As a teenager I became enamored with the written word. I can't say that I immersed myself in the classics, fell into the deep pool of obscure thought or anything along the lines of scholarly learning. I read to entertain myself.
I devoured books. Any subject that caught my eye. Any novel that intrigued me with it's tease of a synopsis. I could not get enough. I would purchase second hand books weekly at a farmer's market. Borrow them from classmates. I even looked forward to the weekly grocery shopping trip (torture for some kids) because it was across the parking lot from my favorite book haven, the library.
To this day I am still an avid reader. For me to read a book in a day is not unusual. A few hours of free time (most often sacrificing a little sleep because I have to know how it ends) and the book is done. I have read up to three in one day. And that is not an exaggeration.
My reading does go through starts and fits. I will have weeks where I want to read endlessly and others where I don't crack open a book at all. But my love of books endures.
It is that love of books and reading that I want to instill in my children. The oldest is reading above her level (and has been for a few years) which astounds her teachers as she needs help in other areas of school work. Her tastes run towards YA Fantasy (dragons and the like) to YA Paranormal (Darren Shan is one of her favorites). The youngest is also acquiring a penchant for reading. She loves going to the library and gets a kick of choosing her own books. Once a week during the summer months we try to get to the library. This time I am hoping to continue the once a week outing for the fall and winter (weather permitting) as well.
While I will read whatever tickles my fancy, I am more drawn to the paranormal/fantasy section. I always have been. (Do you think le Artiste gets her preferences from me?) Back when there was only Lois Duncan and Anne McCaffrey for me to choose from at the library. Now there is so much more out there. Urban, Sci-Fi, Vampire, Ghost, Time Time Travel. I am addicted but good.
My biggest thing is trying not to purchase many new books (as I only read them once) and am trying to get them through the online reserve system at the library. My local lets me reserve books from them and the other libraries in their "district" and have them delivered to my branch for pick-up. Then I am only tempted to purchase the new releases that they do not currently have. Since I do read a lot, the older books available tend to be ones that I have already read. But I am hoping to discover new treasures and that the library gets in more new releases. Wish me luck!
