How did you get into literature?

[Peanut]

So...real talk. The school I went to from K-1 was...pretty abhorrent. I can't recall ever even being handed a book or suggested to read at that age at school. My mom read to me and taught me to read at that age, but I never got out of simple reading in grade 1, which is absolutely f*cking ridiculous. I can recall having "reading buddies" in Grade 1, who were two much older girls who spent their time with me chatting and/or pinching and kissing my cheeks, which not only meant I was learning absolutely nothing, but that my interest in reading was pretty much nonexistent.

I moved before grade 2 and it was immediately brought to the schools attention that I f*cking suuuuuucked at reading. I took a special class instead of having lunch break for the majority of that year and by the end of grade 2 I was reading books meant for much higher reading levels. By grade 3 I was reading high school material and from then on I was just always way into reading.

I obviously read a lot more nonsense fantasy/sci-fi when I was younger, which is something I grew out of in high school, but I do still have a soft spot for semi-trashy fantasy literature like the RA Salvatore Drizzt stuff and Dragonlance, despite not reading any of it for a decade. That said, I find it hard to get into a lot of books people seem to love, even if I can tell it's well written and potentially interesting.

I've read a lot less in the past several years, because my fiance is an awful sleeper who needs absolute darkness and silence to sleep and she always goes to bed long before I can even begin to think about sleeping, so the option of going to bed and turning on a light to read without getting kicked out of the room are slim. I have an old model Kobo, which has no backlight and thus is impossible to read in the dark, so I'm thinking of investing in a Kindle to get me back into reading on a more regular basis.

[pennydreadful]

@ Marvel - wow, that sounds pretty intense. How long have you been working on it for?

If you ever want to check out any other MZB stuff, I highly recommend The Firebrand. It's a retelling of The Iliad from the perspective of Kassandra, who was the prophetess cursed to be able to see the future but never to be believed. It's a lot less fantasy-based than her other books but the protagonist is strong and likeable, rather than being written as a weak lunatic.

@ Peanut - I've got a Kindle of my own and can't say enough good things about it. I used to be one of the old-guard "It's not the same as a real book - I need to be able to smell the paper!" but really, in retrospect I was just being full of sh*t.

It's a great way to try out new books before deciding if I want to get a physical copy of them, and getting Kindle versions of stuff is a lot cheaper than buying from a bookstore as well. You can fit literally hundreds of books on them, and it's a great way to stockpile stuff for your reading list. Also an excellent way of having multiple books with you when you don't know what you're in the mood for reading.

I've got the Kindle Paperwhite, which has a backlit screen and I've found that the battery lasts quite well compared to previous models. So IMO, a Kindle is definitely a worthwhile investment, if it's something you're thinking about.

[BubblyShell22]

I've been an avid reader all my life and still read to this day. I was reading at a sixth grade level by third grade, which was amazing. One of my favorite series I used to read was The Indian in the Cupboard series as I thought it was awesome. Also loved the Sideways Stories series, too. Nowadays, I'm obsessed with the Pretty Little Liars series, mainly due to the TV show that got me interested in the books. Also love Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, too. When I was in high school I was obsessed with V.C. Andrews after having to do a book report in high school and choosing one of the books in the Orphans miniseries.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

@ Marvel - wow, that sounds pretty intense. How long have you been working on it for?

If you ever want to check out any other MZB stuff, I highly recommend The Firebrand. It's a retelling of The Iliad from the perspective of Kassandra, who was the prophetess cursed to be able to see the future but never to be believed. It's a lot less fantasy-based than her other books but the protagonist is strong and likeable, rather than being written as a weak lunatic.

@ Peanut - I've got a Kindle of my own and can't say enough good things about it. I used to be one of the old-guard "It's not the same as a real book - I need to be able to smell the paper!" but really, in retrospect I was just being full of sh*t.

It's a great way to try out new books before deciding if I want to get a physical copy of them, and getting Kindle versions of stuff is a lot cheaper than buying from a bookstore as well. You can fit literally hundreds of books on them, and it's a great way to stockpile stuff for your reading list. Also an excellent way of having multiple books with you when you don't know what you're in the mood for reading.

I've got the Kindle Paperwhite, which has a backlit screen and I've found that the battery lasts quite well compared to previous models. So IMO, a Kindle is definitely a worthwhile investment, if it's something you're thinking about.

Off and on for the last ten years or so. Believe it or not, it started as a simple backstory idea for one of my D&D NPC's, and just grew from that. I thought it would be fun to write an entire novel about him and the twins (they were also some characters I ran) and then went backward into the origin tale of both father and son. His dad is really a nasty piece of work, having murdered his two brothers and driven his sister to suicide, murdered his father, and his own wife as well. And all this was BEFORE getting cursed (actually, it's WHY he was cursed/banished). Then he takes up piracy (and slave-trading!) and builds his own fleet, makes an alliance with a bunch of other disenfranchised noble dark elf guys, and proceeds to stage a coup of their entire system of government. The kid is born later.


I also have a basic Kindle, but I think I may have to get a new one, as mine just does not want to turn on, despite having been recharged recently. I can't get into any of the books I have on it, which sucks, because I have several really good reference books on it, including the Egyptian Book of the Dead and several books on Japanese culture, mythology, and ghost stories!

[Storm Eagle]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

I wasn't huge on That Was Then, This is Now... or Rumble Fish. I thought that Tex was probably Hinton's strongest novel other than The Outsiders.

I definitely don't understand people who say books are boring - like... how can you say that? Have you read every book? I firmly believe that there's a book out there for everyone. You just have to keep trying til you find the right one that unlocks your love of reading.

I've only seen the movie Rumble Fish. I've never read the book. Tex was one of the books assigned to me for summer reading between my freshman and sophomore years of high school. I believe it was also one of the books I lent to my cousin that she lost in her house somewhere.

Some people will say that they don't have time to read. When I told someone about that, the person told me that it's because they're just busy watching TV. I watch TV too, and I have cable, and I play video games and rent movies. So I figured I'd try being more well-rounded by fitting reading into my life every now and then. Lord knows Harry Potter has kept me busy up until the seventh and final book. In fact, I only started reading that in 2002. They were only up to the fourth book at the time. I could have just only bought the first book, but I decided to go all in and buy all of the first four.

In 2005, I decided to order a Chronicles of Narnia set. I read all the books in it, and even though it seemed like a nice series, it didn't seem like a series I'd revisit. So I sold that set.

I saw a guy from England say that he was bullied simply because he liked to read. He was always seen with some sort of reading material, and his peers didn't take to that very well since most of them were either into soccer or drinking. On top of all this, he was an unwanted kid whose mother was very abusive towards him.

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

@ Peanut - I've got a Kindle of my own and can't say enough good things about it. I used to be one of the old-guard "It's not the same as a real book - I need to be able to smell the paper!" but really, in retrospect I was just being full of sh*t.

It's a great way to try out new books before deciding if I want to get a physical copy of them, and getting Kindle versions of stuff is a lot cheaper than buying from a bookstore as well. You can fit literally hundreds of books on them, and it's a great way to stockpile stuff for your reading list. Also an excellent way of having multiple books with you when you don't know what you're in the mood for reading.

I've got the Kindle Paperwhite, which has a backlit screen and I've found that the battery lasts quite well compared to previous models. So IMO, a Kindle is definitely a worthwhile investment, if it's something you're thinking about.

I still prefer to buy physical books, but I was glad to read about how you find a Kindle to be beneficial to you.

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

I've been an avid reader all my life and still read to this day. I was reading at a sixth grade level by third grade, which was amazing. One of my favorite series I used to read was The Indian in the Cupboard series as I thought it was awesome. Also loved the Sideways Stories series, too. Nowadays, I'm obsessed with the Pretty Little Liars series, mainly due to the TV show that got me interested in the books. Also love Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, too. When I was in high school I was obsessed with V.C. Andrews after having to do a book report in high school and choosing one of the books in the Orphans miniseries.

I received The Indian in the Cupboard as a gift in 1991, when I was in sixth grade. I didn't read it until 2011 though. I rented the movie that year too, but I can't remember which one I did first.

Since you enjoyed the Sideways Stories series, I thought I'd share a negative review someone gave the first book.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1NP8OK...wasThisHelpful

So yeah, the character she complains about is clearly an example of how not to be. If you teach your kids well, they'd pick up on that. My fourth grade teacher read it to our class, and I sure got the gist. I have no doubt the others did too. Some people.

[pennydreadful]

Marvel, I love the Egyptian Book of the Dead!

Another series on my list to read is Manda Scott's Boudica series; I adore anything about Boudica so I'm hoping that it doesn't disappoint.

Originally Posted by Storm Eagle

I still prefer to buy physical books, but I was glad to read about how you find a Kindle to be beneficial to you.

Yeah, if I love a book, I'll still get a physical copy - it's just a good way of saving dropping $25 on a book I haven't read before for it to turn out being crap. So much awful stuff gets published these days - especially in the paranormal genre.

And in case anyone's wondering about the $25 thing... the prices for dvds, cds and books over here are ridiculous.

[Leo656]

My Dad mostly taught me. From as early as I can remember (which is really far back) he always read to me from books of fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and Superman and Batman comics. I got really good at committing some of it to memory, and he would always laugh and brag to people how I would poke him and remind him if he skipped a part or something. I also had a TON of those book and cassette kits as a kid, the ones where you'd read along with the tape and turn the page every time it chimed a bell? I had like hundreds of them. I STILL have like 40 of the tapes and a few of the books that didn't fall apart or get given away, all in a box in storage because I can't bear to part with them. Seriously, other than watch cartoons those things were my LIFE from as far back as I could remember until pretty much Kindergarten. I had every Disney one, every comic-book based one I could find, just a ton of those things. I played them so much the tapes would wear out. Every night I'd stay up late "reading" when I was supposed to be sleeping. Actually, come to think of it... that's never changed.

So, based on all that kind of influence I was reading at a very high level by the time I started school. I don't think they ever told me because kids aren't supposed to know or whatever, but I remember just constantly hearing my parents brag to everyone who'd listen how far advanced my reading and comprehension skills were. If I had to peg it I'd say maybe I was at about a second-grade level in Kindergarten. Like at age 5 I could read a 32-page comic book cover to cover and tell you the gist of the plot, while most kids that age kind of just look at the pictures.

I definitely thank my parents for getting me that kind of head start. Turns out that's how most kids in my family learned, and even the dumb ones are strong readers, which makes me wonder why it's not some kind of enforced standard for kids across the board. I've found that some people really don't enjoy reading BUT for other people they're just not very good at it and rather than struggle, they avoid it.

As I've gotten older I've started reading more autobiographies and nonfiction. I think because I'm so deluged with fantasy with all the cartoons and video games and movies, and also with comics, that when I sit down to read a Book I'd rather it be something grounded in reality. I also have always been a big magazine guy. There is just a TON of reading material in my house. Just boxes and shelves of books and magazines every damn where. I wouldn't call it my main hobby but it's probably the thing I do most often, if that makes any sense.

And I gotta have physical books. I already stare at a screen too much and it really hurts my eyes and gives me a serious headache. I tend to read a whole book in one sitting, and taking that long of a period staring at a screen would be physically painful for me. I'd save a ton of storage space but I can't do it, literally. I get ill.

[DarkFell]

Hey Leo, did you have a Teddy Ruxpin too? Thought I'd ask since you have the read-a-long stories on tape.

In case you / anyone forgot about those animatronic talking story tape readers, here's an
image.

Not picking on anyone here that did; I had one too. That toy actually got me to like learning how to read along with Dr. Seuss.

[Leo656]

Yeah, briefly, and I loved him dearly, but being too young to know any better I carelessly left him outside one day and he got rained on. Honestly I still feel awful about it. In like 1995 my aunt got one of the newer ones that interacted with VHS tapes - one of the ones it came with, coincidentally enough, being "Planet of the Turtleloids" I believe, from the Fred Wolf TMNT series. It wasn't quite the same, though. I mean, for one thing instead of reading books to you he just talked over cartoons you were ostensibly trying to watch, and he was also smaller and sounded younger. I'unno, I liked the original better. I really wish I still had mine. I never got Grubby, either.

That's all stuff that's really high up on my "If I ever have a rich relative randomly leave me a huge inheritance/maybe I can con some old lady into leaving me everything in her will" list of Things To Do Someday.

[Don Gaddis]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

I pretty much spent the majority of my lunch hours at school in the library...

During school I was much the same. At lunch, when everyone else headed
into the cafeteria, I ventured into the library instead. And aside from a short story
that I enjoyed by Edgar Allan Poe, I agree with you about reading assignments
in school. Most of the books that we had to read were so conservative
and bland. I grew up in a very conservative, rural, religious area (Bible Belt,
as it is known here in the Southern U.S.), so in school we never really had the
opportunity to explore more adventuresome stories. Usually I never even read
the assigned book... I would just buy the CliffsNotes version that hit all of the
highlights and watch any film adaptation that was available... then I'd go online
and read about the differences between the films and the book, so as not to be
tripped up by that for a test or quiz. Anything was worth not having to read
something such as The Scarlet Letter, which I'm sure is a great book,
but it's an example of something that we were forced to read in high school
that just didn't appeal to me in any way.

My love for books began at a very young age. I loved fairy tales and still do.
Did anyone else here ever read the Serendipity books? They were very popular
during the 80s: short, beautifully illustrated children's books of the fairy tale variety
by the writer/artist combo Stephen Cosgrove and Robin James. I just read Pinocchio,
by Carlo Collodi. Boy, that was interesting (and far removed from the Disney version)!

The first truly adult book that I remember reading? Probably Dracula, by Bram Stoker.
Maybe that was my gateway book. Over the years, I've noticed that I almost always have
to stumble upon a book or discover one on my own. Whenever anyone recommends a book
or someone tries to force a book upon me, that's usually a turn off, and I'm not sure exactly
why. I almost see it as akin to someone trying to tell you what food to eat or what clothes
to wear. It doesn't work that way. Books, by their very nature, are personal and intimate-
each reader views the story from a slightly different perspective and we all have varying
tastes that don't necessarily comply. My niece forced the first Hunger Games book on me
several years ago, and it's still sitting on my nightstand unread. Speaking of, at this point
I just need to give it back to her! I know that she meant well, and I understand how
much it stinks to love a story so much, and you simply want others to love it in the same
way- only to be disappointed when they don't love it as much as you did.

Often, I'll watch a film, and if I really enjoy it, if it was adapted from a written work,
more often than not I'll read the corresponding book or short story. Other times I'll
drift through a bookstore just to see what pops out at me. Browsing through online
forums such as this is another good way to discover good stories. I'll think, oh, that
sounds cool– and then skip over to Amazon to investigate it further.

[pennydreadful]

I read the Serendipity books as well - they were great!!! I think the first one I ever read was Leo the Lop.

I also read an insane amount of Enid Blyton when I was a kid, though I'm sure some of that stuff is dated as hell now.

There's something so relaxing about a library or a bookstore - I don't know if it's the smell of the paper, or knowing that you're surrounded by a room full of old friends and new adventures just waiting to happen, where nobody can bother you... I'm always happy when I'm in a room filled with books.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Same here, and I too, love the smell of a library or book store. On a humorous note, my hubby claims it's because I'm getting high on the smell of the glue, or that they put crack or something in the ink- especially in comics!

[Don Gaddis]

Ha ha! Yes, the smell of books is definitely a warm comfort. I've always loved the
smell of the original Mirage comics too... I don't know if they were printed on the same
type of stock that newspapers were printed on, but whenever a new issue came out,
I'd open it up as if it were a treasure chest and breathe in. Sighhh. Ink. Paper. Glue.
Mmmmmm- yum! *laughing.

@ pennydreadful, I don't know if Leo the Lop was my first Serendipity book, but it was
among the first few that I fell in love with. There was one book about a three legged cat
named Fanny that I really liked, and I really enjoyed the ones that featured the unicorn...
I want to say that the unicorn's name was Morgan, but that could be wrong. Alas, it was
many years ago!

Haven't heard of Enid Blyton, but will venture over to Amazon and look the name up...

[blindturtle02]

Originally Posted by DarkFell

Hey Leo, did you have a Teddy Ruxpin too? Thought I'd ask since you have the read-a-long stories on tape.

In case you / anyone forgot about those animatronic talking story tape readers, here's an
image.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...DL._SX425_.jpg
Not picking on anyone here that did; I had one too. That toy actually got me to like learning how to read along with Dr. Seuss.

Holy crap! I had one of those. Teddy was like my security blanket whenever I'd have to go visit my wicked stepmom waaay back in the day. She hated that thing and I'm guessing it was because it comforted me. Ruxpin was undoubtedly my first venture into stories. I remember liking the old TV show too but that's a topic for the TV show thread. Oh, and the mudblups were bada$$ in both story and show.

[Storm Eagle]

Originally Posted by Don Gaddis

Haven't heard of Enid Blyton, but will venture over to Amazon and look the name up...

She's a British author. Her works probably haven't really gotten around to the US.

[pennydreadful]

Yeah, I'm not sure how well she's known in the US; she did stuff like Noddy, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Famous Five etc. Recent editions of her books have had to be revised slightly to be appropriate for modern times; given that her books were written from the 30s through to 50s, some of her wording comes off as pretty racist/sexist. Also stuff like changing characters' names from Dick and Fanny to Rick and Frannie.

[Storm Eagle]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

Yeah, I'm not sure how well she's known in the US; she did stuff like Noddy, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Famous Five etc. Recent editions of her books have had to be revised slightly to be appropriate for modern times; given that her books were written from the 30s through to 50s, some of her wording comes off as pretty racist/sexist. Also stuff like changing characters' names from Dick and Fanny to Rick and Frannie.

Come to think of it, I remember seeing a Famous Five book on thr shelf of my elementary school's library.

[discordiatookie]

There were always books around at my house. My mum's an avid reader, and I guess some of it rubbed off on me.

As a kid, I was mad for Enid Blyton (Famous Five & Secret Seven) and Roald Dahl. Then it went Goosebumps, through to Point Horror, then when I hit my teens, James Herbert. I was about 14 when I discovered Stephen King, and my mum and I would get a book each of King's (usually secondhand) and after we were done, swap over and discuss them. It was a great way of bonding.

I also read a lot of comics (still do) - back then mainly the Beano and 2000AD.

Nowadays I'm still Stephen King daft and I always have a book at hand. Right now it's Good Omens by Pratchett/Gaiman (again). If I can't afford a new book, then I just open my cupboard and grab an old one.

Also, my son (2 years old) gets a story read to him every night, complete with funny voices and actions, and he has a fair collection of books himself. Although he does normally go for the same ones again and again (and it does my heart glad to see that two've his favourites are the Chu books by Neil Gaiman )

[SophieDem]

I've been into books since my childhood. At first, in 1st grade I was not an excellent reader but slowly I improved and became good at reading. From that point, I fell in love with books. I've always been that type that likes daydreaming, being creative, have crazy ideas and often find herself in Neverland during the day. I used to borrow or steal my brother's book since he had a lot but I had very few. My grandmother and grandpa told me stories, too, and I was always eager to listen to them.
When I was 13 or 14 my mom threatened me to take away my books due to staying awake until 2am or 3am because of Eragon. And that happened not only at once.
Later, in high school it turned out I have a thing for Literature and languages and these babies become my favorite subjects. I could deepen my thoughts and examine how people felt and lived in older eras. I'm just curious about everything and anything. Sometimes it is hard to understand what a poet or writer would like to say but you can find it out if you are willing to try to look more into it.
I love history novels, fantasy books and stories that are about samurais, ninjas, ancient Japan and practically Far East. But I'm interested in a lot of stuff. Been always curious about comic books but never got them.

[senpai]

Let me just say Green Eggs and Ham changed my life.