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Learning to read
I mainly learned to read by watching the TV show "Between the Lions". -
The US Constitution
One of my earliest memories is sitting on my dad's knee and reading the Constitution to me. He would do it frequently and ask us to talk about what we thought certain parts meant or have us read sections. -
Reading on my own
I remember reading the "Berenstain Bears" and other short picture-heavy books when I was younger -
Carson City Library
From when I was around 8 to 12, my dad would drop us off at the library while my mom went to work. I would get a bunch of these books every week and read them pretty quickly. -
Gateway into Historical Fiction
I liked reading the American Girl books that were based on different time periods. I would talk to my grandma about the Great Depression and my parents about other time periods. I think the reading level was a little below what I should have been reading/what I was capable of reading. -
Reading Gap
I read off and on for a few years. I wasnt interested in very much at the time and I have never been required to read books for school, so I would only read books I had a real interest in. -
Covid and Historical Fiction
During the Pandemic when I was 13/14, I took up reading on an app my mom showed me. I started with a book called "Lilac Girls" about the Holocaust and continued reading in that genre for the rest of that year. -
College Reading
I went to Western Nevada College when I was 14 and in my first class, my professor encouraged us to write creatively. That's when I started writing novels. To write requires you to read, so I was still actively reading books, typically about women in WW2.
I also took English 102 where we read stories like "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Richard Cory" for class. -
Classics
During this time, I started reading books like "1984," "How to Win Friends and Influence People", and what I discovered to be my favorite book, "Of Mice and Men." I read sporadically and typically chose books from my dad's bookshelf. -
Present Day
I didn't read for most of 2023 and 2024 because I was working and going to school, but once I graduated I started reading again. I am currently reading "The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath" and have read 6 books in the last 3 months across different genres.
It's taken me a long time to get to where I am as I used to force myself to read. Now, I enjoy reading and find books that add something to my life.