Monday, February 17, 2014

Reading Goal

I'm not sure when it happened, when the change occurred.  Reader to TV junkie, it doesn't sound good, and to be honest, I'm not proud that it happened.

I come from two solid readers.  My dad has always been into fantasy and sci-fi, while my Mom can't seem to stop reading every incredibly sad biography that exists.  I can't remember my sister doing anything else but read as a teenager, and even my brother has been known to occasionally get lost in a book.

I can remember tearing through books as a preteen and saving my money for the "book nook" sale at the fairgrounds each spring.  I would come home with boxes (seriously lots o' boxes) of books, and often feel as though I knew it wouldn't be enough.

I have a fuzzy memory, but reaching back into the depths, my very first favorite book was "Sideways Stories From Wayside School ".  I read my copy, over and over, till it finally started falling apart.  After getting lost in both "The Baby-sitter's Club" and "Sweet Valley Twin" books, my next strong favorite was "A Wrinkle in Time".  Still to this day, that book fascinates me, and as I type this I'm wondering what happened to my copy.

In high school I found myself a little obsessed with Ann Rice & her vampire world.  I was a solid fan until I started reading "Memnoch the Devil", which actually scared me about a third of the way in.  As I threw that paperback across the room, I didn't know it was a turning point toward mind numbing years of too much TV.

I suppose I could blame the change on a scary book, but in reality it also had something to do with the fact I was assigned reading in school.  (I'm a bit of a brat, or used to be anyway, and I really just didn't want to do anything I was told.)  With all the activities of high school, work, then college my spare time was often spent sleeping or spending time with friends.  The next thing I knew, I was lazy and completely complacent with watching TV.

Fast forward through the last dozen (plus) years of my life.  Occasionally a few series have briefly caught my attention.  Although I have a sneaking sensation I should be embarrassed, to say what they are (Twilight, Harry Potter, Hunger Games) my two random favorites from the last decade are "Battlefield Earth " and "The Host ".

As I was making my new year goals, it occurred to me that I'd like to start reading again.  I'd also like to read all of the classics I missed as a grumpy adolescent.  So my goal is 20 books for 2014.  Wish me luck, and next time you see me - ask me what I'm reading.

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