Book freaks discussion

I found out a long time ago that no matter how your life is going, you can slip away into a whole new world. What ever is bothering you slips away each time you turn the page.

wow i can totally relate to all these comments lol. i love love love to read, as soon i learned how to read (about 6 yrs old) i couldn't stop. i've always felt as if part of me isn't here every time my nose is in a book. like i'm in some fantasy world that is at the same time very real, the best way to relax and get away from reality for a bit. we used to get troll and scholastic catalogs from school and i'd order something every time. once, my dad ordered every book in the entire catalog for me (imagine my delight). one of the books i remember was "a little princess", i was too young to read it but i loved it, i planned to read it as soon as i was old enough. when my dad threw it out as punishment of some mischief i'd made, i was mad at him for days lol. i owe a huge thank you to my first grade teacher, Ms. Herring. she was the one who taught me how to read and showed me the magic of books (it really does feel magical). she encouraged me with everything i loved, rest in peace Ms. Herring.

I remember reading a book in High school that really captured my imagination. The book was "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman. I was amazed how he could write a story within a story within another story. You just have to read it to know what I mean, but It started me reading for fun. I feel sorry for those who don't read for pleasure, because I know the joy I have found.

I'm not sure actually, haha.
My mom is a reading fanatic!

It's just so interesting to read because it tells you so much more and in so much more depth than t.v and movies.

Hmm...I'm still not sure how I got into reading. Maybe my mom's reading disease just was born into me!

i love reading because i find intellectual satisfaction there. it is my euphoric escape in every time i feel empty, helpless and unloved.
Reading is nothing but my best friend since then.

I think I've always loved reading. My dad said that when I was little I would always read books before bedtime (and for quite awhile after my bedtime). As I got older my books became even more important to me because they give me a way to escape from the realities of life. When life isn't so easy, books give me an outlet. I can imagine all my problems away and pretend I'm the one who is actually in the book. I guess that's why I always get so into my books that its impossible to get my attention when I'm reading. Reading was my favorite activity... now it's more like my life. I don't think I could imagine my life without books.

that is so true sam..

I disliked reading growing up. The main reason I didn't like it was acedemic reasons. I mean, when people say "you don't know how to read" you start to believe them. So, I didn't. But, I live in Seattle and it rains.

Sometimes, it rains so much you can't go out to recess. I started to vouleenter in the gym for the younger kids on these days but there wasn't always things to be done. Like, I am a bad loser. So, staying in playing boardgames... I learned that I shouldn't be doing that. Lol. So, one those days, I would go to the library and see what was there.

Something about The Giving Treeand that book about the friendly giant really got me into reading. And, I read a lot. I joined some reading marathones at school, etc etc. I read even more in Middle School because of Mercedes Lackey and the Lemony Snicket. High School comes, I still read. Different things but I still read.

Books have always been a portal of fun, fantasy, travel and education for me since I was a child. My love for it hasn't waned in this internet age, either. I have my parents and Aunt Roberta to thank for that. :)

I think I was the first real reader of the family actually. (My older sister might have started first, but I fell in love with books before her). TI started out that I was actually bad at reading in the first grade...and my mother told me over the weekend I was goign to read to her for practice, but oops I forgot a book. She made me go BACK TO SCHOOL and get a book, which was Eat Your Peas Louisewhich the teacher had read to the class that day.

It opened up my eyes that these words painted a pictuer inside of my head...they just weren't random words on a page as I had previously thought.

I have been hooked ever since. It really helped for when we moved and I had no friendds at school, so books became my life. Luckily we moved again and I made many friends...and not only that, friends who also liked to read!!

Forgive the typos people...my brain moves faster than my fingers :)

I started reading at a very young age. In a family with 3 siblings it was the escape I needed. I had to get permission to check out books from the young adult section at the library. I started with The Great Brain series, The Boxcar Children, and any Judy Blume book I could find. In fact, I got busted at school for having a copy of Forever and Wifey in class. My mother introduced me to Stephen King and Dean Koontz at age 11. She gave me a dictionary to look up words I didn't understand!!

Oh Kris, I too loved the Boxcar Children when I was very young ;)

My mom says I was reading by 3. I don't remember ever not reading. I read whatever was in the house-we were working class but that meant Howard Fast, Albert Maltz, Dalton Trumbo, Dostoevsky, Kafka. I didn't get to most children's books until I was older. But I loved fairy tales.
I love reading because 1) it's as close as I can come to getting into someone else's skin; 2) it's the best way to travel-time, place, everything, everywhere; 3) I love language, even without plot; but 4) I also love stories 5) I love how people think 6) it's the best fastest way to escape-where I am, who I am, you name it.
The question is: what do I not like about reading?
Answer: I can't reading 2 books simultaneously. I mean: simultaneously (as in not alternating).
I actually do love my kids (17-boy; 20-girl); my job (special ed. teacher), & music.
Not enough time.

hello.im not sure how this website works but i have been trying desperately to find a book.im looking for a book i read in elementary school.it was a book involving a child terrorist.the main character is a boy, he and his friend discover that a girl in their school, posing as a duchess from another country,is part of a terrorist group.they are all young.i don't remember much from the book except for three things.in the begining, one of the main characters school mates is poisoned, when she adds salt to her soup during lunch.the "salt" was like some sort of tester to see how the poison worked, the "duchess" put it there. she only was knocked out, she didnt die. after that the book says the terrorist was being driven home by her like driver, she has the salt shaker.then in the end, the boy and the girl have become friends, hes helping her like escape her family cause i guess she doesnt want to be a terrorist anymore.she tells him a story about how she was trained in the desert.her friend died during their training, and she had to leave her there to die or she would die too.then somewhere in the middle, the boy finds a doll and notes that it resembles the girl.(the focus of the book is his finding this place where the doll ended up being.some kind of underground secret thing, he and his friend find,then he discovers about the girl,etc.)oh and also at one point there is a bombing.but not a big one.i dont think anyone was hurt.thats all i remember.it was an incredible story.like seriously insanely good for a book in a n elementary school library.it one that one award where there's a big gold circle thing on the book.

reading is my escape!:) there is always a new world for me when i'm reading [not that i hate reality] i just love how it feels to be trapped to someplace you can't imagine existing.:))

I've always been very fascinated with reading so as soon as my teacher taught us the alphabet I asked her how to read and she told me to spell the letters quickly in order to read after that I started to read every sign on the street and everything else I could get hold of. I have been a bookworm ever since. I am really very glad to have an ereader, because when I wouldn't have one then I wouldn't know where to put my many books (my book shelf is quite full)..not to mention that books are quite heavy item when you move.

I am reading because it gives me an opportunity to take a leave from daily life and it also gives me the opportunity to experience things in my mind which I won't experience in reality...a good book is like a good movie except that with a book you can immerse much more in a story than with a movie.

I've loved reading as long as I can remember. I remember reading Amelia Bedelia, Ramona and Beezus, and Judy Blume.

I love reading because as a hard-of-hearing person, I miss out on a lot of conversations and it's hard to misunderstand books when they're so clear. If I feel that I didn't understand something, I can always go back in a book instead of constantly asking the person to repeat themselves.

Plus, books have been a constant thing in my life, my comfort and my escape. In other words, books are my best friend, always.

When I was 10 years old my mother started to offer me books so that I could discover the pleasure of reading just like she had discovered it when she was my age.
But I wouldn't read anything that she offered me. She tried several times and never succeeded.
At the age of 12 on my vacations I pick a book out of curiosity that my mother was currently reading at that time.
That book of Enid Blyton, Five go Off in a Caravan changed my life. When I finished the book, I read the whole collection of The Famous Five.
After that I devoured Agatha Christie's collection of Poirot.
Since then I'm always surrounded by books. I'm always reading something.
Thanks to my mother and her perseverance.

I love to be able to live in another dimension. Know other realities and appreciate the beauty of words. Books are my best friend and company.

I was not allowed to read and had to hide my books behind my school books. It was considered a waste of time. My passion grew when I was 12 and could successfully hide the books I wanted to read.

I am an English Lit major. I read 2-3 books a week. Since I quit to write, that has been curbed a little for financial reasons. Love to read.

Sonia wrote: "I was not allowed to read and had to hide my books behind my school books. It was considered a waste of time. My passion grew when I was 12 and could successfully hide the books I wanted to read.

..."

I think your story is really unbelievable. I am really wondering why how parents can forbid reading even they consider it waste of time for themselves...reading brings so many benefits not only for leisure, but also for the grades at school and later on professional life as well. Sounds like you are quite different than your parents when it's about educational things.

It's terrible-but also so romantic. Since you grew into not only a reader but a writer as well. What do they think now?

Sonia wrote: "I was not allowed to read and had to hide my books behind my school books. It was considered a waste of time. My passion grew when I was 12 and could successfully hide the books I wanted to read.

..."

Wow really??!!

I am a reader and a writer. I have always loved books. I just graduated to become an English teacher and I will be getting my Masters in Literacy Education. It is relaxing to read. I keep on telling my husband that my dream house will have a Beauty and the Beast library!

I started reading in the 7th grade when my english teacher took us to the library and the librarian asked me my favorite genre and I said mystery. She took me over to the aisle with Mary Higgins Clark and showed me the book Where Are The Children? I read it and it was so good I thought, "Could other books be this good?" To answer that questions I kept reading. I found the answer, which is yes, and have never stopped reading since. :]

I don't know what made me interested in reading. I loved English class in High School and I took a creative writing class. I am very creative and have great imagination and that may be why I love to read. I also love to learn new things. Books are great for that! And they relieve stress and help you relax.

I barely read books in school. I would read cliff notes and watch movies, anything to avoid reading. In highschool a friend recommended Bonfire of the Vanities. I read it and really enjoyed the reading for pleasure experience. Then I was turned onto Tom Clancy from a girlfriend. I loved all his books and never looked back. Reading and Poker are my two favorite hobbies now.

I'm a psychotherapist so I listen to people and give them feedback about the upsetting pervasive patterns in their lives for 8 hours a day. Books allow me to reset my brain so I don't go crazy and psycho analyze the people at the grocery store.

My mother read to me as a small child. I always connected reading with pleasure and relaxation. As an adult, reading is an escape from everyday stress. It doesn't matter if I'm waiting at the doctor or in my bathtub--- I can escape anywhere anytime!

I used to read a lot as a child then as I grew up I just stopped.
When I moved into my flat I had no TV connection for a month, so I picked up a book and started reading. I haven't stopped and now I don't know why I'm paying for the TV.

I have loved to read since the moment I learned how. I don't remember how old I was when I started reading but I do know that I was the only kid in my kindergarten class who knew how. I didn't have a lot of books when I was little so the first book I remember reading is the dictionary. I stole my mother's dictionary off the shelf and read it cover-to-cover when I was in elementary school. I also read my mom's encyclopedias. Whenever I would come across a word I didn't know I would point it out and ask someone how to pronounce it.

It wasn't until the third grade, when my teacher wouldn't let me do my book report on the dictionary,that I started begging my parents to either buy me books or take me to the library. My dad took me to get my first library card and I've been an avid reader, and inspiring writer, ever since. My greatest hope for my little girl is that she too can discover a love of books at such an early age.

Like many of you I learned to read very early, picking up books at home that were ahead of my age. I used to set my alarm early on saturday mornings just to read my books in bed when I was a child. My parents encouraged me and bought me books as rewards and treats. I can't imagine a childhood without books to escape into. I also used to go to the library with my nan and be overwhelmed with the choice in there, pulling books off shelves and going off quietly with them to read.
I think this indulgent need to escape has carried on into adulthood. I love reading and I love talking to others about books.

I love reading because it takes me out of my world, and puts me in another. I learning about people, worlds, ideas, everything through reading. It's down right magical.
My Mom forced me to be interested in reading. She thinks a child should be doing one of two things at all time learning something or reading something. My mom is one of those Moms that don't give up on something no matter how hard you whine and cry. Reading was one of those things. Along time ago I hated reading, I have a learning disability and that made it hard, so like most kids I didn't want to do the hard thing. However, Mom would no way shape or form let me fall through the cracks. She would take me through the book stores asking if I like this or that. Then one day my Dad (a batman freak) showed me a Batman comic, and helped me read through it. In my mind the pictures made it easier, and if I didn't know a word I would just as my parents and keep reading. My mom got me all the comics I wanted.
So I read comic books and then moved on to some adventure YA books, and every time I liked a book (I am not joking) my mom would find every book by that author, buy it, and it would be waiting for me a few days after I showed her a book I liked.
So yes my Mom forced me to love reading. Also , like some of you, my parents also read to me every night. I remember My Dad reading Narnia to us...I think he really liked it and justified reading it because he had two little girls.
Man, where would I be without my parents?!

My mom taught me to read, she'd sit next to me every afternoon and teach me about letters, books and the amazing stories they contain. She loves reading so she wanted to teach me to love it too. Ever since then I've been addicted to reading. While everyone was outside playing or watching tv, I'd be in my room snuggled up with a book in my pj's. I love reading cause it takes me to a whole different place and time. I feel safe and comfortable whenever I read a book. Whenever I'm stressed, sad or depressed I read A LOT.

I started reading when I was six years old and I just couldn't stop. I remember there was a bookstore right behind our apartment building when I was a kid, and I used to go with my sister to buy simplified classics. I just love reading, it takes you into a different world. I can't explain why I love reading, but I know I'll never stop reading.

I would read a little when I was younger but I was never an avid reader, I really didn't get seriously into reading until I was in High School. It was 2008 because The Hunger Games just came out, I started to read it but I had to return it back to the library I was dumb enough to check it out about 2 days before the end of school so I never finished it. I don't really know what made me want to start reading, it may have been my when my grandmother would read to me but I'm glade I got into reading. I read to clear my mine and get away from my life because it's nice to be able to escape from life every now and then.

I've loved reading for as long as I can remember. Even my baby books that were pretty much all pictures with just a few words.

I loved nothing more than getting book tokens for Christmas/birthday. I would have bought a book with my pocket money a lot of weekends, but my biggest problem was just having enough money for 1 and having to decide which one to buy that day.

It's just nice to be able to curl up and escape into a different world for a while, no matter what that world is. If I get sucked into the book so that I don't notice the time going by then I'm happy! :o)

I started reading very late. I started reading when I was 13. I became a member in the local library and started taking books just for the sake of it. I read the books I took the first time and then I went in for more and more. This time, cause I was hooked. I took even 12 books at once and I'd finish them in 2 weeks. I became such a regular that the librarian there knew my account number byheart. I can honestly say that books changed my life. They really did. Now I'm 16 and still a voracious reader.

My father got me started on reading by introducing me to the Archies comics and man was i hooked.Then it was the mills and boons and the Barbara Cartlands the romantic novels.Later i started reading the Classics,Wuthering heights and Jane Eyre being my favourites.Then came a phase of reading the Bestsellers.I have read every single novel by John Grisham and Sidney Sheldon.My fave authors are:Vikram Seth,John Grisham,Stephen King,NAGA SAKI,Sidney Sheldon,Arthur Hailey..and the list goes on...

Samantha wrote: "I used to read a lot as a child then as I grew up I just stopped.
When I moved into my flat I had no TV connection for a month, so I picked up a book and started reading. I haven't stopped and now..."

Haha sometimes I feel the same way! My friends always used to come over and exclaim at the fact that I have a TV room and I would just shrug because I never turned it on, there were too many good books to read & I largely felt that TV was a waste of time. Even now I only use the TV to watch movies which I feel are more valuable than reality shows any day!

I have been reading since I was a little girl. The reason that I read it relaxes me plus I feel like I am there with the characters in the book. I can even picture in my head the character should look like and what is happening in the book from the beginning to the end.

Well I always loved to read too as a child which my mom hooked me onto reading. The scary thing is my mom has been dead over 20 years now and I now do what she did. I keep a notebook with all the books I want to read, and have read so I don't read them over again. My mom was the historical romance lover and I prefer mysteries, science fiction and best sellers.

Mary wrote: "Well I always loved to read too as a child which my mom hooked me onto reading. The scary thing is my mom has been dead over 20 years now and I now do what she did. I keep a notebook with all the..."

Wow that's really cool! Do you also keep track of books you want to read on Goodreads too?

I've always been an avid book reader. But I think what really solidified my love of reading is the moment I picked up my first "adult" novel. And when I say adult, I mean the first time I read a James Patterson novel at my tender age of 10. Not to mention that the novel was about sex and murder and the first victim had the same name as me!

My parents encouraged my love of reading. I've always been a book worm. I remember reading Rendezvous With Rama when I was 11.

Melanie wrote: "I've always been an avid book reader. But I think what really solidified my love of reading is the moment I picked up my first "adult" novel. And when I say adult, I mean the first time I read a Ja..."

Hmmm I suppose that will do it :)

I think very much like Kyle I started out small. My first book was Fun with Dick and Jane I clearly remember being so proud that I could read everything in it! I moved on to Peter Pan, the Wizard of Oz, Nancy Drew, anything by Gail Carson Levine & Sharon Creech & then when I got into Harry Potter, needless to say things got serious.

I think the coolest thing about this topic and this site is that we seem to be a huge group of people with the reading bug going through us all. Just recently I had to fly back east and while on all my flights I noticed just how many people were reading over watching the inflight movie and watching videos on their devices and the readers out numbered everyone, and I saw more people reading actual books over ereaders. The bookstores in the airports now have a read and return thing going. You buy a book, read it on the plane and at your next stop, since they are connected, you return the book and get 50% off your next book purchase. Kinda cool.

I have loved reading since I was little. I would go to the library so many times that the librarians knew who I was. Luckily for me I still have that love for reading!

Denee' were you one of those that got lost in the stacks of books? How big was your library?