Personal reading history

Reading has always been one of my favorite hobbies both for learning and pleasure. One thing that is amazing about books is their ability to take the reader into new worlds and allow them to experience adventures they would never imagine on their own. I believe those things we read as children shape who we become as adults. From the earliest days of reading all the way through to college, I have used reading as a tool to help me relax as well as give me new things to think about. My reading adventure continues to be just as much fun as when it first began.

                

Memories of my oldest sister reading to me are some of my earliest and fondest. She would hold me in her lap and read to me from the latest favorite story book. I remember when she wrote my name down in the inside cover how good it made me feel to be the owner of that book. She taught me how to read along with the education I received from school.  In the school I attended we had reading centers which allowed the students the chance to go and spend some time in books. One option for students was a read along cassette tape player, for those students who wanted to follow along in the book. I enjoyed those as well as sitting alone reading in a good book. I always had a new book from the reading list to work with and enjoyed it greatly. Every morning I would start out the day reading portions of the Newspaper, mostly the comics section. My teachers always encouraged us to look up difficult words in the dictionary, and to start using them as new vocabulary.

                

Once I was in middle school my love for books had expanded to owning a full library of them in my bedroom as well as borrowing as many as I could. Much of what I read was involving adventures between family and friend groups. Since I have two older sisters, much of their books were on my reading list as well. I remember reading almost all of “The Babysitters Club” books. I read for fun and I read when I had to for school. I believe my enjoyment of reading books also carried over to doing well academically, as I enjoyed reading for information.  My junior high language arts teacher liked to decorate her room with a comfortable area for reading so it would feel as if you were at home enjoying your favorite book. She would read to us and have us write in a reading journal at the end of the day. We also had books to read at home which we would then write about in our journals. I still have a couple of my journals which I enjoy reading.

                

High school reading was mostly involved around school text books, which was the same for college as well. I do enjoy reading for knowledge and wisdom collecting, I even read twenty books the year before I got married as to prepare myself to be the best I could be. At the same time I make room for fictional stories as well and have continued to be the book worm I was growing up; always enjoying a new novel or story.  

               
From the earliest memories to the most recent I have always enjoyed reading. There are so many wonderful books to read, I could almost read all day every day. A lot of time if I am alone I will even read aloud just to see if I can match the mood of the books’ characters. I also enjoy using observation skills to examine what is being read and see how it can be used to teach life lessons as well. I enjoy reading for pleasure and for education, and will always push people toward a love for reading, so they will enjoy it as much as I do, and love reading.