Books that got you into reading.

[Jules]

What books or series got you interested in reading?

For me it was The Babysitters Club as a kid and then I didn't read much at all (unless I had to) until Harry Potter in my late teens. Although it didn't become a regular thing until some years later, I would say those two gave me a great appreciation and love for reading.

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer)]

Juli wrote: "What books or series got you interested in reading?

For me it was The Babysitters Club as a kid and then I didn't read much at all (unless I had to) until Harry Potter in my late teens. Although..."

That is so funny that is the same series that did it for me! I remember devouring them all in the third grade when I discovered them. I couldn't read them fast enough!

[Michelle(Chelle) aka Nightshade - Cake Whisperer]

This may reflect my age but for me it was Nancy Drew.

[Katya]

Afred Hitchcock's Anthology for kids, Ellery Queen Magazine, My cousin's Nancy Drew books, My mom's Bobbsey Twins Books, The Hardy Boys books & The Promise (forget who wrote it)

[Ann aka Iftcan]

The very FIRST books I remember reading were the Happy Hollister books The Happy Hollisters. My parents got me the entire series when I was a kid (one book a month, since they ordered them that way). And yes, that DOES show my age, since I believe they were brand new at the time. From there it was Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, the Bobsie Twins, Trixie Beldwin, and, well, onward and upwards. I've always read a lot. But part of that was because my Dad was Navy and we never knew where we were going to be the next day, and books helped me with the constant moving (18 schools in 12 years, for inquiring minds) and well, I'd read a lot of books set in/about where ever we were due to move to next.

[Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms)]

This will reflect my age too, Nancy Drew. But before that my dad and I read the Zane Gray westerns together.

[Katie]

I can't remember what specifically I was reading when my report card came back to my mom saying - reads instead of paying attention in class. I think A Wrinkle in Time and the series was the first. Borrowing Nancy Drew from my grandmothers closet, Secret Garden, Neverending Story, The Wizard of Oz and the series - oh my school librarian LOVED me!

[S.M.]

Sweet Valley High...anyone remember those?

[Ashley]

I remember sweet valley high and babysitters club. Then it went to goosebumps and fear street!

[Komal]

Harry Potter in the 4th grade.

[Jennifer]

When I was in middle school and my english teacher introduced me to VC Andrews and I was addicted lol

[Marsh]

Reading The Hardy Boys while I was in primary school.

[Shirla]

Boy, this topic does show my age! I think I have read all of the series listed plus a few more. I remember going through all of the Wizard of Oz books that my library had and then just went on -- this was in first grade. My librarians loved me too as I never had enough to read.

[Jmckee69]

Judy Blume and Sweet Valley High. Those got me on the road.

[Kate]

Shannon - Michelle wrote: "Sweet Valley High...anyone remember those?"

I loved them. And the SVU and Elizabeth books... I'm a sucker for anything Sweet Valley.

[Amy]

Animorphs. I loved that series to death. And it had a really sucky ending, considering it dragged you in with 54 books and a couple spin-off 'in-the-past' books. It only took you a couple days to read one, and then you had to wait for the rest of the month for the next one to come out. I remember spending my allowance just to get my hands on them. I still didn't like to read anything school shoved under my nose, however :P In HS, I began to pick out random Star Trek TNG, DS9 and Voyager books to read. None of them were connected and most of them by different authors, so what you got would be a different experience every time.

[Sharon]

Fahrenheit 451 . I loved it.

[[deleted user]]

Anne McCaffrey, Dragons song (and Dragons singer). Excellent books. Still love them.

[Lanie]

When I was elemenatary school age it was Sweet Valley High and The Babysitter's Club. My own daughter reads them now because my mom kept them all.

When I was probably 15 or so I started reading real romance. I realize that I was probably too young for it then, but I remember reading Kathleen Woodiwiss' Ashes in the Wind when I was that age. I've been hooked on romance ever since.

[Anika]

It was the Twilight Sage by S Meyer. I watched the movie first in 2008 and then I heard they were based upon books so I brought them and became hooked on reading. That was four years ago and I have read over 300 books since.

[Angela~twistedmind~]

The first books I remember really getting serious about were the Chronicals of Narnia series books. I also loved the Sweet Valley High series and VC Andrews books. I was about 10 and I've been devouring everything I can get my hands on ever since.

[P.A.]

These were the books I was addicted to as a young pre teen. and then later in my early teens I became addicted to

[Leslee]

When I was about 13 I snuck the book Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber from my mom's nightstand. I used to lay in bed at night under my covers with a flashlight and scare myself to death. After that, Sweet Valley High books didn't really do it for me. They didn't have a great selection of YA books like they do now.

[Pat aka Tygyr]

Nancy Drew books hooked me. I read them over and over. I also read every book in our elementary school library. By 8th grade my parents were sharing novels that they enjoyed with me. Some early novels I enjoyed - Green Mansions and the 3 Faces of Eve. Though I read Frankenstein and Dracula in College, it was reading Twilight with my granddaughter that hooked me on PNR. Now I just can't seem to get enough.

[Wan]

I grew up in Thailand and Japanese anime "Candy Candy" was really big thing. I think I got hooked on reading before that but don't remember the first book or series but this one really giving me lasting impression.


I really love this picture & have to post it. (childhood memory)

[Kit]

The first real series I read was probably Animorphs. Those got me obsessed with syfy/fantasy.

[Amy]

Amanda wrote: "The first real series I read was probably Animorphs. Those got me obsessed with syfy/fantasy."

Omg someone else knows what it is!! lol I re-reading them as we speak. Love it. Damn that ending, though

[Kate]

Amy wrote: "Amanda wrote: "The first real series I read was probably Animorphs. Those got me obsessed with syfy/fantasy."

Omg someone else knows what it is!! lol I re-reading them as we speak. Love it. Damn t..."

I loved Animorphs too. I used to have nightmares that the Yurks would invade my house whilst I was sleeping and insert one of their slug like bodies into my brain...

[Nepeta]

Edgar Allan Poe got me into reading, and Cthullu (Or, Fluthullu as me and my best friend call him)

:D

Yes, I am a huge E.A. Poe fan

[Olivia]

The Harry Potter series but before that I read random YA novels... I think it would be the books by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes too

[Jenny]

I've always read, but what really made me into the reader I am today, there are several of them.
The Hobbitt & Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.
And Raise the Titanic by Clive Cussler, I borrowed (stole) my olders brothers copy, I was much to young to be reading it at the time, but I was crazy about everything to do with the Titanic at the time and wanted to read it. Loved it and went on to devour all kinds of books after that.
I can also remember two books I had to read in elementary school. One was called Banner in the Sky, it was about a young boy and climbing a mountain in Switzerland and another one called, (I'm not sure I'm remembering the name correctly) Witches Bridge, I've tried to find it several times since then, because I can remember reading a number of times in school and loving it. It was more of mystery, but I haven't had any luck finding it. I'm sure it wasn't nearly as good as I remember in my head, but I'm sure it was headed me into reading PNR and UF. I can always remember being crazy about anything paranormal when it came to reading.
I think I've tried most of the different genre's out there, but when I was younger they didn't have Sweet Valley High or things like that. For me it was Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden(I think that was her name) but I was more interested in the Hardy Boys they seemed like they had more fun.
by the time I was in High School I was reading mostly adult fiction because the other stuff was too boring. Drove (and at times still does) my Mum nuts.

[Christina]

I grew up with a learning disability, so I refused to look at books as anything but work until I was in my teens. I was given this book but a person I really respected when I was 16. When I read it, it was the first time I truly understood why reading was so amazing.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Jenny--you must be my long lost twin. lol My Mum too found my reading tastes weird. But she usually just shrugged in bafflement and told my Dad, "Well at least she's READING."

[Angelia]

The mortal instruments was the book that started my reading addiction and it started with a bet with my sister. She told me it was the best book ever , i said it would be a crap book, so we made a bet and i read it and loved it and owed her $20.

[[deleted user]]

Harry Potter, after I watched the first film :o)

[Lea]

Once I learned about Nancy Drew when I was younger, I began to fly through books ten times faster!

[Kyle,]

I read the entire Darren Shan Vampire Saga when I was a kid and absolutely loved them. They got me into the stories.
Then, when I was in my early teens, I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. He made me fall in love with words.

It still completely baffles me how few people have read Zusak. To me, The Book Thief is still the most charming, emotional and fascinating book I've ever read.

[Ternelljade]

I don't even remember, I got into reading at a really early age, like maybe 6 or 7...My mother read to me and I think that helped, because she was such an expressive reader. I can't even remember one of the first books she read to me...A Little Golden Book maybe or Green Eggs and Ham or something. I think the first one I actually chose was The Lonely Doll or something like that...

[NayNay]

I would say Nancy Drew series and the The Valley High series.

[Bookwyrm]

I've always read though it was a bit sporadic until I was about 11. My parents both read so there were always lots of books around the house. One day a neighbor friend was looking through my mom's bookcase and came across 3 historical romances. My mom read contemporary type and horror mostly and didn't have a clue what those were doing there. To this day we have no idea who put those books there, but I'm thankful for however they got there. The books were Love Cherish Me by Rebecca Brandewyne, A Pirate's Love and So Speaks The Heart by Johanna Lindsey. My neighbor friend read them first, and after I got my hands on them it really kicked off my reading. I will always love those three books for beginning my beloved obsession :)

[Ann has a dirty mouth]

Please don't laugh but when I was young I was obsessed with this book:

I blame it for both my love of reading and my love of playing extremely elaborate practical jokes on my husband.

[Katie]

When I was a kid, I just read everything I could. Series like Babysitter's Club or Sweet Valley High, and Basil of Baker Street was a favorite too.

I quit reading for a while, probably because I always had so much reading to do for my classes & that sucked the fun out of reading for enjoyment.

Then, I read Harry Potter. My mom is a big reader and tried for years to get me to read, and it finally worked with that one. Since, I've borrowed and read a bunch of her books and loved them, and now I read all kinds of things.

[Robin]

One of the first books I can remember reading was The Giving Tree. I started reading at a very early age, and have just NEVER grown tired of it. :) GIMME MORE! GIMME MORE!! :)

[Morgan]

Harry potter when I was in elementry school then when i got to high school The truth about elissa got me started into romance novels Iv been reading nonstop since.

[juuree]

Well, when I was younger, it was probably the joy of reading when I had to read for our AR program. Then, I eventually stopped when I discovered computers and web design.

Now that I've started back up, I know exactly which book was the cause: The Hunger Games

[PepperP0t]

it seems I've always read and the habit gets more & more addictive with every book I read. I really have no idea what the first book was.

[Amy]

The first book that i ever read to really get me hooked was "THE GIVER" i loved this book and still read it today.

[[deleted user]]

Elementary School... Laura Ingalls Wilder, Litte House Books. Not only did I begin to read all the time, but I became more interested in series books.

[Amber]

I started reading when I was 3, so I had alot of peter rabbit and disney books. What I most remember loving to read and sneaking them and borrowing from the library and not getting enough of was horror books by R.L.Stine. I didn't necessarily care for Goosebumps, but I loved Fear Street. Apparently as a kid for me if I wasn't scared it wasn't fun lol After that I too read the Animorphs and BSC, A wrinkle in time and books by david eddings. I've always been known as the bookworm in my family, and now that I'm a mother I read baby books to my daughter (she's 1) sometimes to get her to fall asleep I read out of my textbooks for school lol and read her out of my books too. I want her to get a good mix so she can have an idea of whats out there, and what she likes and doesn't like.

[Martin]

I hate to say it, but I think the first book I read that wasn't a picture book was Dragons Of Autumn Twilight. At the time, I thought it was awesome--not until I attempted to reread it in high school did I realize how painfully bad it was.