As a child, I was not much of a reader. I
dare say, if you had asked me back then, I would have told you that I hated to
read. But today, what is clear is that I never really had a chance to love
books.
My parents
never took me to the library. I remember coming home from school and telling my
mother that I had a book report assignment. She walked over to the mantel and
pulled one of her books down for me: A biography of Johnny Cash. The next year
it was a dictionary-sized tome: the autobiography of Norma Zimmer (of Lawrence Welk Show fame.) Is it any wonder I had no interest in reading?
"There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them."
Ray Bradbury
Surprise, surprise, I didn’t finish either
of those books. But my mother told me that was okay. I could write a report
using just the information from the front flap and back cover. I kid you not.
It wasn’t until I was a mother myself,
taking my own children, daily, to the library, that I really discovered what books had
to offer. And then I began devouring them.
"Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him." Maya Angelou
Maybe that sense of what I missed out on is why I read so much MG and YA
now. I am making up for lost time. And with so many amazing books to choose
from, who can blame me?
I’m in the midst of a bit of a reading
lull at the moment. But that hasn’t kept me from adding to my TBR pile. I
picked up Linda Urban’s The Center of Everything last week, as well as AnnStampler’s Where it Began. And when the time is right, I am sure that I will
devour them too.
What are you reading?
It seems very sad to me that you didn't have a library in your shcool. Even at the youngest ages we had a 'book shelf' that we could borrow from and were allowed to take books home to read. I can't imagine how my childhood would have been without books. I'm glad you found reading eventually.
ReplyDeleteMy mother was very big on reading and taught me to love books. I'm sure my desire to be published could be traced back to her.
ReplyDeleteOur upbringings could not have been more different, Ruth. I grew up in a home that overflowed with literature and parents who revered good books. But look at us both now, sisters-in-crime as adults devouring kid-lit, and writing for younger readers.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think we are who we are not only because of our parents (granted) but also because of whom they weren’t.
I just finished reading The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbet. Very good! Reading now a book about a kid, but not written for kids- The Soloist by Mark Salzman.
So glad you're passing on the love of stories to your kids. It's such an important gift.
ReplyDeleteI did read a lot growing up but have found there are many great ones I missed. My daughter and I are currently reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH aloud.
Hello there, Ruth! Although I grew up being a bookworm, it was due in big part to my grandmother. She instilled a love of literature in me at a young age. My childhood was not idyllic, so books were a means of escape for me. Thanks for the heartfelt post, dear friend.
ReplyDeleteI'm in between books, but that means I get to choose something from my teetering to read pile!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad (but powerful!) story, especially from someone who loves books. My heart aches for little you! But I'm so glad you discovered your passion for reading eventually. Enjoy making up for lost time!
ReplyDeleteWow, Ruth, that's awful that you had to write book reports on those books. How intimidating! I wasn't a bookworm as a kid, but enjoyed reading now and then. I'm glad it's all worked out beautifully for you. You're a good mom!
ReplyDeleteSorry about that, Ruth. :(
ReplyDeleteRight now, I am going to start Maeve Binchy's last novel, "A Week in Winter," which I am very much looking forward to reading.
I am glad you are making up for lost time! I am sorry you weren't taken to a library as a child and that the material available to you was lacking. :( At least now you can pick books that are amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteI am finishing up Three Times Lucky tonight!
~Jess
Personally I am reading books on music theory, which would be liable, I think, to cause almost any child to abandon the pursuit of reading. It's a good thing that I am first taking to the whole music theory thing as an adult. But I think the results will be worth listening to. For the people who do listen, few as they may turn out to be.
ReplyDeleteNever too late, indeed, Ruth! One of the best things my parents did was to take my sisters and me to the library when we were very young. I stopped reading when I got to around 9-12 though, because the pictures were gone and there was too much text in almost every book. I had a reading difficulty I never knew about. But R.L. Stine's Fear Street series brought me back. And I've been going on strong ever since (of course, much stronger these few years since I began writing). Maybe I'm making up for lost time, too, like you. Hence the PB-MG novels I'm devouring. Currently reading 'My Louisiana Sky.'
ReplyDeleteMy grandson is devouring a series "How to train your dragon", and his father was so upset that he was returning them to the school library too quickly that he bought a set from Amazon so he could read them too. This is my 41 yr old son who hardly ever read a book. Never too late indeed!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were finally able to nurture a love of reading. I didn't go to the library much as a kid, but my parents indulged me when I brought home book orders and wanted to join book clubs.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to read two books at the same time now (which never really works well for me): The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason and The True Secret of Writing by Natalie Goldberg.
I was fortunate because my father, who never owned more than half a dozen books himself, was a lifelong library habitue. He always had a couple of books on the go, so I guess I picked up something of the habit.
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm re-reading "The Shiny Night" by Beatrice Tunstall. It's an undeservedly out-of-print novel published in the 1930s and set in Cheshire during the reign of Queen Victoria.
My Mom encouraged my sisters and me to read. She was a schoolteacher, and I'm thinking she saw the value in it. She always told me too, that she wanted us girls to learn to think and have common sense. I'm thinking that came from her years as a teacher too. :)
ReplyDeleteCurrently I'm reading The Moses Conspiracy by Susan Reinhardt, along with Ann Gabhart's Scent of Lilacs. I have a half dozen (at least) books on writing that I've started too, and a copy of Jody Hedlund's newest waiting patiently to be read and reviewed. That'll all keep me busy for a while! :)
I read a heap of books over the break. It was nice to take some time off of writing and actually have time to read.
ReplyDeleteWe all come to reading and writing in different ways. You've arrived, so that's what's important.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm glad you found books as a mom! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's never too late for anyone to develop a love for reading. I just started on The Book Thief- it's a long book, but I'm liking what I see so far.
ReplyDeleteRuth, that is amazing! I got tears in my eyes. The women in my family love to read. My mother was constantly reading, her mother and sisters, too. My cousin Denise and I are always talking about the books we're reading. It's wonderful that you have provided a different experience for your children.
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