Growing up, were you encouraged to read a book? Did you like it?

[babylonsister]

This has too many age groups to try a poll, so I ask you, were books a part of your life? Are they still?

I hope so.

Watching Charlie Rose and Michael Creighton died too young.

Keep reading!

[sutz12]

1. Were and still are...

I don't read as much as I used to, and I don't read as much 'new' stuff as I should, but I try. :)

Mom read to me, I read to my kid. I still read on occasion.

Life goes on.

[Cleita]

2. More than encouraged.

When I was small there was no television or other distractions that kids have today, so our parents actually encouraged us to spend a lot of time at the library and reading the books that we checked out.

IT KEPT US QUIET AND GAVE THEM DOWN TIME!

[Rowdyboy]

3. Strongly encouraged from the time I was 7....my mom gave me "Black Beauty"

and I sobbed as I finished it. Since then (roughly 1960) I've rarely been without a book. God I wish people would give this gift to their children.

[Third Doctor]

4. I was strongly encouraged.

My parents read to me every night.

[babylonsister]

5. The 'perfect' gift. Mine was 'Rebecca'. I need to reread it. nt

[dipsydoodle]

38. Last night I dreamt I went

to Mandalay again. That's a favorite of quite a few of us here on DU going by numerous occasions on which Rebecca get's mentioned.

[malaise]

41. Add me to that list

We grew up with books from we were toddlers.

[dipsydoodle]

42. It was actually you who'd come to mind

when I mentioned this. I'd recalled your mention of it in the past. :hi:

[malaise]

43. Rebecca was my best friend's favorite book

I loved it but she adored it.
Funny how the two of us used to talk about people in code by referring to them as characters in books. It was great fun because we knew most of them never read a book.

[pnorman]

6. I became a compulsive and VORACIOUS reader at about age seven.

And I'm STILL at it, although I do a lot of listening (via Audible.com) when I need to keep my hands/eyes free.

pnorman

[TygrBright]

7. Can't remember when books & reading weren't the primary recreation...

...for everyone in our family. We are booklovers from way back.

Bookstores=opium dens.

Libraries=crack houses.

Moving is a terrible ordeal for me because we're up past thirty boxes of books and that's with excruciating efforts to cut down!

sheepishly,
Bright

[babylonsister]

50. You are a perfect example of what happens when

someone loves reading. You can spell and are a wonderfully creative writer. The influence of books on one's life is powerful.

[MrSlayer]

8. I've been reading since I was 3.

I've never stopped. I particularly enjoy reading fantasy and history.

[SoCalDem]

9. I remember coming home from school in the 2nd grade..upset as hell

because the teacher made me go to another class for reading.. I took it as negative until my parents explained that reading with 6th graders was NOT a punishment :)

I have always read..and as a sophomore, I was saddened to see that of the required reading list for college freshmen (to have read)..I had already read them..

Since my vision problems occured, I read less, and I miss it.:)

[Chipper Chat]

10. We went to the library weekly as a family outing.

My first books were the Babar series. Later I read all the Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys books. Also Walter Farley horse stories & sports books. At home Mom had several "cheapie series" classic books that were bought at A&P for 75cents if you bought $20 in groceries (something like that - this was in the 1940s)

[sakabatou]

11. The series I read most ever

Was "Animorphs" by K.A. Applegate.

[TahitiNut]

12. "Treasure Island," "Robinson Crusoe," "Tom Sawyer," and the Hardy Boys series ...

... are the earliest "real" books I recall reading - other than the books that were read to me. I'm guessing I was about seven years old at the time. (I could read at the "Dick" and "Jane" level before I started school - and was challenged to read newspaper headlines as a 'party trick' in my family. "Oh! Isn't that cute?" :eyes: )

[Ishoutandscream2]

76. In the summertime, I read Hardy Boys' books overnight

I would get the book, start reading, and have it finished when the sun started to rise. I loved to read, and even then, it wasn't cool for a boy to love reading. Of course, then I was a skinny, bespectacled nerdy type kid. My first adult book I read was John Toland's Hitler, when I was in 8th grade. So that made me really "weird."

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

88. "Tom Sawyer" too here. And a watered-down version of "Don Quixote."

I was nonplussed by "Don Quixote," but I loved "Tom Sawyer." In fact, after reading it, I demanded (I got) "Huckleberry Finn," and the two Tom Sawyer sequels.

[Marr]

13. Not really, no. In fact... I'd say I was discouraged.

My family seemed to equate books with wimpiness. My mom regularly demanded to know why I as such a "pussy".

[Hekate]

46. God, I am so sorry. It seems crippling to a kid who wants to learn. Do you read for pleasure now?

:hug:

Hekate

[Marr]

79. Oh yeah- quite a bit.

I moved away from my hometown as soon as I could and went to college. :D My degree is in the arts, and it's paid off very well-- so I like to twist that particular knife whenever I have an opportunity. Life without petty revenge is not worth living, in my humble opinion-- haha.

[armed_and_liberal]

58. I had the same experience

In my family the only reading considered worthwhile was the bible. Out of 5 siblings only two of us finished high school, I'm the only one who went to college. I'm also the only liberal in the family.

[Marr]

82. Nice work-- congratulations. :D

That's not easy. Takes real determination. I expect you didn't get much financial or moral support during that episode.

I know a guy who became a medical doctor under similar circumstances. Lived in a basement apartment for eight years, consuming little more than potatoes and water. But he made it.

[armed_and_liberal]

87. I went to Penn State, my brother went to State Pen

.. to borrow from a old Pat Cooper joke, except in my case it is true.

I washed dishes 6 nights a week in a Italian restaurant to pay for my college, But the Cordivari family fed me well and paid me a little more than the job was worth. Relative to the doctor I had it a little easier.

I didn't become a doctor. However I spawned well and have a son working towards his MA in Philosophy (an educated dishwasher ?)

[Marr]

83. Oops.

Double post.

[shifting_sands]

14. you bet

My earliest memory was being read to at about 2 and wanting to be able to read the words myself. Anything I was ever interested in books on the subject would come home. The library was my home away from home, books have always been my weakness. I was encouraged for as long as I can remember.

[enigmatic]

15. Books have always been a part of my life

My older brothers always bought me books along w/ toys at Christmas and my birthday growing up, and it sparked a passion in me for reading that will never die.

Pre-Internet, I haunted libraries for endless reading material; they were my churches.

I'll never stop reading.

[JDPriestly]

16. Our parents read a lot.

And they read to us from before we could talk.

I love to read. As a matter of fact, I just picked up a book that I will be reading as soon as I finish typing this post.

My mother reads and reads and reads . . . .

[Quantess]

17. Mixed answer:

I learned to read at age 4 or 5, and was a voracious reader all through high school, and college. I read several classic novels. But I don't read books anymore, not the way I used to. I read non-fiction mostly for specific details, by referring to the index and looking things up. I haven't read a fiction book for a few years, now.

[WCIL]

18. I was always encouraged to read

I went to the library as often as my mother would take me, and walked went she couldn't. My husband and I also read to our children from birth, and we took twice-weekly family trips to the library. We also never said no in a bookstore, and ordered nearly everything in the Scholastic book-order forms that came home from school.

Despite all this, we have managed to raise a son who "hates" to read.

[uppityperson]

19. Books were banned from the dinner table.

Breakfast and lunch, no problem. Read away. But dinner was no book time and it was a pain.

To answer briefly, yes, yes and continuing yes.

[poverlay]

20. I had some serious problems with my hip and spent a lot of time in bed. My mom made sure that I

never ran out of books. We went to the library every week. She was the best.
It makes me sick how many people I know who don't like to read, or even think that it's not cool.

[cliffordu]

21. I was an -odd- kid.....

My sixth grade teacher insisted I read "The Carpetbaggers"


Sure loved that teacher.

[sweetpotato]

54. I read Valley of the Dolls in seventh grade

I found it on my own in my older sister's stuff. I didn't understand all of it and I remember adults being shocked when they saw me with it.

[cliffordu]

86. Which might have been the best part of the whole deal......

:rofl:

[BrklynLiberal]

22. Books all over the house. My parents were avid readers and I have passed it down to my son.

Neither one of us can pass a bookstore without stopping in..

[SeattleVet]

23. Always been a reader.

We always had books around the house, and I got my library card as soon as I could write my name (that was the main requirement). I used to walk the 5 or 6 blocks to the libarry and usually have one book 1/3 - 1/2 finished by the time I got home. It was hard to find me without a book either in hand or handy.

In grade school I was hooked on the old "Danny Dunn" series (kid scientist, basically). Always loved science fiction, and recently have been reading a lot of history and books about China.

[ConcernedCanuk]

24. yes and yes

.
.
.

and still yes

just like TN - Hardy Boys were in there, along with Nancy Drew and Jack London and many others I forget.

Used to read under the blankets with a wee flashlight so my parents wouldn't know! (I was supposed to be sleeping)

Still have a hard time putting a book down without finishing it once I get into it . .

I read books on line now, and download some as I live out of town and polish off 5 library books (our limit) in no time

here's a couple of links for those interested -

http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/ - right now I am into chapter 13 of Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer" on another screen

http://2020ok.com/ - all sorts of stuff here,already read "The Lost World" by Arthur Conan Doyle among others.

enjoy

[SidDithers]

75. Thanks for the links...

:hi:

Sid

[Withywindle]

25. Oh hell yes.

My parents must have started reading to me when Mom was pregnant because I don't remember ever NOT being a voracious reader. I could read simple stuff on my own by the time I was 4 (But I liked my dad's Field Guides to mammals and birds the best).

When I got to kindergarten, I had no idea why all these little noisy people were so obsessed with running around and being loud. What was wrong with them? Didn't they know reading was so much more fun? :rofl: (There's a little part of me that still thinks that way.)

[Heathen57]

26. Most certainly

Even though we didn't have much money (Railroad pension) my mother bought the Dr. Suess books for me. They would come in the mail and a half hour after tearing open the cardboard, I was on the second reading. By the second grade, the library in our small town let me check out the adult amount of books instead of the child's limit of 3. I think my mom talked them into it so she didn't have to come back every other day.

I remember Hardy boys, Nancy Drew, one series called Brains Benton, and stealing my mom's westerns to plow through (I sometimes had to keep a dictionary with me since every time I asked what a word meant I was told 'look it up')

In fifth grade, I was exposed to The Hobbitby a favorite teacher and I've never looked back. LOTR, and Anne McAffrey are now ones that get re-read again and again.

We actually had a problem with our daughter reading. Her teacher complained that she couldn't get her to read so we asked our daughter why. Turned out the teacher was making her take out books that were too young for her and nothing she was interested in. We bought her Harry Potter and while the teacher kept complaining that she would never understand it (she has ADD and thus was considered 'handicapped' and 'slow' by the teacher) she devoured the entire set. Now you will never find her without a book (or three!) in her backpack, and the librarians all know her by name.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

27. Very much so. Learned to read at 4.

Life without books would be unbearable.

[TexasObserver]

28. Yes. It was mandatory, just like doing well in school.

Like the Reverend Jimmy Joe Jeter, I had read the Bible by the time I was 7 or 8 years old.

By 18, I'd read Steinbeck, Rand (she's full of shit), Hemingway, and many others.

Early and continued reading is essential to developing the mind and using the language.

[gblady]

29. An avid reader…..

My parents were both educators, and reading was very valued in our household.
I remember some favorites being Pollyanna, the Anne of Green Gables series, Black Beauty,
Little Women, Little Men, Dolly Madison, George Washington Carver, Johnny Appleseed…..wow, too many to count.

I loved my books so much; I marked them all with the Dewey Decimal System, and had them properly arranged in my bookshelves as a small child. Today, I’m not so meticulous, and they spill out of every nook and cranny. I generally have 15-30 out from the library at any given time.

Mostly non-fiction for me recently while getting my Masters Degree….but perhaps that will change after I finish my final oral exam tomorrow. I was gifted with a book about Barack’s years of living in Hawaii, which I look forward to starting this weekend.

[Missy Vixen]

30. Yes, and yes

I've spent over forty years now with my nose in a book. Books help me go places I haven't ever been to. Best of all, now I write them, which is, I truly believe, my life's purpose.

Julie

[SeattleGirl]

31. Books have always been a major part of my life.

My love of reading was a gift to me from my mom; she loved to read also.

[Golden Raisin]

32. Absolutely.

Read voraciously from a very early age. My parents' house was filled with books, and so is mine today. Going to the Library was encouraged and inculcated by both parents and school. As others have pointed out, there were no video games, no computers and TV had just started to appear in some homes.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[cali]

34. I grew up in a house of books

books everywhere, thousands upon thousands of books in several languages, old books and new books, and the only store in town where we kids were allowed to charge anything, was the bookstore.

[silverojo]

35. I learned to read at the age of 3

I never had to be encouraged to read...I just loved it that much. During my preschool years, the phrase I said most often to my mother was, "What's this word?" :)

[mtnester]

36. The first non children's book I read was "Gift of the Deer"

by Helen Hoover.

I STILL have that same book in my library. The exact same one. Re-read a million times during the past 40+ years. I also have the same Black Stallion book in my library (what young girl does NOT read this wonderful story!)

I can inhale a good book. And will throw a bad book across the room in frustration. My biggest pisser and moaner is a writer who turns out garbage, knows it, yet allows it to move forward. (I am talking the major, prolific writers)

I have watched one of my favorite trash romance novel writers (not the Vamp romance one, which I think are 90% horrid) lose her descriptive abilities over the years. She used to describe eating food in an almost pornographic way. Now, food is almost missing from her characters lives. She has simply, I think, lost her writing skills as she aged. And, it is like once she retired a character she wrote about for a couple decades, she lost interest.

[ixion]

37. yes and yes

although I didn't like everything I had to read back then, I've always enjoyed reading.

[JohnnyRingo]

39. Comic books

When I was growing up in the early '60s, comic books were king. Then some elitist declared them a blight on America's youth.

Soon after, they began sneaking in education and literature. I didn't even realize it until I was reading such tomes as "Little Lulu and Tubby go to Australia", "Dennis The Menace vacation in Washington DC", and "Donald and his nephews use algebra to count Uncle Scrooge's money" did I discover they were tricking me into learning. (Those were real comics)

Anyway, it whet an early appetite for print, and led to an avid quest for information that lasts to this day. I admit though, the computer has since replaced pages with windows.

[watrwefitinfor]

40. I, too, was reading by age 3 or 4.

Thanks to a wonderful aunt who was becoming a first grade teacher, and encouraged me and helped me with "what's this word?" Mostly then I remember reading my own books that were laying around - I remember recognizing the text in "Goldilocks" and especialy enjoyed "Three Little Kittens who Lost Their Mittens". In first grade the teacher was quite pissed that I could read - seemed to think I set a bad example for the other kids. Then she brought in a stack of her old Reader's Digests to keep me occupied while the other kids struggled through Dick & Jane. In second grade the teacher let me tutor some of the slower kids. The first adult books I read were about that time, and from my mom's extensive collection of "romance novels." I remember lots of Frank G. Slaughter and swashbuckling pirates.

Maybe that's why I love Captain Jack Sparrow so much...

Wat

[Are_grits_groceries]

44. We didn't have much money when I was little.

I learned to read with comic books. We would go to town and when we were at the drugstore, Mama would buy my brother and I a Coke and she would read a comic book to us.I read "Classic Comics" which put "Lorna Doone", "Ivanhoe" and other books in that format.I read a lot of those books when I grew up.
We also used the library a lot. I can't remember not reading. My favorite book is
"To Kill a Mockingbird."
One item I read religiously was MAD magazine. I don't think my parents realized what that meant. I learned a lot about mocking the establishment from it. It was a beacon of hope to me.

[Hekate]

45. "A" book? We were all compulsive readers, growing up. Library books were everywhere

... as was a treasure trove of paperback sci-fi that Dad brought home from work. He and his co-workers swapped them around in a large cardboard box. Mom got us all library cards; she didn't believe in buying books because money was scarce; Dad did it anyway. We had the Encyclopedia Britannica, with lovely color plates of butterflies and jewels.

Like my Dad, I buy books. My library is a treasure to me. I read to my kids when they were little. When my son was in 4th grade and stalling about writing book reports his teacher told me there was a provision for giving oral reports on books above grade level that had been read aloud by a parent. I read my son the entire Lord of the Rings, which enraptured him, and I understand his oral reports were splendid. I started reading to my grandson as soon as he could sit up in my lap.....

Hekate

[Sisaruus]

47. I'm still addicted to books and reading

According to my mother, when my friends came to visit they had to settle for playing with my little sister because my nose was buried in a book. My father always said he would buy me whatever book I wanted (and he always did) and my mother took us to to the library at least once a week (when I was older and could ride my bike there, I would go daily during school vacation). I also spent much (all of?) my allowance (now called a paycheck) on books, magazines, and newspapers.

I still am a fairly voracious reader, book buyer, and library patron. But there's never enough time to read all the books stacked in my to-be-read pile (now in the thousands). For those of you who have many books, check out an on-line cataloging service at www.librarything.com. My personal addiction is recorded at http://www.librarything.com/profile/sisaruus

When my son was five, he got lost in a nearby state forest. He came out of the forest right behind the town library and knew how to walk home from there because we'd been walking there together at least once a week since he was a toddler. He's 37 now and also a voracious reader and book-owner.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

48. My father read to me most every evening when I was a child

and instilled in me a love of poetry, and reading in general. He also made up stories for us, which he'd tell us at bedtime. I still love to read, but am not reading as much lately as I would like to...

[dorkulon]

49. Boredom made me a reader when I was 8.

My mom took me to my grandparents in England for several weeks. No morning cartoons, not much to do in the daytime really. Don't get me wrong, the trip overall was great, but there was a lot of sitting around waiting for stuff to happen while my grandpa watched cricket. I'm not sure when or if I would have become a big reader otherwise.

I had 2 books--one, an adaptation of the Disney movie Gus, about a fieldgoal-kicking mule (I was 8, okay?), and the other, "The Black Stallion" by Walter Farley, purchased solely on the horse connection. I must have read Gus about 40 times before I finally gave in and opened that daunting book with small print and no pictures, but when I finally started, I read it in a single day. After that, I was obsessed, eventually reading every one of Farley's books--about 20, I'd guess. I became the kind of kid that gets in trouble for staying up late reading.

Once I ran out of those, I picked up my first piece of genuine literature--The Red Pony, by John Steinbeck, another horse-related purchase (this was a fleeting obsession, as an adult I have no marked interest in horses or equestrian activities), which was a bit grown-up for me at the time. From there I just expanded, at first reading light stuff like Sherlock Holmes mysteries and sci-fi short stories, eventually moving into more serious work, one milestone being The Catcher in the Rye when I was 13, which made me want to be a writer and whetted my appetite for serious fiction. By the time I graduated high school, I had read more classic novels than I'd guess most people do in a lifetime--these days, anyhow. Not to brag, but all that early reading made me into a fairly articulate, eloquent person, who can write well and even employ punctuation appropriately. The impact on developing my mind was inestimable. I'd say reading all those books when I was so young did more for my ability to think and communicate clearly than my college education.

To my shame, it seems these days I am more interested in non-fiction, and spend more time reading magazines and newspapers than books. I keep telling myself to go back to fiction, as there are still many, many, highly esteemed authors I have not read, but the only books I've read lately have been political tomes like The Shock Doctrine.

EDIT: Oh, and to answer your question (duh), Yes, my parents were tenacious in their efforts to make me a reader, and I have no doubt that their obvious delight when I became one encouraged the habit.

[trof]

51. Yes, yes, yes, and yes. When I got my first library card...

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
Must have been around 9 or 10.
We lived within walking distance of a branch library.
I spent most of the summer in the front porch swing...READING.

[sweetpotato]

52. My family read to me

I was lucky - my mom, grandmother, sister and grandfather all read to me as a child. I don't remember not being able to read. I read everything I could reach - never really needed outside encouragement to read.

[AndrewP]

53. My Dad made me read one book a week

and write a book report for him, even during the summers, when I was a kid.

I was so pissed at the time, but I am so grateful today. Being well read and literate is a gift that so many don't get a chance to be.

Now I go crazy if I don't have time to read in my crazy adult life. I even read when I'm standing in line. Yes, I know. Geek alert. :)

[babylonsister]

55. Welcome to DU, AndrewP, and give your dad a hug for knowing

the value of what he was forcing you to do. Sometimes, older people do actually know what they're talking about. :)

[AndrewP]

64. Thanks! How true, right?

The older I get, the more I figure out how right he was more often than not. :)

[Bluenorthwest]

56. Encouraged with all possible vigor

My older sister taught me to read well before school kicked in. Books of all kinds, from jewels to junk, if it was words on a page, I was encouraged to read it.

[peace frog]

57. My mother read to me every night

from the time I was a toddler. On my first day of school at the age of 5, I came home mightily disappointed that I hadn't learned to read! I owe it all to my mom, God bless her. I've been a voracious reader all my life.

[Caretha]

59. I grew up in a household

of 7, five daughters. Everyone's nose was stuck in a book anytime there was "free time". We were raised in the Episcopal church and our parents usually allowed us to choose individually what we gave up for Lent every year, except one year Mom chose. We all had to give up books for one week! Every single one of us kids turned into the biggest sneaks and back sliders that week. Mom of course figured that out and realized that was the dumbest thing she could have come up with in trying to teach us about self-sacrifice.

Oh, and my favorite of all time favorites that I read over & over as a kid...Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

[babylonsister]

78. Another great book! I remember reading under my

covers at night with a flashlight. I must have been at a good part in whatever book I was reading. :)
Maybe that's why I'm sort of blind now!

[spinbaby]

60. It depends on what you mean by "encourage"

My parents read to their children, took us to the library once a week, and didn't have a TV in the house. I grew up to be a reader. I read what I wanted to at my own pace.

My parents did not, however, pull any of the tricks that nowadays seem to be meant to encourage children to read. They did not require that we read certain books or a set number of books. They did not offer bribes to read books or nag us to read books. They did not offer up books as being good for us. If they had done any of these things, I think I would have become very suspicious of the whole activity.

[flygal]

61. Judy Blume were the first chapter books I read regularly

so embarrassing - but I really wasn't into Narnia and the like. Hated classical literature in school but read non-fiction like crazy. Lots of biographies and reference type books. Got into historical fiction like Michener and Wouk after college.

[juno jones]

62. I've been an addict to the written word since I was three.

I still have the A A Milne books my dad used to read to me.

My parents would let me read anything I wanted. Once, when I was 13 I was in the chorus of Carousel. There's not a lot of scenes for kids in that, so I passed the time backstage reading. One night, I was reading Slaughterhouse-five and an older gentleman from the cast came up to me and asked sternly, "Do your parents know you're reading that?" I was taken a bit aback, I'd been sure my parents had seen me reading it and it certainly would never occur to me to have to ask their permission to read a book, especially something considered to be literature. I think I said something like, "Of course they do." and he sputtered off, but it was strange to encounter someone who thought that way, who had a desire to censor what I was reading.

[Book Lover]

96. Not to derail the conversation, but

I *LOVE* your avatar!

[juno jones]

100. Thanks

I stole it from someone here during the primaries and just recently got around to using it. Obama as Bob Dobbs cracks me up.

[trayfoot]

63. Absolutely.......

From Golden Books to Nancy Drew to the classics, even textbooks and now I love murder mysteries!!!!! I couldn't concentrate on reading the month before the election (too antsy!), but am back into it now!

[SidDithers]

65. I was a voracious reader as a kid...

but have gotten away from it a bit, as an adult. Busy lives and all that.

But I'm really pleased to see both my kids (10 & 8) have got the reading bug, and always seem to have a book in their little hands.

Encouraging reading is one of the best things a parent can do for a child. :)

Sid

[atommom]

66. Started reading at a very young age, and read everything I could get my hands on.

That obsession might have something to do with my current internet addiction (OMG! So many words! So little time!), and I'm sure it had a lot to do with making me a scientifically-minded liberal. I still don't understand how people can not read. (Not speaking of illiterate people, but of those who don't have an interest.)

[PufPuf23]

67. Think Night of the Living Dead only BOOKS instead of BRAINS

I am a book zombie.

My habits have changed in that the internet has replaced a newspaper jones.

[MadinMo]

68. Very definitely books were a huge part of my growing up.

My mother read to us a lot --- from Winnie the Pooh to The Secret Garden. And I've always loved reading. Sometimes I go to bed early just so I can read a good book! I have never understood how someone does not enjoy reading.

My 15 year old daughter loves to read and is involved with a boy who doesn't like to read at all. I see that as a potential major problem between them but so far it is working out. She tries to gently encourage him to read but I don't think he is taking to it.

One of my kids' favorite outings is to go to the bookstore and we rarely come away with less than an armload. I know we should use the library more, but we just like HAVING the books.

[Stinky The Clown]

69. My parents encouraged reading at a very young age.

My house was full of books. We were allowed to read - encouraged - any time we wished, even when confined to our rooms for being bad boys. "Stinky, go to your room and stay there for an hour. No toys .... but you can read if you want to."

Books were seen as a way up by my parents.

[renie408]

70. My parents allowed me to read anything I wanted at any age.

I was reading Jaws and Harold Robbins books when I was 12. OK, maybe that wasn't such a great idea since I was afraid of the water for years and had some pretty fucked up relationship ideas as a teenager, but over all, I think my parents liberal reading policy was a good idea. I wish I could get my kids to read more.

[bunkerbuster1]

71. Very much so. Alas, they've fallen by the way side.

I rarely take the time to read books now. I know I should.

I particularly need to read more fiction; that's a whole dimension missing from my reading experience these days.

[closeupready]

72. Yes, I was encouraged to do so, but I hate to admit that I found it hard to get into many books.

And I'd start one, and never finish it. The ones that I did read cover to cover were usually so enjoyable that I still have them on my bookshelf, and when I look at them, I remember the pleasure I had reading them and also the sadness at finishing them.

[DemoTex]

73. We did not have a TV until I was 12 .. we read or were read to by my parents.

My dad was a college professor who, like Don Delillo, pegged TV for what it was: A thief of time. When dad finally relented and bought a Capehart B&W TV in 1960, the reading habit was ingrained.

In 1990 Dr. D. and I divested ourselves of our old Sony TV and went totally without a TV for thirteen years. We both love reading in a perfectly silent house .. save the noise of a dog or two under our feet.

When we bought the mountain house in NC in 2003, it came with three TVs and DirecTV. That's where we stand today, but the TVs are only on occasionally and tuned to something like Keith or Rachael.

I am driving to Dallas this weekend. I have four audio CDs coming from Amazon today: Faulkner, Cheever, Chekhov, and Great Short Stories. I can't even drive without my books.

[madmom]

74. I am an avid reader now, was not encouraged as a child, picked it up in

jr. high when I had an English-Lit teacher I adored. I did encourage my children to read asap. One of our "punishments" for my daughter when she was younger was threatening to take her books away!

[babylonsister]

89. Now there's proof of how much an impact a good teacher can have.

And it's great that you passed it on!

[shanti]

77. yes, i was a boomer bookworm as a kid

still am...my parents, although they didn't read to me and my sibs, were avid readers too. unfortunately, my own children aren't, except for my oldest, a history teacher.

[surrealAmerican]

80. I was definitely encouraged to, and until I outgrew ...

... picture books, enjoyed it. A few bad choices of first chapter books convinced me that children's fiction was boring. I read only non-fiction until I was able to read adult fiction. I was much more careful in choosing books for my children when they were young, and they are both avid readers.

[Irishonly]

81. Yes and Yes for the whole family

[Crankie Avalon]

84. Actually, all I did was read and it worried my parents...

...they thought it was very unwholesome for me to always be alone with books and not out socializing.

Looking back, I don't say they were entirely wrong.

[hunter]

85. So far as I can remember I've always read.

I probably wouldn't have bothered learning how to talk if I hadn't been reading at the same time. Reading is what I talked about. I remember being surprised in kindergarten that kids couldn't read. Everyone in my family reads. My wife's family is the same, and our kids are the same -- like it soaks in by osmosis. Reading is something people do, like sleeping or eating or breathing.

One of my fondest memories as a newlywed was reading with my wife. We were in Cincinnati for an afternoon interview, but we arrived in the morning, so we found a spot overlooking the river, snuggled up together and read our paperbacks. It was a perfectly lovely spring day.

[seemunkee]

90. My mother was a librarian

So yes of course.
And we made sure to read to our kids too. At 18 my daughter still wanted me to read Harry Potter to her.

[Realityhack]

91. Yes they were, yes they are. Just got an Amazon order 20min ago. n/t

[TuxedoKat]

92. Always loved to read from a young age

I remember vividly wanting to know how to read a book I was given as a present at age four. I wasn't encouraged over much and we didn't have many childrens' books at our home so I would read whatever books of my parents looked interesting and check out books from my school library. I still love to read but have less time nowadays with two kids.

[Greyskye]

93. Encouraged young, still a voracious reader, and our son has the bug now as well.

He's 10 now, but he and I still read together every night for 30 minutes. He reads at an 11th grade level, and is already going through my library that I've built up after 40+ years of obsessive book buying. :)

[LostinVA]

94. Yes and yes -- I love to read!

The Circ Librarian at out library calls me and Haruka "heavy hitters," because we check out so many books.

You are never alone if you have a book.

[cherokeeprogressive]

95. I had a very old set of encyclopedias in my room. So old the pages were yellow.

I used to sit and read things out of them randomly. Then someone bought me Beowulf and I was hooked. I used to get in trouble at the dinner table for reading the ingredients on things like katsup bottles.

[Book Lover]

97. Oh yes

Books were everywhere in the house. Reading and talking were encouraged at the dinner table. Highlights and Weekly Reader books came in the mail regularly. As for now, well, I've been working in print publishing my entire adult life; I also create art books. No getting away from the written word!

[Orsino]

98. Very much so.

As the spawn of two English teachers, I was always encouraged to read. I still love it.

[kwassa]

99. I read a book once.

Might do it again sometime.

[BamaGirl]

101. I grew up surrounded by books

and still live surrounded by books. ;) I'm a writer so how I could I not have books or be a reader? My kids (13,12, and 7) are all into books too, and all three say they're going to be writers too lol. I didn't marry a reader though. For a while, early on, that really bugged me until I realized that just meant I didn't have to share the book budget lol. Now it goes 4 ways. *sigh* So many books, not nearly enough cash. :P All three of the kids have given me a long list of books for C'mas. I keep saying C'mas this year is not going to be what they're used to, but they all know I can't resist books. I think it's going to be harder for me to pick and chose from their lists than it would be for them.

[knitter4democracy]

102. My dad gave me Steinbeck to read at 13 and told me not to read trash anymore.

Yeah, you could say reading was highly encouraged. Small wonder I became a high school English teacher. :) You should see the children's lit library I've put together for our kids in the basement.

[etherealtruth]

107. My dad gave me "Of Mice and Men" at 11

Mercifully, I was raised on the classics ... Louisa May Alcott, Dickens, Bronte, Jane Austin ... we were also read poetry after mass on Sundays (some pretty unusual stuff).

[knitter4democracy]

110. Yup. I got "Of Mice and Men" and "Travels with Charley".

Grandma gave me Pride and Prejudice, too, that year. I've tried to have a mix of the classics and some of the newer children's authors I like in the house for the kids. I figure they'll find something they like.

[Caretha]

118. Aww Poetry!

I love it. My Dad used to read & recite it to us. My all time favorite poetry book, I boughht it for both my daughters when they were young, 101 Favorite Poems.....Winken, Blinken, and Nod one night Sailed off in a wooden shoe ...

[dynasaw]

103. The Original Bookworm

Was the typical bespectacled "ole four eyes" book worm as a kid. Came from the British system where kids read Shakespeare
from age 10, all the great works of literature by the time we finished the equivalent of high school. Still devour books--average three to six per week--and now have a Kindle which is probably every book lovers' dream of having instant access/gratification!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

104. Encouraged? No. Required.

And usually the books I was required to read ended up being utterly unenjoyable, regardless of the quality of the book.

[onethatcares]

105. damn right, every christmas I got at least two books,

might have been Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Tropic of Cancer or Candy , but I always got books. I remember discovering J.D. Salinger, and reading a "Perfect Day for Banana Fish". I still have that short story ensemble.

If you can't read, the world is a closed book

Peace

[H2O Man]

106. Yep.

Books are among my best friends. I've read every day since I was little.

[jjanpundt]

108. My parents loved to read and not only encouraged us to read,

but every week for years every couple of weeks we'd walk to the public library and stock up on books. The older kids would watch over the younger (there were 5 of us) while Mom and Dad made their selections, and then we'd split off to our various sections of the library. Great memories.

[RushIsRot]

109. I found a great book in my high school library.

It was called Cache Lake Country. It was written by John Rowlands. It was a non-fiction book about people living in the Canadian north. It was organized around the twelve months and how these people spent their time. It had amazing illustrations by Henry Bugby Kane.

I mentioned liking the book to my teacher and she suggested I look into Walden by Henry David Thoreau. I've been a devotee to HDT ever since. I have visited Walden Pond three times. I became probably the youngest life member of The Thoreau Society at age 19. I am currently 67.

[slay]

111. Yep. I loved A Wrinkle in Time back then... Reading Clive Barker's Everville now

Great sequel so far to his excellent "The Great and Secret Show".

[proud patriot]

112. I had to have a phonics tutor as a child

I earned my .10 cents a night for reading
because I hated it so much .

"Stuart Little" books on the ice age, reptiles
and other non-fiction grabbed my interest .
The Diary of Anne Frank I read in the 6th grade
changed my life forever . Been a history , current
events fan since. Anne Rice and Jean Auel were
my favorites before the bush years . I haven't
read fiction during the bush years . I also love
Richard Bach .


Reading is still a big part of my life.

A good book series that can last weeks is
a wonderful thing .

[johnaries]

113. Not encouraged by my parents, but turned on to books by friends.

Isaac Asimov changed my life. I remember reading several of his short stories about fictional societies and thinking "who would be stupid enough to think like that?" and then suddenly realizing he was actually talking about OUR society - he was talking about me. I was that stupid.

He opened my eyes while entertaining me. I have been an avid reader ever since.

[defendandprotect]

114. Well, when I was six I went to library to discover...

and the woman there showed me only fiction ...

I did much later discover biographies which I love and which often tell

life's truths ... love biographies!!

but not until much later did I discover non-fiction ...

and for last 20 years have read hundreds of books every year -- non-fiction.

Used to read a lot of newspapers, etc --

Only internet now --

[fortyfeetunder]

115. I read anything I could get my hands on...

until I was (a single digit age) and mom caught me reading Jacqueline Suzann's "Valley of the Dolls" and then I had to use the school library for my future reading.

Reading is as natural as drinking water...

[skooooo]

116. Yes and yes, very much. nt

[annabanana]

117. Reading my first "chapter book" was one of the most exciting

things I'd ever done. I began to haunt the local library and went through ALL the Oz books practically in one gulp. Then lots & lots of Kipling and Verne.

I tend to hook onto an author, and then read everything they ever wrote. When Robertson Davies passed away I was crushed.

I can not think or breathe without books.

[slackmaster]

119. My parents handed me George Orwell's Animal Farm when I was seven years old

I kind of got the message, and definitely enjoyed the read.

[onetiredmom]

120. Oh my gosh, YES!

I can't remember not ever having a book in my hand! In first grade, my teacher would take me to the library separately to check out books because my reading level was so much better than most of the kids. I would get in my closet after lights out so I could read more! In elementary school I loved "Cheaper by the Dozen." I read "Gone With the Wind" in 7th grade and that made a huge impact on me. In high school it was "The Little Prince" and "Jonathan Livingston Seagull." Does that date me or what????

I've made many mistakes with my 11 yr old son, but I've gotten it right on the books and reading. He will ask if we can go just hang out at Borders on a Friday night; we can stay 2-3 hrs easily. And a Saturday afternoon treat is hanging out at the library.

Think he will still want to hang out with with Mom when he's 16???

[Mari333]

121. encouraged by Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan)

I even wrote to him a few years ago and thanked him profusely for sparking my interest as a child in reading. He wrote back and was delighted that I had written him 50 yrs later.
He has since passed on, and I am glad every day that I thanked him now.

[Bertha Venation]

122. I don't remember being encouraged, but I have always read. n/t

[negativenihil]

123. Yes, yes

I'm 28 now - and i started reading very early. My mom always encouraged me to read as much as i could, and i don't ever recall a book or subject being off limits. By the time i was in 5th grade i was reading on a high school level. My teachers at the time didn't believe i was actually reading the stephen king paperbacks i would break out in personal reading time (one time my teacher even went so far as to quiz me on the book - after that she knew i was reading and understanding the topics).

By the time i hit college i was bored with fiction and mostly ended up reading philosophy, religious, and technical books.

That being said - post-college i didn't do much reading at all, up until a few months ago when i got the itch again.

Gotta say it feels great to be back to my old reading speed and habits. Right now i'm averaging a book a week (this is just spare time reading - like while waiting for the train to work, and riding the train to work, my lunch break and the train trip home).

[MANative]

124. Constantly. My grandfather loved to read and from the

time I was about 2 years old, he always bought me a bunch of books for every special occasion - birthdays, Christmas, etc. - and would read to me until I was able to read to myself. I truly think that was one of the reasons I learned to read so young - I'd been reading on my own for almost 2 years before I got to Kindergarten, which is common today, but not so much when I grew up in the early 60's. Probably a big reason that I did well in school, too. I remember him buying me a series of Reader's Digest books for "young readers" and I'd get new books every month or so. As I got older, he'd buy 2 of each book, and we'd read them at the same time and then talk about them; our own personal Book Club! When he passed away about 15 years ago, he bequeathed his book collection to me. At last count, there were over 2000 books in my house.

As a matter of practice, no matter what else is going on, I read at least 2 hours every day. On the weekend, I've been known to read for 6 or 7 hours at a stretch - take a break for something to eat - then read another 3 or 4 hours!

[notadmblnd]

125. it seems like I as born reading.

I've always been compelled to read. Anything and everything. Grimms fairy tales was my favorite when I was a child. I probably spend a good 8-12 hours a day reading something, even if it is on the computer, I can't stop.

[Terran]

126. My father read to us as kids

My brother, sister and I, I recall it from the age of five or so. First it was Greek myths, and then later Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories" (and god he was great at it!). So I didn't need much encouragement to read after that...I was reading Shakespeare when I was about 8 or 9, and somewhere around 10 or 11 I discovered science fiction. I remember my father was to blame for that too, because he gave me a copy of Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man" for my birthday. LOL, it was all over after that!

Edit: having read the whole thread, it's kind of a hoot, because you can tell all of us who of a certain age...those who read "Black Beauty", the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, probably a lot of us read "A Wrinkle in Time" (another book that launched me into my insatiable love of sci fi). So many great children's classics out there. To the many who grew up without these stories, it makes me happy that many of you still turned out to be book lovers!

[AgadorSparticus]

127. Definitely. I remember in elementary school being all excited when we would order books

from (was is scholastic?) that book company that does it through the school. It was something that we all looked forward to. I remember thinking that whenever the books came in, it was like Christmas. The teacher would call your name and you'd go up to the front of the class to p/u the books that you ordered.

It started the love of books for me.

[Greyhound]

128. Both my sister and I were reading books before we even started school.

It made the early years very boring waiting for the rest to catch up.