Reading May Not Be Fundamental, But it Sure is Fun

I love to read. I always have. From the moment I could tell the difference between letters, and when I realized that put into different configurations they could spell actual words, I was hooked. From Dr. Seuss on, I put my everything into the reading experience. I remember when I was eight years old and I was reading Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, Choose Your Own Adventure books, and my mom would come into my room to see what I was doing, she always seemed to be shocked. I was never sure if she was shocked at the fact that I was reading, or at the material I had chosen to read, but it was always my choice.

The first thing I ever read by myself was the Bible (I know, no surprise there), but it was in kiddie form. It was an illustrated kids’ edition with a picture and a few words on each page. My dad had gotten it for me, even though he thought I was too young to read it at the time, but I wasn’t. I ate it up with a spoon (I was always afraid of forks). I loved reading about Jonah and the whale, about Moses and the burning bush, and about Joshua and the battle of Jericho, but the best part of it was that I could do it by myself. Yes, I would struggle in the early days, but my mother was very patient helping me with any words I couldn’t quite figure out on my own. What I loved about her technique was that she helped me sound it out; she didn’t just tell me what it was, and I do the same thing for my children.

I also discovered the public library really early on. There was a library about eight blocks from my house, and my sister and I would ride our bikes down there in the summer for the programs they would put on for kids, but also for the books. We would check out the maximum five books for kids every single time we went, and we would read those books like they were going out of style. I enjoyed anything that was a mystery, like those Encyclopedia Brown books. Not knowing the end, not having it be obvious, was the single most interesting thing I learned about books. It wasn’t so scripted, and I have always loved surprises. The library was fun, too, because we could sit in the slightly ratty chairs there in the children’s room and read to our heart’s content. Most Sundays we would often be there when it was closing time, we stayed so long. The library was like our own babysitter, and we grew with it too. Before long, I was going there on my own and getting larger, more complex books, moving on to The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, and eventually to Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

These days I still frequent the library as often as I can, or need to, but there are so many more options to read, and I love the possibilities. I never thought in those early days that I would ever be able to use the computer to read. I mean, we had an Apple 2C computer and we could barely play games like The Oregon Trail and Agent USA on it. There was no internet and no reading option back then, but as the years have gone on so much has changed. Now I can download eBooks and read not only on my computer, but also on my Nook, on my cellphone, and on my children’s iPads. Pretty much anywhere I am, I have access to reading material, and that’s exciting to me.

“Pretty much anywhere I am, I have access to reading material…”

Also, there are more than just books to read. I am really into the short story as an art form, and there is an endless supply of short stories available on and through the internet now, so much more than I could have ever read through the library back in the day. There are also amazing poems to be found if you just do a little searching. There were not too many books of poetry available anywhere prior to this media revolution. The biggest thing I didn’t think of, but that has become a huge part of my reading experience of late, is blog reading. I love to read other people’s thoughts, so much more than I ever thought I would. And there are so many blogs out here, so diverse, and so random, it’s never a dull moment, and there’s always something different to read. The only issue is finding the time to read it all, especially since I’m also a writer, but I find time here and there. I’m glad I do.

I haven’t forgotten the old-fashioned book, though, as I always have at least two actual books going at the same time. And I still go heavy on the mysteries, but I have definitely expanded my palate throughout the years. Now I can be found reading horror, romance, graphic novels, literature, science-fiction, and even non-fiction every now and again. I still tend toward liking mysteries the best, but I like it that I’m more well-rounded lately. Every once in awhile, as well, I will go into the library and just pick a book based on its cover. It’s always interesting to find a book that way, and they usually don’t disappoint. One thing that has changed for me and my reading experience, however, is that I used to always finish books I started. Now I think life is too short. If a book is horrendous, I just stop reading it. It saves me so much time and stress over bad books.

And it doesn’t hurt that my wife’s a librarian too, almost like I planned it that way.

Sam