Sandi Shilhanek | Personal History of Reading...or Why I'm a Reader

Yesterday Sara discussed what bugged readers and made them turn away from an author. I want to know why readers read. What is your favorite thing to read about? Do you remember discovering reading?

I personally don’t recall when, where, how, or why I learned to read. I also don’t remember the first book I read independently. I do know that my parents thought I could read until they caught me with the book upside down, and backwards, and realized I hadn’t learned to read it all, but had instead memorized it.

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I’m sure I became a reader because I remember growing up somewhat lonely and friendless. Board games required at least one other person, but reading is totally independent and can be pretty much done anywhere! I know that some of my favorite books were those read to us at school, and to this day I still own copies of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlotte’s Web, and Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

I remember being bribed to do things with a new book, and of course that almost always worked, but how do you decide which book? Choices were and still are limitless! I don’t recall the first grown up author I read, but something tells me it was more than likely Danielle Steel’s The Promise.

So as you see I read to combat loneliness, but continue to read to venture to places that I probably won’t ever be able to afford to go to in person. I read to escape the chores that are required of a wife and mother, and which I really don’t like doing. I read to escape the frustrations that being that wife, mother, and employee often bring to me.

Now it’s your turn…why do you read? Do you remember the how, the when, the why or the what that turned you onto reading? Do you feel like the day just isn’t complete without a certain number of pages or perhaps a certain amount of reading time?

Until next week happy page turning.

Sandi Shilhanek

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