A lot of people asked my why I love or enjoy reading. Well, here's my history of reading.
When I was a kid, I used to dislike
reading. My parents would drag me to the bookstore and library on the weekends,
and we would spend two hours there. Two hours to me then seemed like ten hours,
but my sister loved going to the library. She would skip her way to her little
comfort corner and dive into the books. We often go to different section of the
library, but one day, I watched her from the corner of my eyes as I was
pretending to read a random book I picked up from the shelf. Her eyes danced
through the line of words so fast like she was in a race. I watched how her
body stayed in the present, but her mind and soul wandered in the book. That
inspired me to give reading a second chance.
I started reading The Magic Tree House, The Chronicles of
Narnia, and a lot of Disney classic storybooks. I could remember staring at the pages in the
beginning of the book, reading the words but not knowing what it was saying. My
mind was constantly wandering off somewhere else, but the motivation from my
sister gave me a boost to not give up. As the novel got exciting, I started to
fall deeply into the story like a maze. The world of fantasy was created so
perfectly that it made reality boring. From then on, I was engaged in the world
of books and the fantasy that it brings. I figured the reason why I disliked reading
before was because I never knew what interested me most. After I discovered
fiction, fantasy, and adventure novels, it stated to spread like a disease in
me. I wanted and needed more. I read a lot after that. I started setting goals
to read at least an hour every day and to read 50 books a year. For an eight year
old child, my parents were impressed that I managed to achieve that.
While my elementary childhood consisted
of lots of playground rocks and fictional books, my teenage years were a lot more
stressful and bumpy. When middle school kicked in, time was gold. I became very
busy with school work, projects, extra curriculum and making new friends. By
then, I realized that I was reading more of textbooks, science documents,
historical facts and other documentaries that would help me in school. At that
time, I thought that I had to put away my fantasy and start being a ‘grown up.’
My parents were certainly happy about that because it meant that I would not be
dancing around with Peter Pan and wondering off to Neverland anymore. However,
books are like drugs. The imaginative part of me grew aggressive and craved for
some fantasy. I started to make time to read. I remember going to the book
store and was lost in the mountain of books. I did not realize how many books
had been published since I lasted kept tracked. I spent the next two hours
searching on Goodreads for the perfect book. Then, the book Twilight caught my eyes. I saw mixed
reviews of them, but the story line caught my attention.
Reading Twilight gave me a sudden rush of all my childhood memories. I
missed the feeling of being nervous when starting a book, the feeling of
excitement in the middle story, and the feeling of satisfaction after finishing
a good book. That was when I picked up reading again. I started buying more
books and my book shelf grew massively big by the end of the year. Books became
a huge part of me again. It was not just for entertainment but also books helped
me build long lasting friendships. A few of my classmates loved to read as well
and we would often gather together to discuss and share our thoughts. It got to
a point where we were so emerged in the book that the ending was not enough. We
started writing our own endings, what we thought might happen to the characters
after the author finished the last sentence, and what would happen if the plot
was different. My sister always says that I get connected too easily, and I cannot
argue with that. After a few chapters into a book, I feel as if I have known
the characters for a long time, and they are a part of my life.
After reading the Twilight Saga, I started getting into
Nicholas Sparks’ novels at the peak of my teenager days. I remember how his
books could influence me, and the way I viewed love as a teenager. It totally
ruined my expectation of love in the real life, but I was fine with it because
for that seven hours of reading the book, I fell deeply in love with the
characters and the story line. I also started reading different romance books
from different authors like Where the
Rainbow Ends and P.S. I love you
by Cecelia Ahern. After reading tons of
romance books, it finally sank into me, and I grew out of it. I turned to
another genre of books; mystery, fantasy, horror, and thriller. I started
reading The Divergent Series, Made for You, Thirst Series, The Vampire Diaries,
Maze Runner, Percy Jackson, Mortal Instruments, Infernal Device, and a
whole lot more. My small two row book shelf became an eight row book cabinet. I
started collecting books, and so did my sister. She was really into Harry Potter. She always finished the
book too fast before the next sequel came out. It was a pain for her to wait
and a pain for me to watch. I have tried reading Harry Potter, and I managed to
finish the first two books; however, I find it difficult to read the rest of
the series after I watched all the movies. I was disappointed and ashamed that
I could not bring myself to be patient enough to read the books before the
movie.
Recently, I have picked up a
different genre of books and have been enjoying it. It’s mostly fictional
novels but with a deep meaning behind the words of the authors. Books like, Wonders, All the Bright Places, We are All
Made of Molecules, The Last Time We Say Goodbye, and The Faults in Our Stars. I started reading Melissa Marr, John
Green, Marie Lu, Jenny Han, and Cynthia Hand’s book. These books made me more
aware of what is going on in the world that I would never get a chance to see
or to experience in one life time. I can see how my taste in books has changed
over time but also is still similar. I started off loving fantasy as a child then
faded out to more educational books. I, then, grew interest in fiction novels
again but later got caught up with romance books which sank in really quickly.
Now, my genre of books are wide and undefined. I can read anything and
everything as long as it has a good ending. I learned now that a happy ending is
not as important as a satisfying read. If the book can make me cry and laugh
but has a sad, horrible ending, I would still be glad I read to the end.
Reading has changed me in a way that
is both scary but fun. I, now have a world of fantasy I can escape to when the
reality seems too scary. I have books to turn too when I feel a little off the
edge or lonely. I have books to teach me lessons about life and expose me to
different things in life. I am still not sure if I love reading or not. It is a
love-hate relationship I have with books. I love reading and the imagination I
gain from them. However, I still struggle to let the characters go after the
last sentence in the book. I would need a full solid day for everything to sink
into my system. Ending a book has always been hard for me. It is like saying
goodbye to an old good friend.
Books are immortal and a portal to
magic. Reading is where I find my ultimate comfort zone and a place where I do
not have to hide. Reading and writing have definitely pulled me out of the
darkest experiences in my life. Stories have given me a place where I can lose
myself. They allow me to remember and to forget. They allow me to imagine
different endings and a possibility of a better world. As Neil Gaiman quoted,
“A book is a dream that you hold in your hands.”
Now you know my history, what's yours?
hugs and kisses
