At what age did u start reading? and what was your first book?

[Ahtims]

Yes, but the irony is that nowadays I dont read malayalam at all. (it is not my mother tongue, but it is the language of the state I grew up in)

[Bijaya]

Oh ok... I feel with the growth of English literature in India in the recent years, regional literature is getting a bit less popular...

[Rebecca]

True that. Only recently I realised that I haven't read any malayalam fiction any time near. Now I am reading Draupadi a malayalam translation from oriya and am a bit embarrassed to admit that I fail to understand the meaning of many words.

[Venu Madhav Reddy]

I started reading when I was 7 or 8 years old and I don't exactly remember the name of the book but it was about practical science experiments for kids with full of color pictures and fun reading from scholastic and that's how my love to non-fiction started. :D

[Anjali]

I think I started reading around the age of 7-8 . I think I started reading with the good old 'Famous Five ' by Enid Blyton .

[Salma]

when I was 17 , I start to read. my first book is romeo juliet

[Aditi]

I started reading in Std 2 - it was childrens version book set of Marco Polo, Joan of Arc and Treasure Island.

[Succhi]

Aditi wrote: "I started reading in Std 2 "

I wish I could've started at that age :)

[Deepika]

I dont remember when I had started reading or which book.. but I do remember my transition from short stories to novels with "Famous Five''

[Rohit]

Hi Guys,

Iam Rohit, M 32 from Kota Rakajasthan.

I started reading at age of about 14, my first book was the hound of the baskervilles. :)

[Akanksha]

That's a difficult question. I don't really remember when I started reading, there have been books that have been in my read list ever since I can remember. The first full length novel I can remember reading was Boris Polevoy's "The Story of a Real Man" at about 8/. years of age. How far I understood the book remains largely questionable.

[Pradyota]

I started reading at about 8 years. My first book was one of Enid Blyton's Famous Five, I don't really remember the title it was but this started my love affair with reading which is still going strong to this day!

[Akanksha]

Pradyota wrote: "I started reading at about 8 years. My first book was one of Enid Blyton's Famous Five, I don't really remember the title it was but this started my love affair with reading which is still going st..."

Famous five used to be one of my childhood favourites :) I had begun with the very first title in the series: Five on a Treasure Island.

[Pradyota]

I know right! I could still pick up a Famous Five and go back in time and feel the same way I felt when I read them :)

Cheers to Enid Blyton for making our childhood awesome :)

[Ahtims]

Me too..just last year I read Mistletoe farm series.

[Pradyota]

@Ahtims :) BTW I love your user name ,Smitha :D

[Ahtims]

thanks, it keeps on changing according to my mood. :-)

[Vinay]

I started with Enid Blytons (read grid blyton back then) faraway tree collection, I was pretty young when I read it, must have been in 4th or 5th grade and the cover art looked nice. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but boy was in for a ride!

[Ahtims]

Most of us have started with Enid Blyton. :)

[Vinay]

Ahtims wrote: "Most of us have started with Enid Blyton. :)"
Yes for some reason every library had her books. And her writing was very easy to follow and quite fun.

[Palash]

My first book was Treasure Island. I was 11 at that time.

[Vijay]

The first Novel I read was "Alice in the Wonderland" or a book from Hardy Boys series not able to remember clearly. I must be around 13 at that time.

[Mayur]

Hi Mayur here....
I started reading when I was in 8th standard and my first book was "THE MAGIC TREE HOUSE" series.

[Devlina]

Hi there....I had started reading from the 4th standard and my first book was "Treasure Island"

[Riddhi]

I started reading at the age of 11 and my first book was Oliver Twist.

[Ashish]

My first book was A Thousand splendid suns and I read it when I was 17 year old :D

[Shreeka]

hey everyone... i started reading when i was 11. my first book was
cinderella

[James]

Hi all, I do want to promote my book (later), but for now would like to post my answer here. I don't remember at what age I started reading (non-academic books?). It was around Class X. Read quite a few Pustak Mahal books (intelligence agencies, ghosts, unsolved mysteries). I read complete Sherlock Holmes before my Class X boards! One book that left a lasting impression from that time is Ten Days that Shook the World (on Soviet revolution). The author John Reed published eye-witness account of the Bolshivik revolution. Indian author Subir Bhaumik (BBC correspondent) published a book Troubled Periphery which covers the Northeast India issue. I relate the two authors because they gave first-hand report of issues on the ground and not quoted anyone. No wonder Troubled Periphery is one of the top 10 best-selling books of the publisher (SAGE Publications).

[Anshul]

I dont remeber the age but as if i recall correctly my first book was either The adventures of Tom Sawyer or The adventures of Oliver Twist.
I guess i am going to read them again

[Utkarsha]

My first book was some Disney book " wizards of Waverley place- spell bound " :P
I started reading it in class IIIrd I guess :)

[Vignesh]

Unless like many ppl here, I was lazy to read any books.. I felt them boring.. then i started reading a book at t age of 23 only.. n trust me in the last 3 yrs, I completed nearly 50+ books.. the first book which I read was a tamil book named "ner ner thema".. n then i started reading indian famous authors like chetan nd ravinder.. bt got bored of same kinda masala dramas from indian authors.. tried preethi shenoy books as well wh mostly replicate t view of love from a gals perspective.. bt again, same love in coll, n al indian masala as common in every book.. then I jumped to psychology books n philosophy books.. I felt them as interesting n moreover much learning.. then I felt interest in history n fantasy books too.. the famous tamil historical fantasy book "Ponniyin selvan" s my favourite...now I am reading "Selfish gene" by richard dawkins.. explain much abt our evolution n provides much of knowledge.. I feel any book wh provides something to takeaway n some knowledge as interesting.. even from a novel, I feel ter shud b something fr t reader..

[Indrani]

I dont remember when I started to read. I remember reading around std 2 or 3, but I think I started a bit sooner.

I used to read Amar Chitra Katha comics - got a solid foundation on freedom fighters courtesy dad. We had three monthly story magazines (Bengali) coming in. they had stories, serialized novels, a few page of comics - the whole package. Used to read them voraciously. I remember my dad reading to me from these before I was in school, around 2 or 3 year old. I don't know if he bought those magazines for himself or for me. The latter, I guess. :)

I am so lucky to have the parents I have.

[Ashwin]

Uh I started at the age of 13 (not sure though). The first book that I read was 'great works of Shakespeare'. It was in Hindi though xD It still cracks me up how I started. I remember buying it by collecting the change from here and there in the house. It took me almost three months to collect that much and then I secretly bought it.

My grandfather and my dad both are bibliophile and I was dying to read something just to be part of that little private library they both had built up over the years. So yeah, not a great start but then it was all I needed.

Back in 2011, I left reading again. (because "agar novel padhoge toh IIT ka preparation kaise karoge?" ) So since I didn't land into IIT, it was time to go back to the wonderful smell of a new book. So this second start was with 'The clifton chronicle #1 (Only time will tell - Jeffery Archer). :) Now,I'm happy happy :P :)

[Indrani]

happy second innings Ashwin.. Have fun....

[Ashwin]

Indrani wrote: "happy second innings Ashwin.. Have fun...."

Thank you, Indrani Ji :)

[Rishit]

The first book which I read was 'The BFG' by Roald Dahl and 2nd was 'Matilda' by the same author which I read shortly after completing the first!
I was of 10 years at that time!
Both of the book were greatly assuming but the book which made me to love literature was 'The Treasure Island' by Robert Louis!

[Ahtims]

Good books to chose, Rishit. :)

Ashwin, books have helped me preserved sanity during exams. Used to read even on days prior to University exams. Those were good stress busters.

[Ashwin]

Syl. A.k.a Topo di biblioteca wrote: "Good books to chose, Rishit. :)

Ashwin, books have helped me preserved sanity during exams. Used to read even on days prior to University exams. Those were good stress busters."

Couldn't agree more! I read a couple of chapters everyday and it really helps me calm down ^_^

[James]

Vignesh wrote: "Unless like many ppl here, I was lazy to read any books.. I felt them boring.. then i started reading a book at t age of 23 only.. n trust me in the last 3 yrs, I completed nearly 50+ books.. the f..."

Hi. Your takeaway angle is interesting. If you find biological evolution interesting, you will probably find Desmond Morris' 'Naked Ape' enlightening. It's a funny and informative read.

[Vignesh]

Thanks James,, I ll add them in my list,,

[Hasan]

Started reading with Enid Blyton and RL Stine at 11, I think. I remember reading David Copperfield(the unabridged version) at 13-14. Then for some reason I stopped reading. Got back last year with Wonder by R. J. Palacio.

[Lenny]

I started reading at age 4. Don't remember my exact 1st book, but I started off with Enid Blyton's Amelia Jane and Noddy series. Enid Blyton continued to be a fixture during my growing years - from the Wishing Chair and Faraway Tree series to the Merry Mr Meddle and Mr Twiddle series, on to Mallory Towers and Secret Seven and Famous Five...
My early reading years also included loads of Russian kids' lit, Dr Seuss and Richard Scarry
I moved on to Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Richmal Crompton's howlarious William series, James Herriott and PG Wodehouse. Along with the classics, of course - Treasure Island, Black Beauty, Hans Christian Andersen tales, Kidnapped, Heidi, Alice in Wonderland. This last one I really want to re-read as an adult, though.
One of my all-time-favourite childhood reads was The Princess and the Goblin
I'm really, really thankful to my parents - my mum, especially - for introducing this love for books in me so early.

[Ahtims]

Lenny wrote: "I started reading at age 4. Don't remember my exact 1st book, but I started off with Enid Blyton's Amelia Jane and Noddy series. Enid Blyton continued to be a fixture during my growing years - from..."

William, one of my childhood sweethearts. I read Richmal Crompton even now, especially if I need cheering up.

[Sneha]

Not including comic books ( like Tinkle) my first book was Journey to the centre of the Earth when I was eleven years old.

[Ahtims]

A good book to start off with , Sneha :)

Pooja, I was Enid Blyton fan, rather than Carolyn Keene, though I did read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys too.

[Kalyanaraman]

I started reading at 4. My first English novel was when I was 8. It was Uncle Fred in the springtime by PG Wodehouse. I read and reread it till I understood it reasonably well. it was later that I started reading Richmal Crompton and Enid Blyton and others.

[Ahtims]

Uncle Fred at the age of 8 is a feat indeed.

I actually was put off by the humor of Wodehouse when I tried reading him at 10 or so, and became a true Wodehouse fan only in my late teens.

[Dr. Gian]

I think I started reading at the age of 12, but remember which was the first book that hooked me.

[Shobhit]

My first book was The Hound of Baskervilles by A. C. Doyle.

[Ankit]

My first book was A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle when I was 19. Curiosity about Sherlock Holmes' character led me towards reading.