I don’t exactly know what kind of reader I am. I say this
because most people can say “I’ve been an avid reader since I learned how to
read.” Or “I fell in love with reading when…” Me? I wasn’t an avid reader when
I was younger. It wasn’t due to any particular reason I don’t think. I don’t
know if the language barrier had anything to do with it either. I don’t
remember a lot from my short school years in Mexico so I can’t say I was a
reader then. I also don’t remember many reading moments once here in the states
either, so I can’t say I was a reader then either.
One book in particular
sticks out to me when thinking about books in my elementary years… The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine
Paterson. I can’t quite recall details, but it stuck with me. Something about
the book embedded itself into my brain. I guess by default anyone who has the
capacity to read is a reader so by default I’ve been a reader since the time I
was able to read. But a literary reader? (is
that even a thing?) I wish I could recall. I do however have certain
moments that I think changed me from a default reader to a literary reader. In
middle school I read for points. I wanted to be able to get the prizes the
reading program had dammit! I don’t remember a single book I read. In High School
I was forced to read in my advanced English classes. So I read grudgingly. I
remember actually reading a handful of the assigned books. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. And of those
few only some stayed with me. And out of high school? There were two books I
read before I truly could say I enjoyed
reading.
Then one fall a movie trailer came out. It was a movie about a girl
who fell in love with a supernatural being. A girl who fell in love with a guy
with super strength, with absolutely NO melanin in the skin and the most sexy
bouffant I have ever seen on a dude in my life. And I wanted so badly to go see
this movie. So I went with two of my closest friends. As my friends talked
about the differences in the movie from the book I desired to read this book.
The story was interesting to my little 20 year old brain. So I borrowed book
one. By now I’m going to assume you’ve all guessed what books I’m talking
about. I started reading Twilight by
Stephenie Meyer on a Sunday. By Wednesday I was done. I needed more books at
this point too. So after devouring the Twilight
series I went on to the next. I began my journey to a magical land where a
young orphaned boy lived to defeat the murderer of his parents. Harry Potter gave me a new desire. The
need to escape the realities of everyday life. If this orphaned boy could grow
up to defeat a Hitler like evil, I could get up in the mornings and go to
work. Then a good friend of mine said to
me one day, “You liked Harry you should read Percy Jackson.” So I said bring it
on. And I fell in love with another boy again. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan made me thirst for
more. And this went on for a bit. I would listen to my friend at every turn. I
began a new series I am Number Four by
Pittacus Lore. This would be my first time reading a book in a series that was
not complete. I learned the anguish of having to wait over a year for a book.
As time went by I randomly read. I would
pick up a book at Wal-Mart or Target that looked interesting. I would go to the
bookstore and peruse around, and pick something random up. I had a teeny tiny
bookshelf with lots of space. I thoroughly enjoyed a good book. But I read very
few books. In 2012, I saw another movie trailer. This time the story wasn’t
about a girl who fell in love. It was about a girl who needed to save her
sister from the horror of fighting to the death. I devoured The Hunger Games trilogy and while I was
devouring the books my little brother was becoming the owner of a Kindle Fire.
And boy did would that end up opening up my book-loving world.
Before I
discovered the Indie world, I also read three more books. These books were the
very first indie books I read. The story was a fan-fiction of Twilight.. 50 Shades of Grey by EL James
is controversial in its own right. But those books turned a desire into a
hunger. I had to read. I visited Target one day and found a book called Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. In
the midst of discovering Beautiful
Disaster I also discovered Goodreads and Goodreads told me what books I
should read. And that began a lovely journey. A journey in which I discovered
some amazing books, some not so amazing books. I’ve met some wonderful people.
I’ve met the authors who have written these amazing books. I’ve discovered a world
unlike anything I’ve known. I have found my people. I now consider myself an
avid reader. I now proudly say I’m a bibliophile. I own two large bookshelves
that are out of space. I could start my own little private reading nook in my
room. I still can’t say the exact moment I became an “avid” reader, but I’m so
very happy I discovered this great new world.
I discovered several books that
woke my soul. One of those books was Hopeless
by Colleen Hoover. I searched HIGH
AND LOW for this book. I called bookstores and was met with a sort of
condescending “uhh who is that” tone. I then decided to look
on Amazon. Oh I found Hopeless alright. For the amazing price of $700 (how was
I supposed to know it is one of the indie copies out there?!) I thought to
myself this book better come with sound, smell, and fucking touch. Man did I
get so much more. Colleen Hoover led me to so many more amazing authors and
books. Left Drowning by Jessica Park
was one of those. I stumbled across this by chance and so my rollercoaster ride
gave way at full speed. Since the events aforementioned have transpired I have
become the proud owner of what some basic person would call “too many books”. I
have gone to eight different signings, met over 20 authors, made so many
friends to share my crazy obsession with and made some amazing memories.
In the
midst of all of this there have been a good handful of books that have
influenced me in ways that I could never fully explain. The Bronze Horseman The Bronze Horseman series by Paullina Simons
is an example. The Man I Love, Give Me
Your Answer True, and Here to Stay by Suanne Laqueur (sobrepasarlo my dear)
are another. Mud Vein by Tarryn
Fisher is one more. Anything and
everything Lori Otto has written has
made me a better person and a more enthusiastic reader. It’s a beautiful thing
when a person’s words can capture your heart in a life changing way. I thank my
lucky stars I found this extremely pleasing passion.
