would be spent reading one entry after another...

[Robert]

Charlton wrote: "You read the encyclopedia?"

Not cover to cover. More like the way you surf the Internet nowadays.

[Thaddeus]

I can't remember not being into reading, but some early books which stuck with me (more the memory of reading them than actually remembering what happens) are the Chronicles of Narnia, and four Sonic the Hedgehog books by Martin Adams.

The latter might sound a bit lame, but those books taught me the basics of time travel (as it were) and transmogrification.

I remember the single volume of the Chronicles, a big red book, but can't remember what happens. However, vague memories of the BBC series have stuck with me, including a great moment with a sea serpent.

[Carl]

For me on the fantasy side was the Robert E. Howard Conan novels and on the horror side it was Stephen King.

[Samuel]

The earliest books I can remember reading were Franklin Dixon's The Hardy Boys novels.Its seems am the only one who read that growing up.Fantasy came later on with Narnia and Ursula's A Wizard of Earthsea.

[Judy]

I remember my mom reading the Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy to me. The first books I really remember reading were the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series.

I know that in 4th grade I read every Nancy Drew mystery in existence.

[amaldae]

The first 'real' book I remember reading from cover to cover by myself was The Last Dragon by Silvana De Mari (I was maybe nine); but my parents used to read a lot to me and my sister out loud when we were younger. For example we got our first Rowling-experience that way... and to be honest, my dad still reads to me ;)

[Brunnstag]

I've always been a reader, between Magic Tree House and the like, and later the entire Animorphs series. But I do recall my mom getting me hooked on Xanth after giving me 'A Spell for Chameleon'... I blew through several of those in short order! She also got me into Redwall in Middle school, Outlander and Camulod in high school.

Libraries were always there as well. If I wasn't getting books from my mom, I got them through either the public or school library. Books were just a constant presence I guess!

[[deleted user]]

Gotta' like that Xanth,for the humor alone.