Women Who Love Books Too Much discussion
reading as an addiction
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well when i was in school i only liked to read when i wanted to read. but it was when i started college when the addiction started.
I think I have to give my mom the credit she is so wonderfulShe home schooled us making reading fun and optional always there with a good book recommendation and a house full of books.
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At night, he would tuck us in and read "Tom Sawyer" or "Huckleberry Finn" to us. I felt SO guilty if I fell asleep while he was reading, because I really didn't want to hurt his feelings. But of course, his intention was for us to sleep, not to carry on an intellectual discussion of Mark Twain.
My mother went to the library weekly and always checked out 10 or 12 books of her own. She would take FOREVER to pick out her books. And she would read almost all of them during the week. Interestingly enough, when I was a young virginal teenager, she would drop books in my lap -- any book that at first blush seemed good for a young teenager. My education (in sex), merely from reading those books, was astounding. (I don't think that she knew what kind of books she was handing me.) It's kinda funny now. Of course I never told her. Again with the puking up of a lung.
Her example of reading, CONSTANT reading (though she is a HUGE fan of Shakespeare, and I am only iffy about him) made my love for reading grow and grow. She would read her novels, I would read my Sex God books, my dad would read non-fiction and I have NO idea what my sisters read (likely cereal boxes, yes, Dianne?? Carol??)
My children and I also visited the library weekly or more often. I love children's literature, so we stayed in the children's section for hours and came home with bags full of books. The most happy part of my day as a young mom was piling with 300 books and 5 children into our big bed and reading. Also singing, if their dad came in. They are ALL readers now with the exception of my second oldest, who is in dental school and spends most of his free time sleeping.
My husband is a retired Army officer, and the bulk of our belongings in all of our moves were books. Now we are retired, though still in our 20s, our children are grown, we have 2 grandsons; still thousands of books. I came home from a weekend away and he (husband) had built shelves in the rocking chair room from floor to ceiling. As a surprise. So now it is the library (we have to say "liberry" for kicks). MY FAVORITE ROOM!!!! sigh.
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For Cathy-
Here ya go!
424875-p1-1194154686 It all started when I was probably 4 or 5. My mom would read me Bible stories before bed. Then she moved in on reading me the classics, but the real version not the Disney watered down version. Needless to say Pinocchio scared the snot out of me as a little kid as did some of the other classic Children's bedtime stories/fairy tales.
By about the second grade I got to the point where I could read on my own and it was LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT! At this age I was going through my Little House on the Prairie phase. Once Laura grew up it got boring. And yes, my grandmother did make me Little House dresses with the pinafore!
The schools I attended in elementary the teachers always read us wonderful books. Some of the ones I remember fondly are:
The Great Gilly Hopkins
The BFG
The Peppermint Gang
The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
Bridge to Terrabithia
Junior high and high school I was well known for having my nose in a book when I had a free moment. I constantly was going to the library and getting as many books as possible to tide me over for the summer.
The weird thing is though when it came to birthdays or holidays for some reason people would STILL ask what I wanted...umm hello..if you know me you know I love to read...that simple stupid! :)
Here ya go!
424875-p1-1194154686 It all started when I was probably 4 or 5. My mom would read me Bible stories before bed. Then she moved in on reading me the classics, but the real version not the Disney watered down version. Needless to say Pinocchio scared the snot out of me as a little kid as did some of the other classic Children's bedtime stories/fairy tales.
By about the second grade I got to the point where I could read on my own and it was LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT! At this age I was going through my Little House on the Prairie phase. Once Laura grew up it got boring. And yes, my grandmother did make me Little House dresses with the pinafore!
The schools I attended in elementary the teachers always read us wonderful books. Some of the ones I remember fondly are:
The Great Gilly Hopkins
The BFG
The Peppermint Gang
The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
Bridge to Terrabithia
Junior high and high school I was well known for having my nose in a book when I had a free moment. I constantly was going to the library and getting as many books as possible to tide me over for the summer.
The weird thing is though when it came to birthdays or holidays for some reason people would STILL ask what I wanted...umm hello..if you know me you know I love to read...that simple stupid! :)
WOW Cathy a long post is a good thing not a bad thing:) Your family sounds amazing!!! I have reposted my other post in the group per your request since you liked it so much.
reading started early for me but then faded..Until i got the worst desk job on earth for a summer intership and them reading became my lifesaver! Nora Roberts was my first romance and then fergie and diana life stories. Now i can't stop, next i want to read the golden compasscheers
Oh and Cathy, I so covet your library!!!!
I wrote a story about my reading addiction when I was in college for a Creative Writing workshop many, many eons ago. I've edited it over the years to incorporate what has happened in my life. You can find it here: http://littleacre.typepad.com/about.html
My earliest memory of reading is that my father was always in the middle of a book. He never pushed reading on me, but I guess watching him enjoy it so much made me want to be just like him. Anyway, when I was 5, I decided I wanted to read a book with chapters. So I picked up his copy of The Hunt for Red October and read about 6 pages before I got bored. After that my dad gave me a child's version of Sherlock Holmes stories, and I haven't looked back since.
To this day, I find it extremely interesting that my dad was never the parent to discipline me for reading books when I was supposed to be doing something else. It was always my mom who had to yell at me for reading books in bed when I was supposed to be getting ready for school or doing my homework. And when I was grounded and not allowed to leave the house AT ALL in high school, I could always con my dad into going to the library or the bookstore. The irony of this is that my mom has a doctorate in education and is a strong advocate of early childhood literacy. She's also my biggest role model in both my personal and professional life. Hmmm.
This is a really interesting thread and having read everyone's posts really got me thinking.Many seem to have been encouraged by parents.
My experience was so different.I came to live
with a blended family at 6 years old.I didn't always fit in or feel connected but when I
read I could almost always connect with the character.The first book I connected with in
this way was Anne of Green Gables.Even now I
need to connect with the character or I can't
enjoy the book.
I can’t remember when I started reading or feel in love with it. I think I always have loved reading. I know the important people in my life all read and were great examples. I also remember that books were treasures and you treat them that way. Here are some memories I have about books.
I remember being little and listening to those Disney books on tape and following along turning the page when the bell dinged.
In the 1st grade my teacher had a little library for his class and felt so important when it was my turn to be the "librarian".
I discovered the Boxcar Children in the 2nd grade. Boy did I think those kids were lucky
In the 3rd grade I discovered Judy Blume and those books were you could chose what happened.
I remember my first Library card and the book I checked out was Little House in the Big Woods. It was at that time the most exciting thing to happen to me.
I know the first book I ever bought for myself was Little Women I was in the 5th grade and I was so proud that I had saved up enough money to buy it. I still have that book.
I remember reading my 1st Nancy Drew book The Secret at the Old Clock Tower. Followed by the Hardy Boys The House on the Cliff. This created a life long love affair with mysteries and suspense books.
With Jr. High came romance novels. I would go to all the garage sale and buy all the trash books. If my mother was aware of what I was really reading then she would have been shocked. Jr.High also brought books like Less than Zero and Interview with a Vampire. Followed closely by Dean Koontz.
The classics did not become part of my life until high school. It was disguised as a college bound students reading list. I learned that Shakespeare was poetry and those Bronte sisters could pull at any teenage girl’s heart strings. (Seriously what is better at 14 then the story of Heathcliff and Catherine)? By senior year I had moved on to Hemingway (I liked those sad stories didn’t I) and Bram Stroker Dracula. I read War and Peace at 15 and hated it. I plan to reread it to see if I feel the same.
In college time was limited and being a science major I was spending more time in labs than out. I still bought books randomly whenever I found something that got my attention.
Life after college. Well now I read most anything I can find. I still own every book I have ever bought. And I have been known to get rid of furniture to have more space for books.
I LOVED the Disney books on tape (and record). I still have mine from when I was little (thanks, mom!) and we use them a lot for our afternoon story in my classroom. My class will actually pay more attention to the taped stories, probably because it's more consistent than a live human voice reeading a story they have already heard.
I was not a reader as a child. I read only when I needed too. I liked Nancy Drew stuff like that. Maybe it was because I was a television baby. When my children were born I started reading to them and it also seemed to start a desire in me to start reading something other than children's books. When they got older and started doing their own things I really got the reading bug. I now read at least 1 book a week sometimes more than that. I don't go a day without reading something. Now I don't understand why I didn't enjoy it as a child.
Seventh grade was when I started to like reading. I kept turing in book reports from the Flowers in the Attic series until my teacher said "no more!" She handed me White Fang and Call of the Wild. That is when I realized I could love books but due to some reading disorder which causes me to read painfully slow, it wasn't until I was out of school and not forced to read at a certain pace that I learned to actually find reading relaxing and enjoyable. So thanks Mrs Baird, if you are out there!
I remember being read to as a child. I really wanted to go to school so I could read everything myself. Guess I didn't trust my brothers to tell me the real story. Got my first library card at 6 and I was on my way. Read everything in the children's section and moved on to the adult section about 10. I will read anything, even cereal boxes.
My other addiction is knitting and with audio books I can now do both at the same time. Life is so good!
I think my addiction started as a child. The first book I remember reading was Is My Sister Dying by Alida E. Young. The story deals with a sister who is dying from cancer. I think I concected with the story because around the same time my mom was battling breast cancer. After that book, Young became my favorite author. I read many more of her books after that. Sadly my passion for reading had ended. I believe it was the summer of 2005. I worked as a cashier at a local car wash. During the week we were always slow, which made my 5.5 hour shift seem like a 10 hour one. I decided to finish a book I had recently started a few months back. That's when the addiction started. Not only did my love for books come alive again, but they also helped pass the time during those slow days at work.
Now you can find me with a book in my purse almost always. I try to never leave the house without one. Also, once a month a volunteer for Reading To Kids in hopes to spread the love to the kids.
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Anyway, I loved your post! Thanks.
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What are my earliest memories of reading from my childhood? I remember my older brother ordering books from his school book club (He was in Kindergarten so I of course could not yet read.) But my Mother at my insistence still ordered me my 2 dearest books which I still can recall....Clifford the Big Red Dog...and The Brown Bear. I believe my brother read to me (or tried to!)....Also my mother had a wonderful storytelling gift and if we asked very hard she would invent her own bedtime stories!!Also, our family had daily (nightly) devotionals with reading of bible scriptures. As soon as I could read I had to participate (This was not a happy memory actually...but I believe I learned Middle English aka Old English from those King James Version bibles)
Soon I came across my favorites....Pippie Longstocking....To Kill a Mockingbird....Girl of the Limberlost....Pollyanna....Call of the Wild and anything treks or adventure (or by author Richard Kjelgaard), quite a long list actually but no real classics as I recall. Also The Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew (I remember my mother asking me and buying me Nancy Drew mysteries)...then The Red Badge of Courage, When the Legends Die (required reading), etc etc.
Also loved looking at the encyclopedia (before I could read). I have a strong memory of this!
ANYWAY, I read her comments for another group and it was SO ENLIGHTENING (is that how you spell that?? my english professor mom would cough up her liver if it is misspelled -- this no capitalizing just about kills her.)
ANYWAY Heather told about her early memories with books. WONDERFUL POST (which you should post here also).
SO tell me about your earliest memories with reading. Why do you think that you are such an avid reader?
One, two, three, GO!!!