Monday, July 15, 2013

Thoughts on Myself as a Reader

I heard someone talking on the internet the other day about how they had developed as a reader over time and how their taste in books have changed and stayed the same. This got me thinking about what I used to enjoy reading when I was younger, and what I enjoy reading now. I have come to discover that my tastes have not changed as much as I would have expected them to have changed.

Before I could read, I always begged my parents to read to me, and it didn't matter what they read. One of my favorite stories to read was the story of Persephone from Greek Mythology. What a weird thing for a four year kid to love reading right? It was in a larger book of myths and legends and it was my favorite one, I could open up to the story automatically without searching for it. Today, I still love stories that have survived the test of time, and come from years ago. I love classic novels; I am always up for the challenge of completing one.  

When I started to read on my own, I enjoyed the Magic Tree House series and the American Girl Doll series, the start of my love for historical fiction.

As I grew older, I held a few books in very high regards. I read Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo at least three times, and read Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan multiple times. The School Story, as well as everything else Andrew Clements wrote, and Deenie by Judy Blume were also among my favorite books. When I grouped all these books together, I realized their common theme: a strong female character. I still love reading books with strong female characters, and my favorite books contain a strong female lead.

I was surprised to see that my twelve year old self could predict the reader I would be at almost twenty years old.

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