I honestly didn’t like reading at all when I was younger! I found it difficult, and hard to focus on, and I was a very slow reader. I remember at elementary school during quiet time I would pick up a book like “The Babysitters Club” or “Goosebumps” and just pretend to read. I’d skim the writing, and flip the pages, but would never understand the story.
I did love being read to though! My mother would always read me bedtime stories from different picture books, and made sure to do it regularly. I always wanted her to read more than one, and would never fall asleep before the ending.
My love of reading probably started when I got my first library card! I now had the freedom to explore the huge building with its many bookshelves, read at my own pace, and pick out all the topics that interested me. I would literally check out as many as I could, and made sure to read them all before I had to return them!
Over time it was less about books with pictures in them and more about what was written. (Though I still have a special place in my heart for children’s stories)
I also read a lot of Archie comic books growing up too. heh.
But it was back during our family trip to Europe, which during it had launched me into reading more novels. We were staying in a castle in Germany and I picked up a book from the library room that was surprisingly in english. They had a pile of books that you could choose from and take. I hadn’t brought anything with me to entertain myself on our trip besides my writing journal, so it gave me something to do before bed. I became so engrossed in the story, and I remember every time before I went to sleep I’d enter this amazing new world. I just had to find out what happened next, and I hated putting the book down. I finished it quite quickly, and I remember being sad when it was over because I had enjoyed reading it so much.
My passion for books has grown greatly, the more I read, the more I want to read, and the more diverse my interest and reading gets. I love diving into a world that’s not my own, and learning about new things, and different characters. I lose myself in books, and each book seems to have a different take on life, which I feel gives me new empathy towards a variety of people and situations, past or present. I gain new experiences through reading, and I now read not just for entertainment but for insight.
My curiosity has grabbed ahold of me and I now have a new appreciation for a writer’s style and choice of words, how things are written, as well as why a person chooses to write a certain story.
I can say that the best feeling is when I read a book that I end up loving, a story that touches me and stays with me forever! One that I will want to re-read in the future and recommend to others 🙂
So that’s my reading experience. How did your love of reading start? Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear your story!
Much love,
Shantel ♡
Unraveling Literature ♥ 