Read, read, read.I have been a big reader since I was little. Family stories have me reading independently at four or five, but I honestly do not remember whether this is simply family exaggeration or the truth. Maybe a combination of the two. However, I was always reading well above my grade level in school, so there could be some level of truth to the stories.
I am very glad that my two and four year old children already love books, and I spend a good portion of every day reading with them. My four year old loves to find and/or build words. His favorite television shows are not about trucks or trains; rather they are about words, letters and counting. I am glad that the love of reading, books and learning will be passed on to another generation. My mom instilled the passion in me, and I am glad that my kids are already showing signs of the same love of reading.
I will admit, and say quite loudly, that most of my reading is not what anyone could call educational. I do read some non-fiction about the people and things that I have some interest and passion about. However, a paranormal romance, urban fantasy, or anything else that is entertaining and distracting from my life is more than welcome. I avoid reading anything that is talked about and read by a large number of book clubs. I read Twilight before the hype, same for Harry Potter and the Stephanie Plum series. I do not want to read a book simply because Oprah has stamped it with her approval, but rather because I really want to discover what happens to the characters and the story on the pages interests me. I prefer to stay with authors that I trust, genres that entertain me, and the occasional book that simply intrigues me by title, cover or summary.
I have access to a wide variety of books, and have diverged greatly over the years. When I was in high school and college I was reading classic mysteries and current science fiction. There were quite a few historical romances tossed in the mix to. Then it was classics and high literature, partly because I was working on my literature degree. Then cooking and gardening related magazines and books as I struck out on my own. Then wedding related items, then baby related items and back to romance and paranormal. Now, I really try to shake things up and read a variety, but keep going back to my favorite authors to follow up on the series' that made me love them.
What do you read? What do you avoid?
I love reading too! In fact, if someone tells me they don't my mind starts sending messages saying: "Can't *click click* compute."
ReplyDeleteI love almost every genre, although I stay as far away as possible from books on the occult.
Reading is so much a part of my life that I've barely gone a day without reading since the age of two. Misha's comment is so funny! I feel the same way. I am shocked when someone says that they do not like to read.
ReplyDeleteI read just about anything. Genre doesn't play a role in my choices, but I have to admit that my favorite fiction is usually in the mystery category. Stopping by way of the A to Z Blog Challenge.
I did book reviews for a number of years and was introduced to genres I would not have chosen on my own--and happy it worked out that way. I enjoy mysteries and prefer not to read sci-fi.
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