I am a book nerd.
I think I probably always have been.
I don't ever remember a time when I didn't love reading, but ironically when I was young, my teachers didn't think I could read.
I am also an introvert, which might be one of the reasons I have always loved reading as it offers an escape from the real world. When I was a young child, I was painfully shy, so shy that now I would probably have been labelled 'elective mute'. I wouldn't even make eye contact with my teachers, never mind talk to them. It is no wonder they didn't think I could read. But my parents assured them I could; I read at home all of the time.
I have a lot of fond memories of reading as a child, of the books that have helped form the person I am today. I always remember my parents reading, although I don't remember them reading to me; I do remember they always had books. So my house was filled with books and reading.
My earliest memories of books are reading the hand me down editions of Enid Blyton's Secret Seven books; they had belonged to my brother and sister and I remember devouring them. Most of the books I remember from my early childhood were inherited from family members. As well as the nice collection of Enid Blyton's books; I also remember having copies of Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island that belonged to my dad in the 1950's.
One of my favourite things to do as a child was to visit the library, which we did as a family regularly on a Saturday morning. I could spend hours, if they let me, perusing the treasure hoard of the children's section of the library. I loved Asterix books in particular and the library was the first place that introduced me to Paddington. I think I had a repeat reservation on a particular story tape of Paddington stories that I loved to listen to again and again.
As a shy, introverted child books gave me respite from the pressures of the real world. The world full of noisy people and social expectations that I struggled with. I could delve into a book and be transported to another land, go on adventures and discover new things. A lot of my happiest childhood memories are linked to books and reading.
One of the first books I truly loved was The Hobbit. I remember reading it when I was around 8 and just falling in love with the adventure and the magical people and especially the dragon. Tied up with my love of the Hobbit is a memory of my Uncle Angus who I rarely saw after we moved to England when I was 8. He gave me a beautiful, illustrated version of the Hobbit when we went back to Glasgow to visit family. Just thinking of that book brings back the nostalgic memories of being in Glasgow surrounded by family members I had missed.
At some point I also went on to read The Lord of the Rings, which for many years was my favourite book. I remember when I started university, sitting in an English lecture and unashamedly telling everyone this fact despite the fact that most people were mentioning much more high brow 'classics' as their favourites (I'm unsure to this day whether they were genuine favourites or whether they were just trying to appear clever to the lecturer).
That has always been a feature of my reading-I have always read for pleasure and I haven't ever been too bothered about what others think about my choices. I'll be honest, I didn't particularly enjoy the choices of reading material my teachers made at high school, even though I went on to do an English degree. I endured a lot of books I didn't enjoy at school (although it's unfair to say I didn't enjoy all of them). Although, I actually adored one of my English teachers: Mrs Turley. She quietly encouraged my reading habits and introduced me to the delights of HG Wells and George Orwell, which I will be forever grateful for. It was partly down to her that my passion for Sci Fi was ignited.
As a teenager my obsession for all things Tolkien blossomed and I have a nice collection of various Tolkien lore somewhere in my parents loft as a legacy. Joining this obsession was the discovery of a certain Terry Pratchett who exposed me to a wholly different form of fantasy writing (and although I didn't realise it until I was older, some brilliant satirical writing as well). I also devoured all of the Frank Herbert 'Dune' books over and over. I found that although I liked to read new things I also loved to return to old favourites-it was something familiar and comforting; also, with many books there are new details to be noticed on every rereading which continue to delight you and provide a new reading experience.
As I grew into adulthood my taste in books widened although I have always preferred books that allow a bit of escapism over gritty realism. Reading for me has always been a pleasurable activity and has allowed me a window into many worlds and ideas. My thinking has been challenged and I have been inspired and encouraged along the way, all because of books.
Now as a teacher, my passion for reading is as strong as ever; in fact, it might be even stronger that when I was growing up. For the thing is, I see the power of reading; I know the impact that having a love of reading has-children who love reading tend to do better in school which gives them a great start in life. Reading has given me much joy during my life.
My reading tastes have returned to children's books in recent years. Initially this was through professional interest, for how can I advise and encourage children to read if I don't know about the books they have on offer? But through this I also discovered how fantastic children's literature really is.
Some people say we are currently in a golden age for children's literature, there has never been such quality. Over the last few years the number of books that have come out that have been of astounding quality seems endless. It is just a tragedy that some of these books don't get the exposure they deserve. This is partly why I am so passionate about promoting good books and highlighting books to children that they might not have discovered themselves. (Whilst writing this I can feel my thoughts turning to reading choices and how the market seems to be flooded with celebrity authors, but I think I shall leave that for another blog).
So as I come towards the end of my blog I just want to thank those of you who have stuck with it; thank you for indulging me on my trip down memory lane, reminiscing on some of the books that have formed me into the person I am. My passion for reading hasn't abated because I see the difference reading makes to lives every day.
I'm just going to leave you with one last memory: 'Where the Wild Thing's are'. This was the first book I read to children as a young teacher. I remember the chair of governors stopping on his tour of the school to listen and then praise this young teacher for engaging story telling. I think this is the event that fired my love of reading aloud to children (also a topic for a future blog).
I'm not particularly shy anymore, although I am still an introvert. Books and reading are my passion-they are an enabler that opens up a world of possibilities.
I am a book nerd and proud of it.
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