Four sisters…four very different paths to falling in love with reading. Just like every story is unique, so are we. Below we share our own stories about the books that hit us hard, ones that encouraged us to keep reading and truly fall in love with the written word, whatever form it takes.
Katie:
When I think of which books made me fall in love with reading, the first books I think of are “the Little House on the Prairie” books. I had so many series of books that I loved as a child, but this was my first and still one of my favorites. What I love about them is that they take you to a different time and teach you things about how people lived in the past, but so much of the feelings, relationships and what Laura goes through still feels relatable. To this day, my favorite books (and movies, tv shows, etc.) are the ones that immerse you in the experience and make you feel all the emotions. Happiness, sadness, disappointment, fright, excitement, surprise, laughter, etc. If I get engulfed and feel most or all of those while reading one book, I consider that to be a great book. I love that feeling of being transported emotionally into someone else’s experience. “The Little House on the Prairie” series was a great introduction for me to that kind of book.
Jessie:
When I was younger, you couldn’t pay me to sit and read. I was a social butterfly who didn’t have time for that nonsense. My parents bought me dozens of books to peak my literary interests, to no avail. I would start a book and get bored by the fifth page. However, I did enjoy it when my parents would read to us. I think fondly of the Nancy Drew hours at our family lake cabin. I can still picture us all cozied up with afghans in the living room and the space heater on! At some point, I did get into the “Goosebumps” books. (I might need to do some eye-rolling of my own at this, lol). Eventually, this led me to books such as Frankenstein and Dracula. I’m an October baby and have a love for all things scary!
I’d say high school is when I really learned to love reading. I absolutely loved learning about ancient history and the myths and legends that went with it. (Just to be clear, I don’t remember the history part…just the fun myths and legends!) In Literature class we read Homer’s, “The Odyssey” and it hooked me, big time. I loved the storytelling, adventure and romance. I started to seek out other mythology and books of legends. “The Mists of Avalon” by Marion Zimmer Bradley was by far one of my favorites. It tells the tale of the Arthurian legend through the eyes of the women who wielded power from behind the throne. I loved “Helen of Troy” by Philippa Gregory and all her novels about The Plantagenet and Tudor families, such as “The Other Boleyn Girl.” I could go on and on about all the books I love. To sum it all up, I didn’t like to read. That is, until I did. Now, I can read a good book in a day or two. This is also why I can’t start a book until I’m really available. Once I start, I can’t stop. I have to know what happens, and I need to know, NOW!
Duckie:
My initial thought here was “Pride and Prejudice” is the book that made me really love reading. I bought it at a Scholastic Book Fair in the sixth grade. Remember those? Ugh, I still get a giddy feeling about those book fairs. (And I still have that copy of “Pride and Prejudice.”) But, as my very wise sisters pointed out…if I’m reading “Pride and Prejudice” in the sixth grade…I’m probably already pretty into reading. Fair point.
I devoured “The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids.” And “Animorphs” was really popular when I was in fifth grade. But for me, the series that made me love reading is the “Dear America” series. Honestly, I haven’t thought about these books in years. And I even had to google it to figure out the series name. But as soon as I saw some of those covers a sense of comfort and joy fell over me. I remember how I felt when I first read them. There was anticipation and longing and love. These books, written in diary form, are written from the perspective of young girls during different historical points in America. I wanted to be these girls. I thought about them long after I finished their pages.
The books were a very early introduction to historical fiction, a genre I’ve loved since. I can’t say that I read even close to all of them, probably 10 to 12 out of 36. But, honestly, I would love to get my hands on a few now to revisit and I am definitely going to encourage my niece to read them. I want her to fall in love as hard as I have.
Kellie:
My adventure with reading can be summed up with a “Pride and Prejudice” quote: “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It was too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun. ”
So here is my best shot: there are the children’s books “Jester Has Lost His Jingle” and “the Biscuit Books.” Then “The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids” books were fun and easy books even for a slow reader. The Jane Austen books were a big part of my reading adventure because we had them all on tape. Jackie also talked me into letting her read me the first three “Harry Potter” books and eventually I loved that.
I think the book that stole my whole heart and plunged me into the deep end of reading was “The Princess Bride.” I loved the movie but I think the book is better! William Goldman, the author of the book, is the one who wrote the screenplay. For me the movie was the skim milk version of the book. We understood everyone more in the book. I’m sad to say the audiobook on Audible is a skim version as well. It does not go into depth. Which makes me a little sad, since it does not say it is an abridged version, but it definitely is. We get none of the author’s backstory and insight. The light that was shown on Fezzik and Inigo in the book was dim and barely there in the audiobook! That book had it all: a history lesson, love, betrayal and adventure!
Kathy:
Oh my!! What “one” book made for a love of reading? Impossible!! So many possibilities and phases of life to think of when recollecting past reads!
In childhood, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie” series comes to mind, but the “Happy Hollisters” series was probably my favorite. We’d get them in the mail and devour them!! I’m now going to have to Google them to remind myself of all the adventures!!
The books “Christy” by Catherine Marshall and “Switch Blade” by David Wilkerson were eye opening books about cultures far different from my Midwest roots that showed me that there was much more world out there to explore. In trying to recollect teenage titles, I think that genre of book stands out much more than individual titles. I read “classics” that gave me insight to reading, but truly loved romantic fiction more than anything.
When I started reading to my kids, the book “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch is my all time favorite, but truly, authors come to mind more than titles or genres. Roald Dahl, Eric Carle, R.L. Stine, and Carolyn Keene to name a few! Then of course, as the girls grew older and into more sophisticated reading, those books added to MY love of reading, because they added to THEIR love of reading.
Now, I’d say mystery/thrillers are the new genre which I read most. “The List” by Steve Martini and “The Winner” by David Baldacci got me hooked! As book clubs became popular, I’ve expanded to read books that I normally wouldn’t, which is a good thing! I’ve gotten some new favorites! “The Glass Kitchen” by Linda Francis Lee, “Delicious” by Ruth Reichl, and the “Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah come to mind. I view reading as an ongoing love affair, as you grow and change the type of books you love grow and change with you.