A Lifetime of Reading

I've always been more of a reader than a writer. I'm sure I've had much more practice reading than writing, but I also know that writing takes vulnerability, and I have experienced a lifetime of painful shyness and insecurities. Sure, I've written diaries, but no one reads those. They don't involve audience, revision, editing, etc. I remember in school writing some excellent pieces, but, still, it is much easier to be a peacefully introverted reader. Perhaps because I don't often like to talk about myself, I also don't often have an urge to express myself on paper either.

I think a "Books of My Life" personal narrative might be a good assignment to start the year with. It could be turned into a book itself, a scrapbook or collage (hmm... perhaps a craft in this last week of summer):

I read a lot as a child, and my parents have pictures of me "reading" alone as a 1 year old. But, like the single memory (created by a photograph) of my eating only Cheerios, I only remember reading Angelina Ballerina. Of course, I was enrolled in ballet classes and I loved Angelina’s assortment of colorful costumes. The metallics and the pastels stood out on the page and I wanted to be a ballerina just like her (and my big sister).

During the early elementary grades, I only read The Babysitter’s Club. These girls were so cool, so grown up, and I wanted to be them. Stacy was the coolest, with her funky clothes and secret candy stash. These were the years I longed to be a teenager and nothing says "grown up" more than having the responsibility of taking care of younger kids.

During the late elementary years, I turned into an RL Stine fanatic. One particular story that remains vivid in my memory is one in which a girl falls into a pool of pirhanas. While I was too scared to watch horror movies (my best friend tortured me with these whenever we had sleepovers), I loved these horror novels, perhaps because my own imagination was in charge of what I "saw". My grandmother even once got RL Stine’s autograph in one of my books: “To Miriam, have a scary day”. But, unfortunately, I forgot about it, and sold all my RL Stine books to a used bookstore when I was older. Bummer.

In 8th grade, my science teacher recommended the book “The Hot Zone”. I devoured this book, possibly my first adult book. For the rest of the year, I wanted to hunt the Ebola virus in the depths of Africa, and I would find a cure. I imagined myself wearing a biohazard suit, entering extreme danger zones, and experimenting with monkeys. I was adventurous and did not realize how difficult and tedious biology really was.

I loathed reading assigned books in high school. I cheated on my Lord of the Flies final essay, and I cannot tell you much about The Scarlet Letter or Walden, and as I sit here writing, I cannot remember any other books assigned. I only recently out of curiosity read The Catcher in the Rye, The Grapes of Wrath and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. But I did enjoy non-required reading, particularly romance. The English Patient was sensual, visually stimulating, and historically fascinating. I can't remember much of what I read in high school, but I did love this one.

In college, I prepared to study abroad in Ireland, and I was obsessed with all things Irish. I wanted to be Irish – I have red hair and looked the part, and I was obsessed with U2. So, I started reading Nora Roberts. I daydreamed of a handsome Irish lad sweeping me off my feet to live with him in his castle. Of course it didn’t happen, and after my trip to Ireland, my obsession ceased.

In the past few years, there have been less defining books, but maybe that is because I am still living this period of my life. During my credential program, I read books and watched DVDs a lot to escape the stress of the program. In the spring of that year, I watched all six seasons of Six Feet Under, but I also remember sitting on my porch enjoying The House of the Spirits - that book was a definite escape as I discovered "magical realism". Since then, my favorites have been Barabara Kingsolver when I'm feeling romantic and wistful, murder mysteries (PD James and Cara Black, recently) when I'm feeling stressed and in need of a serious break, and Young Adult fiction when I feel disconnected from my students.