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The Rainbow Fish
This was one of the earliest book my parents introduced to me as a child, and it always stood out in my mind as being unique. It should have: the book used colored foil to decorate the titular character's scales, further emphasizing their beauty. Overall, this was a simple yet effective story about sharing which stuck with me as I grew up. -
I'm Gonna Like Me
Another book introduced to me at an early age, this book taught me some valuable lessons about self-esteem, something many struggle with through out their lives. This is a book I can look back on fondly, knowing it encouraged me to be unique and genuine. -
If You Give a Pig a Pancake
This book, like most books I read at a young age, had an important lesson to teach me: don't give up too much to others. Know when to say no and stick up for yourself. I read many of the books in this series, but this one was always dear to me and may have contributed to pigs being my favorite animal today. -
Duck For President
This marks the point in which my parents started to let me read books that weren't really teaching me anything and were just being silly. I remember this book being absolutely ludicrous in an unbelievably charming way. -
Magic Tree House
I began reading chapter books around first grade, and was considered to be at an advanced reading level at the time. This was also when I started reading book series, and soon my room was filled with piles of books. This series was introduced to me by my first grade teacher, who would read it to us during class time. Its episodic yet adventurous nature drew me in, and I stayed captivated for years. -
Disney Fairies
Soon enough my interests began to creep into my reading habits. Like most kids, I loved Disney movies from a young age, so as soon as I saw Tinkerbell on the cover of a book, I had to pick it up. This entry was so nostalgic and special to me that I actually went back and ordered a particular favorite off of Amazon while making this project. Oops. -
American Girl Magazine
As my interests expanded, my parents had to look for a catch-all to curb my reading habits. In came American Girl magazine, packed full of quizzes, crafts, and articles to keep me busy all month long. I remember always looking forward to the next issue arriving in my mail box just so I could pour over it when it finally did show up. -
Wayside School
Yet another book introduced to me by a teacher, Wayside Stories was the highlight of my third grade classroom. Everyone always looked forward to what kind of wacky adventures the kids would get into next, and we practically erupted at the news of it getting a cartoon adaption. -
Androcles and the Lion
I hadn't ever heard of the myth of Androcles and the Lion when I first signed up to do a play based on it. However, this tale of compassion and good karma quickly won me over as I made friends and had the time of my life performing on stage. This truly marked the start of something special for me, since I've continued my acting career to this day. -
Luv Ya Bunches
This may be the point in which my reading turned from a passion to a borderline obsession. I finished this book in one night and became abnormally attached to it, reading and rereading the chapters during every meal, before bed, and during silent reading at school. Looking back on it, it still holds up today as a great story full of diversity and fun. -
P.S. Longer Letter Later
This was a book I received from my aunt, and I remember it holding a lot of weight for me. The subject matter was a lot darker and more real than a lot of books I had read before, which continued to be the case as I grew up and read more "adult" fiction. -
ChocoMimi
This book was crucial to me in the way it shaped my interests in the future. Back then the manga section at my local bookstore was just a measly little corner in the kids section. There I found this obscure gem and instantly fell for its sweetness and charm I own five volumes of this series, each curved and worn down from years of flipping through their pages. -
Drama
Even as the manga section at my bookstore grew, I always came wandering back to the little graphic novel section where they had once lived. There I found Drama, which instantly appealed to me as a stage actor, and further won me over with it's LGBT+ themes. -
Visual Novels
When I looked for a way to get myself into video games, which I seemed to have the interest for but not the skill, visual novels were a fantastic place to start. They're essentially digital choose your own adventure games, with a slew paths to take and endings to find. I'm still playing new ones to this day, always testing my decision-making skills in order to get the best ending. -
Lord of the Flies
Out of all the books I've been assigned to read at school, Lord of the Flies has by far been my favorite. Something about the narrative and the veiled emotional arcs of each character captured me, leading to an English essay of nearly 1,000 words. I even went out and bought my own copy for future readings. -
Ouran Highschool Host Club
Compared to any other series I collected, I put the most effort into this one by far. Being the manga one of my very favorite shows was based on, I had to find out how the original series ended. I collected all 18 volumes of this series, and even now they sit on my shelf, waiting to be opened once more. -
Archive of Our Own
When I decided to branch out and start creating my own writing, this site was the plan I ran to. It had such a perfect system for organizing stories and making them easy to find, and it was great going through the works of other authors and interacting with them. I still visit regularly. -
Walk Two Moons
Last spring I challenged myself by taking on the lead role in the play Walk Two Moons, based on the Newbery Award winning novel of the same name. I never left the stage once during the show and was saddled with dozens of monologues. I studied the script day in and day out, and when showtime rolled around I didn't miss a note. I became invested in the characters and story, feeling for the protagonist in a way few would have the opportunity to. -
Hero
When searching the school library for LGBT+ fiction, this book immediately caught my eye. Books about gay characters are rare enough, but rare superheroes? Sign me up. The story was well-crafted and suspenseful, with just the right balance of action and slice of life to keep me entertained. Just what you'd expect from leading a double life. -
Gracefully Grayson
Another wonderfully crafted piece of LGBT+ fiction which I went out of my way to read, ordering it from Amazon the moment I saw it had been released. It was highly anticipated on my end, and I was definitely not disappointed when I sat down to read it. I finished it in only a few sittings.
