Day 3 - Read

Some facts about Me + Books

[One] At the age of three, my mom found me in my room reading my favorite Winnie-the-Pooh book to myself. She was amazed! Until she realized I had only memorized the words and when to turn the page because she read it to me so often. But she knew then that I was ready to start reading for real.

[Two] In kindergarten, I would be taken to a special reading group during reading time because my reading level was above that of my classmates. I was reading first and second grade books already.

[Three] In elementary school, once or twice a year we would get order form for a selection of books that we could purchase. I loved getting it and pouring over all the books we had to choose from. Eventually I would decide on a few and mom would order them for me. The greatest day of the year for me was the day when the books arrived. Oh, how I loved new books! I would put them carefully in my backpack and at the end of the day, race home and open one and start reading it. My mom never said no when I brought the book order form home and I love her for that. I think one of the greatest things she ever did for me was encourage my love for reading.

[Four] In Jr. High, I spent many Saturdays at the library, gathering more books for me to read during the week. I would literally carry a stack of books out. And the next week, I carried them back in, returned them and got a new stack. This was how I survived Jr. High. I stuck my nose in a book and ignored all the mean people around me. I know they said mean things about me, but it didn’t matter to me. My books were my safe place.

[Five] Strangely, despite my love for reading, I hated writing book reports. Even when they let us pick any book we wanted, I still dreaded writing about it. There was just something about knowing I had to turn in a summary about what I read for a grade that just sapped the joy of reading for me. Suddenly, it was a chore and I read much slower than I normally would.

[Six] Books made travelling so much easier for me. When I would fly back and forth between home and college, I would spend the long flight on the plane reading. It also helped fill the time between flights when I was just sitting in the airport surrounded by strangers. When I was younger, I would also read during our long car rides to whatever family vacation my parents dragged me on. I loved being able to turn on my Walkman and open my book and be lost in another world until we reached our destination. I can’t do that anymore; now I get car sick if I try to read while someone is driving. I still take my book with me for downtime, but I miss the days when I could make the car ride feel shorter by losing myself in my book.

[Seven] These days I mostly read on my kindle. I didn’t think I wanted one because I love the feel and smell of an actual book, but when my mom gave one to me for Christmas, I discovered a whole new world was opened up to me. Within my kindle, I have a whole library of stories to choose from. No more lugging around several books (in case I finished one and needed to start a new one). No more waiting for a week for my new book to arrive in the mail. No more worrying about losing my place if my bookmark gets misplaced. My kindle cured all that. Now it is my constant companion, always with me because even if I forget it at home, I can still pull my book up on my phone, so I’m literally NEVER without a book to read. I miss the feel of physically turning a page, but I love the convince of my kindle.

[Eight] I read pretty much whenever I’m not actively doing something else: during my lunch break, while I’m walking to my car or down the hall, when I’m waiting in line, when I’m waiting for someone, when I need to wind down after work, when I’m bored with whatever TV show is on, just before going to bed at night, when I wake up on a Saturday but I’m not quite ready to start my day, and pretty much any other time I’m not doing something that requires me to pay attention. In other words, I never have idle time because I’m always reading.

[Nine] I’ve always dreamed of having a library in my home. A room filled with shelves and shelves of books just waiting to be opened and read. But as each move has given me less space instead of more, I’ve had to let go of that dream and accept that instead of a room filled with books and comfortable chairs, my library will be a portable device that I carry in my purse.

[Ten] My favorite books are the Harry Potter series and The Hunger Games trilogy. I read those books at least once a year because I love them so much and I never get tired of reading them.

[Eleven] I love YA Literature. I will almost always choose it over another genre. Other genres I enjoy are mysteries, chick lit, and psychological thrillers. I like stories about dogs, but I’m selective of them because I have a hard time if the dog dies at the end. I prefer fiction. I’ll occasionally read some non-fiction, but more often than not I lose interest about ¾ of the way through. I like some fantasy, but mostly only if it’s in YA literature. I rarely read a book that “everyone is reading” and if I do, it’s usually after it’s become yesterday’s news.

[Twelve] I used to read to escape. I wasn’t happy as a child, so I buried myself in someone else’s life. I was miserable in Jr. High, so I lost myself in other worlds. Now I find that I read to relax and rejuvenate. I find that my day goes better in the afternoon when I get to read during my lunch break. When I’ve had a tough day at work, I find that taking some time after work to read helps relax me for the rest of the evening. I read just before going to bed to clear my mind of the day and wind down from all the technology that has amped up my brain.