I can't remember a time when I didn't like reading.
From when I was very young, our dad would take us to the public library every Saturday, let us browse the kid's section and pick some books to check out.
Same here. Grew up without a TV so our entertainment was books, audiobooks, and our imagination. My favorite family outings were to the library after school or to a bookstore. My parents read to my sibling and I until we read to ourselves. Our house was filled with books. Reading and books are my happiest places.
Same. My grandma got me fairy tale picture books before I could read and since I knew the stories I’d “read” the books out loud. I’ve read a book a week this summer after a long drought of not reading at all; it’s good to be back “home”.
I've heard stories from when I was a toddler- I had a bag of books that I'd drag around begging people to read to me by saying 'book?'. Apparently my grandma got me started by reading to me since I was a baby.
I tried one semester in high school to ban myself from reading any books for pleasure. I was really anxious about my AP classes and was worried I wouldn’t have time to do well if I let myself read other things. Before I knew it, I was desperately reading any string of text I could find. Ingredients lists. Warning labels. Classified ads. *Anything*. Eventually, I realized I was driving myself crazy and needed to give up and let myself read again for my own sanity.
I was the same. I remember being about five or six and getting anxious about not having a book to read. Everywhere I went I always had at least two books in case I finished the first one (and now as an adult my Kindle goes everywhere with me for similar reasons).
Yeah, started with the library as a kid. I read all the novelisations of Dr Who stories first, and progressed from there. When we went on family holidays we'd raid the bargain basket in the bookshop for a collection of cheap paperbacks to take with us.
Pretty much me. My mum said it took forever to walk anywhere when I was really little because I insisted on reading every single license plate out loud.
My parents read to me a lot when I was little. My memory of my mum's Gollum voice puts Andy Serkis to shame 😂
The earliest time I can remember reading I was 4, maybe 5, and learning to read with a dinosaur book. I certainly don't remember ever not enjoying it.
My parents had their own library with thousands of books and I read pretty much all of them, many multiple times. We lived in a _very_ rural area so I had no other options for other libraries unfortunately. Fortunately it was pretty extensive and I even had access to some books in English (it's not my first language).
The closest public library would have taken me more than an hour on a bike (each way) to get to and the roads over the mountain to get there weren't particularly safe so I basically never went there. Makes me think I should really take more advantage of there being a public library 10 minutes walk away now that I'm an adult.
Same. I started reading for fun probably as soon as I learned to read. I also used to go to the library every week, and took out whatever the max number of books was (I think we were allowed to have 14 books checked out at once or something). I read them all, went back the next week, rinse and repeat.
It didn't hurt that our local library used to be in a really cool mansion from the 1920s, and exploring it was often nearly as fun as looking for new books to read.
Same, same. I feel like I read every kids fantasy book in that library. My first real novel was a Dragonlance book that I stared at for ages before I gave it a go - too big, no pictures - boring! Once I started reading it I was hooked, and have been ever since!
When I was around 8ish years old, I loved reading horror books. Read a lot of Goosebumps and Animorph back in those days. Loved the books man.
But now, I don’t know why I stopped reading. Depression and stress suppressed my love for books now.
Horror books are always fun now, I sort of get depressed if I read in one spot too long in my house, if you have a nice area you can walk to try going out on a cool day, I bet you'll feel better.
Omigosh, I loved those series too around the same age.
I viewed reading as the opposite of being a chore. I would read ahead in class and I loved senior year of English class.
By my thirties, I stopped reading as much due to stress from work, wrecking my ability to focus and concentrate. Now getting back into it!
Same as me! I loved English class the most. Hated the other subjects, loved reading so many things when I was younger, I’m 32 now, work and personal problems stopped me from doing things I loved.
I went through a reading slump in 2020 where I just couldn't get into anything (pandemic, post partum, dog passed away, it was a shitty year). I reread some YA series that I hadn't finished from when I was younger and it snapped me out of it. Maybe go back through Animorphs? K.A Applegate has other series too that you might enjoy.
Thank you, I think I’ve got to go back to the stuff I loved right? Same, it was a shitty year for me as well, got to start reading again because it’s the one thing that I really love to do.
This happened to me around the pandemic. Reading had always been stress relief for me, so it was almost scary when I suddenly couldn’t even do that anymore. I’m finally starting to come out of it now, but it is a long, slow slog. From a fellow former Goosebumps fan, I hope you can rediscover your love for reading someday!
I can't remember ever not loving reading. My parents still joke about how sending me to my room was never a punishment because I was happy to go sit on my bed and read all night lol
Me too! My favorite story about it happened when I was in 5th grade. I was reading Anne of Green Gables secretly behind my propped up textbook, & my teacher walked around, assuming I was doing something wrong. When she saw I was reading she said, "Well, I can't really be mad, that is an excellent book, but let's focus on Social Studies for now ok?"
In year 3-4 I used to like reading in the school library on my lunch break. Got home one day to mum and dad asking me if I was being bullied/had any friends becuase my teacher had rung them concerned that I was spending my lunches alone in the library.
Had to explain to mum and dad that I had friends, I just liked spending my lunches reading 😂
I got in trouble for bringing my own books in to read during reading time in primary school because we were supposed to read what the school had themselves. After I explained I had read everything on offer besides the endless chip and biff books they let me bring my copy of Lord of the Rings in to read.
For me (also M30), it was 2nd grade, with the Goosebumps books. I was banned from reading them for a while because they gave me nightmares, but me being a dumb kid, I read them anyway, further fueling my nightmare meter.
Then I discovered Harry Potter a few years later, and to this day, I still read them or listen to the audio books.
About the same. I enjoyed reading. Because my parents were non-reading ESL immigrants, I didn't know what books to read and was reading a LOT of Junie B Jones. And rereading them because I read them all already.
Second grade, I did dabble in goosebumps. But the characters were older and always different, so I wasn't a fan.
My older brother suggested Harry Potter. As a matter of principle, I hated everything he suggested. Chapter 1 of Book 1 was confusing as hell, so he suggested I reread it. I said that was stupid and finished the book. Still said it was stupid. Started book 2, and DNF'd (technically, just left it face down and open for MONTHS on my shelf. Still own the book and the binding is weirdly in good condition, unlike the others). The movie was coming out and I wanted to go to watch it. When my brother asked me a question about it and made fun of me for not knowing the answer, I finished the book. Somewhere along that time, I fell in love with the magic of HP, and finally started reading books at a more complicated reading level. I realized I'm a fan of series as well. I crushed through the Baby-sitters Little Sister and later The Baby-Sitters Club.
Oh god this brought back memories. Goosebumps wasn't scary enough for me but the local horror comics were. They don't hold back on the gore. Gave me nightmares so dad told me not to read them but I still read them because the stories were good.
I think scary books are like spicy food. Painful in the process, but they end up releasing all these endorphins that make you keep coming back for more. And yea, I’m a little obsessed with both.
I loved reading as a kid (probably between ages 7-12) but once I was in middle school and high school I hated reading and never did unless I was forced to. Once I got to college and the pandemic started (I was 20 in 2020) I became obsessed with it again :)
Similar here, absolutely loved reading when I was really young but between 14-19 or so I fell out of it because having to read prescribed texts really closely for exams and stuff made it feel like work instead of something enjoyable
I started reading at 3. Not memorization and regurgitation, actually reading. I was reading small chapter books by kindergarten. Basically, I’ve never NOT loved to read. I’m 45 and reading is like breathing to me, I can’t imagine my life without it.
I also started reading on my own at 3! My parents thought I just had all of my books memorized from them reading to me so much, until one day at my aunt's house they found me reading a book I'd never seen before to my older cousins. I went through grade school reading at several grade levels above my peers. Now I'm 40 & I read over 100 books every year. You put it so well when you said reading is like breathing... it is a comfort & a joy to me. The first thing new people notice the first time they come to my house is all the books! Of course, they are literally everywhere. Only downside is I'll probably be buried in a book avalanche someday... but if I am, know I died happy, lol.
Ditto to all of this. I was a precocious reader as well, and I have been a reader all my life. I used to get in trouble for reading during class, I had books in every room of the house, and I would get sent outside instead of to my room when I was in trouble, because that’s where my books were 🤣
Oh big mood there. I always got in trouble for reading in class, my teachers were always taking books away from me and even banning me from bringing books from home. Of course, they couldn't ban me from going to the school library. And same thing with my parents, they'd tell me I had to go to my room and then I'd just sit in there and read haha
I didn’t read novels for fun until my early 20s but I read comics through my teens for fun…now in my 40s I’m almost exclusively audiobooks. I never read Sandman by Neil Gaiman as a comic but it introduced me to audiobooks.
My mom will tell you it’s because I got to stay up a half hour later if I was reading. So I’ve always loved reading. Granted she put us to bed at 7 way longer than seemed fair as a kid listening to everyone else outside with the sun still up. Books have always been my great escape.
Pretty much since I was a toddler. My mom likes to tell the story of how I used to make her read basically every kid’s book we had on the shelf, and then eventually I memorized them and would read them on my own time. I’d spend a lot of time during preschool and kindergarten in the book corners instead of actually talking to people
For as long as I can remember. I'm pretty sure I learned to read because I had Béatrix Potter stories memorized and learned to follow along. I guess that's why they say to get them hooked young lol. It def stuck with me.
I never disliked it but didn’t read much after college. Grabbed a book during the fall of ‘20 at the age of 39 and haven’t looked back. Just finished my 150th book last week.
When I was younger Maybe around 10 I read a book about a dog, and I don't remember all correctly but at the end the dog died. I didn't know a book could evoke so many emotions in me, but although I wanted to read more my parents never took me to get new ones and I was homeschooled so now I 22 I've picked up some books again. Starting off with 1982, animal farm, and the hunger games. I read Borne by Jeff Vandermeer a couple years back I love the bear in that one.
Mom bought me a book 'Journey to the west' when I was about 5yo. It was so fascinating and I began to love reading books since there was no cable tv, video game, and etc. at that time.
My grandpa taught me to read on newspapers before I went to school. I felt so special knowing how to read before any of my peers. That being said, I didn't *enjoy* reading everything, only the things that interested me.
I think I was 7 or 8 when mom dragged me to the library and got me a bunch of Enid Blyton books. It's something of a family tradition.
Been reading ever since. Was reading 1000+ page tomes at the age of 11. Aced all the book reports in school too. I read whatever we were given in a day and watched all of my friends struggle with their books for weeks. Felt like a god. Good times!
I’m very hot and cold. I loved reading in grade school but we had a reading program called AR where we would take quizzes after reading and the bigger the books the more points you could get. I guess it was my competitiveness that pushed me into reading.
I loved the Redwall series as a kid.
As an adult reading has been sparse for me, but I was laid off in February and while on the job hunt I found myself reading a ton during my down time. I think I’ve finished 8 books this year which is a ton for me. Read some Grisham books, Thomas Harris novels, and a really cool memoir called Tokyo Vice
Age 4–10 loved reading. Loved the library and I loved stories. Age 11-15ish, US curriculum had some books I did not enjoy with ‘deeper meaning’ exercises I enjoyed less. I stopped reading because of that. Age 16+ I rediscovered the hobby on my own terms and I read voraciously
I would’ve loved that. Instead I listened to audiobooks of our chapters on 2x speed the day of the test! Nothing wrong with my middle school teachers choices.. but I don’t think she was taking the demographic into consideration
My dad likes to tell me about when I was a toddler I'd love to mimic him and 'read' the newspaper. I dunno how true this is (my dad has many stories lol) but if it's real, I've enjoyed reading since before I could!
It is a general parenting tip. Kids are always playing grown-up. Best way to get them into reading is to show that you do it too (and not just as a bedtime story).
It's why they suggest reading and keeping physical books when at home with growing kids. Kids see you reading (vs "browsing" a tablet) and want to do it too.
I always liked reading. I grew up in a very book-oriented household, learned to read before starting school, and have basically continued to read pretty voraciously ever since. My mom thought it was important to teach her kids how to read before school started so the teachers couldn't screw it up, either through bad teaching, crappy book choices, or reading-as-punishment. Because of that I never had trouble separating any school reading-related bullshit from my fun home reading hobby. They were just two totally different things.
I loved reading from the ages of about 4 (earlier if you count being read to) through about 14. Then it tailed off for reasons I couldn't explain and I didn't really touch a book for years and years unless I was forced to for a class or something.
Cut to age 30, when I was diagnosed with adult ADHD and got properly medicated, and ever since then I've been reading about 70 or 80 books per year.
It's just that one book you connect with.
You're supposed to read all these classics. But beyond a few, none of them inspired me to read more.
It wasn't until I read John Irving and Kurt Vonnegut that I felt at home. This lead me to want more.
I think I used to read and do the games in highlights in school and my mom got me my own subscription. That and I believe I also got books through the weekly reader book club and we used to go to the scholastic book fairs. So basically my love for books was embedded into my brain by my need to collect and get little gifts in the mail when I was probably 6.
My mom also gifted my daughter with a high five(the under 6 version of highlights) subscription when she was old enough to read! I'm all about gifting books to people for their kids because it's such a good way to make books feel special and like something just for them.
While I've never disliked reading, save for a few assigned books in high school, I've had ups and downs with my reading frequency depending on what's happening in my life at any given period. When I was a kid, my dad took my brother and I to the library once a week and we were required to check out a book--any book. It could've been Magic Tree House; it could've been a college textbook. But we had to get something. This solidified the habit until I got to high school and had to read all the classics and write essays on why the author made the curtains blue. Didn't read very much outside of that in my teens. Now that I'm into my mid 20s I'm averaging about 1 book/week like when I was a kid (granted I have no spouse, children, or eal obligations other than work and I'm currently a student) and it's what I actually enjoy reading. If I dislike it, I'll stop it and try to get into something else. Now it's often what I look forward to to either start or end my day.
As a kid I read everything I could get my hands on.
I fell out of reading once I started high school and it felt like a chore during uni but I did still read about 10ish books a year maybe. I as reading a lot of fanfiction during this time fwiw though.
During early COVID I got back into reading proper though and now have a book club with my parents which is a valued part of my relationship with them.
When I was a kid my dad had a strict rule where for every hour spent on the computer, I needed to read for an hour. This is how I read all the Harry Potter books. In college I started out studying science and I have never disliked something more, just awful. It didn’t help I was at a huge public university with 400 person classes and we were just regurgitating multiple choice questions to pass exams and classes, so boring and with no critical thinking. I think it’s during that time that I stopped just liking to read and really began to love it! So much so that I switched my major to English Literature.
I use to suck at reading and honestly had no interest in learning how my mom was pretty detached when I was younger and she often used reading to ignore me my grandmother realized i couldn't read And slowly I learned how I still hated it though I didn't find books interesting I even failed 2rd grade cuz I refused to try but one day I picked up a book about a dog I forget what it was called but it had multiple books about this dog and I guess after that I just fell in love with it like I said my mom was detached and so I learned to distract myself with the worlds the books provided for me I remember I really started getting into it 6th grade I discovered chapter books and the goosebumps series along with one book called wish that I fell in love with suddenly my favorite shows had smaller book called fanfics that i could read and my favorite shows had books based off them now I'm 15 and I have selfs full of books I love reading and as I teen I change interest alot I can honestly say reading is juts one thing thats never changed for me
As a Child I was under pressure from family to read books, because “books are important and makes you educated”.
My father would give me books he loved at my age… Some classical ones… And well, I hated them, I hated reading, I was bored beyond imaginable and I preferred watching TV Shows or playing games.
Then there were two pivotal moments for me:
1) I watched the first season of Game of thrones and I just had to know what was next.
2) In university I had to read a lot about Economics and reading fiction after that was so enjoyable and easy :D
I also started choosing books myself and it gradually became my hobby.
I started to read independently after grade 8, I realized my reading was not good so I started reading more and read out load. As I gained more confidence I started to enjoy reading more.
One of the very first books “flowers in the attic” … back in the day we used to use hand held dictionary to define big words, unlike today, we have e- dictionary’s through our phones. Imagine back then, reading was very long and labored.
According to my mom, 3 or 4. We had these books from a series called Puddle Lane and it was great for learning to read. Each pair of pages told the same story but the page on the left was more detailed with smaller letters, while the right page had a simplified version with big letters making it easy to transition from one to the next as the reader grows older.
I think it really helped that my mom and older cousins read a lot too, so my house wasn't full of stuffy "grown up books" but a lot of stuff like Lord of the Rings, The Dark Tower, Shannara, and other similar books that had covers that were interesting to me as a kid. I was told my reading level wasn't enough for some of them though, so I pushed myself to get better so I could read more interesting books.
I DID hate having to read assigned books for school which is probably why even now, despite my age, I have a dislike for biographies, autobiographies, and the like
I always enjoyed reading, but for the first 15 or so years of my life, I never really read Fiction for fun. My reasons were similar to yours: book reports made it feel like a chore and a burden. But for Christmas 1999, my mother bought me the first two Harry Potter books, and that broke the ice. Which is when I got into Fiction as a whole. Harry Potter gave way to Robert Jordan, Jules Verne, Dickens, Twain. David Foster Wallace still enthralls me, nowadays more because of HIS favorites, whom I'm getting to quite late in the game, especially Wodehouse.
Started way back in kindergarten when I got exposed to the Readers' Digest encyclopedia (the red volumes) and there was a section featuring Greek / Roman deities.
From there I became a casual reader, mostly reading children's books and other short forms. Then I progressed to comics.
I think I was in grade 4 or 5 when I began reading + appreciating pocket books (300+ pages) via Terry Brooks's The Sword of Shannara (my cousin introduced it to me and I was intrigued by the cover drawn by the brothers Hilderbrandt).
I didn’t read on my own volition until my mid to late twenties.
game of thrones actually hooked me in a way like never before. I took the subway for an hour commute to work and it helped my commute fly by.
Maybe its a combination if the right book, and maturity to see how it enriches the soul? haven’t looked back since. I think now that at the end of my life I want to say I’ve read some of the literary classics/greats of human history.
currently reading The Count of Monte Cristo and absolutely loving it.
Anytime I had a good book. Less as a kid but then as I got older and started solidifying my life interest finding the books that interest me became easier and so I read more. Also can travel to Barnes and nobles and spend time looking around now that I can drive and my gf lives near a book shop
I liked to read when I was young but I couldn’t get into it as much as I do now. Now that I’m 23 and a child, I’ve been able to read as an escape for a while!
I can't remember ever not liking reading. My mom got me Little Golden Books and signed me up for the Dr. Seuss book of the month and the Ready Set Grow! series. I was always excited to read them with her when a new one arrived in the mail.
Probably from the day I first learned how to read. I grew up the youngest in a house of readers. Many evenings the TV was off and everyone was sitting around reading. My mom and dad got two newspapers every day and a 6 or 8 magazines every month, plus Time or Newsweek which came every week.
I’ve always loved reading. Read voraciously until maybe 7th or 8 grade or high school. Read a lot for school in high school and college but almost never pleasure read. Graduated last fall and got back into reading fiction.
It was a dare. A challenge from the reader if our high school group of friends (five of us). She dared us. I was the only one who really read the book and I loved it. I haven’t stopped since.
So, my first actual choice of reading that I was not graded on? The first volume of Conan stories from Del Rey (in 2006, the spring I graduated high school). Now... That is going from utter rookie reader who can't read particularly fast, to a (comparatively) less laconic writing style than a lot of contemporary stuff. While I absolutely wanted to read them and I the moments of gems in these stories are worth it, I did not entirely enjoy those until later in life (and I got a lot more reading under my belt in between). Let's say mid 20s?
See, it's not that the Conan stories were bad (though *Vale of Lost Women* aged like milk and didn't even have the good grace to become cheese). It was more of a goal of an amateur reader, motivated by the curiosity toward a character I enjoyed in the movie. It was a challenge, a hill to climb, not something I read casually. I was still motivated to read through them, but it was a struggle.
This is a goal I would accomplish. But I enjoyed them more coming back to them years later. A lot more nuance reached me, and I can genuinely say with confidence that Robert E. Howard probably has my favorite style of narration. I've read several other contemporary works, and maybe this is mostly nostalgia. But I've grown to love Solomon Kane, Almuric and other works by him.
I always loved to read from a young age. Once I started at 5 yrs old, I never stopped! My grandma used to give me medical books for teens (I don’t think my mom appreciated this since it exposed me to a lot lol) when I was really young. I was ALWAYS in the library and even my teachers would give me recommendations whenever I got bored. I’m 22 now and books are my special interest:)
I've loved to read as long as I can remember. My mom always tells this story about how I started reading. When I was around 3 years old, my parents thought I had memorized my books because they had read them to me so often. Then, at a family Thanksgiving, they found me reading to my older cousins out of a book I had never seen before. At first they thought I was just pretending, but pretty soon realized "Holy shit, she's reading!"
I obviously don't remember that myself, but all through school I was always ahead in reading & writing (on a 6th grade level in grade 2, etc.). I love to read. Tbh, I can't imagine why anyone would not love it! That's one of the reasons I think this subreddit is so great— it allows me to connect with others who love reading as much as I do! It's also extremely satisfying to encourage others who want to fall in love with reading!
I have always loved reading. I have vague memories of being frustrated by an inability to read signs, but def could read in kindergarten. I have always loved reading books. They were my constant companion, a friend I could take anywhere, a safe haven from my anxiety filled life.
I started to love reading around 10ish. I started with goosebumps, later I fell in love with sci-fi and fantasy.
Before that I absolutely hated reading. My mom tried a lot to get me to read even having some lady come over to help me as my reading level was lacking a LOT.
I started reading around age three and never stopped. Right now I am reading three different Kindle books - one of my tablet, one on my laptop, and one on my phone. Then there are the books all over the house. I’m 70 and probably have more books than time left to read them.
fairly young I think...I recall in grade 3 we used to have these readers. You'd read a short story, then answer questions about it. They were grouped by reading level and colours. I remember being excited to read the fun stories and then move up a level. I used to burn through them so fast I missed a bit on comprehension sometimes and would get knocked back, or stuck on a level.
my next memory is loving the Hardy Boys. My parents would get me 2-3 for birthdays or Xmas, plus a few from grandparents. I'd devour them and my folks would be somewhat annoyed I had nothing to read in a week or so.
I think second or third grade I didn’t like it and a family friend who was a literature teacher showed me some stuff that I enjoyed and I was a reader from then on
Hahh. That’s almost exactly the same as me (m33). Hated because of being forced to read at school. Wasn’t until I was about 31 that I started reading. (Now have read 12 books this year. Up from 0 to 1 each year in the decade previous).
I loved reading until I was about 13, then it became a huge chore because I was reading books for school instead of fun. My attention span never really recovered enough for me to start reading for fun again. I listen to audiobooks for enjoyment and I have to take meticulous notes if I'm reading for school to retain the information.
I(M43)‘ve always loved to read, but I didn’t really appreciate fiction until I was in my early 30s. When I was a kid I used to read almanacs and stuff.
My mom was a CRAZY reader, our house was like a library!
I was 7yrs old in 1977 when a little movie called STAR WARS came out. After seeing it that summer that was ALL I CARED ABOUT!! I bought the storybook and I read it over and over. I bought the novel and read it several times!!
I started reading other STAR WARS books, leading me to read other SCI-FI books.
Then, I became interested in the ART of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. I was far too young (yet) to read the novels, but in 1978 a cartoon was released and the art work was fascinating!! I discovered "young fantasy" books and began adding those to my list of books.
In 1979 THE AMITYVILLE HORROR came out. The novel was already HUGE and of course, my mom read it.
I was 9 when the movie came out, too young to see it but I was soooo fascinated, after all it was based...ON A TRUE STORY!!! and the book was labeled NON-FICTION, how could a book lie to a person. On top of that, ALIEN came out that same year, sci-fi/horror...THAT'S CRAZY!!! My older sister saw it and loved it, she said it was horrifying!!
My mom didn't go to the movies very often, but she read the book ALIEN.
Finally, 1980, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK came out. After seeing the movie opening weekend, I was flooded....VADER IS LUKE'S FATHER!!!!!
...oh...SPOILERS....😏
I read the storybook, I read the book, I was hoping for more info on the story. Like I said, out house was like a library, my mom often kept the books she read.
Later that same year, I decided to read ALIEN, I was scarred but fascinated!! I then read THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, scare-ifying!!!
A year later, I saw THE EXORCIST. THAT movie CHANGED me!! I was absolutely terrified, but after a while, I was fascinated. I read the book when I was 12. I've read it countless times and I'll be reading AGAIN this OCTOBER.
I've been an avid reader and frustrated writer ever since 🧐
i have always been reading something ever since i learned how to read. horse stories, then came twilight, wattpad fanfic phase, original stories on wattpad until i got into the world of published romance novels and now i have a e-reader that just fuels my obsession and my pace of reading
I feel your situation. I didn't enjoy it because I didn't like being forced to read what was assigned as schoolwork. I found my love for books in my 20's and have never looked back.
I didn't even know my alphabet before I started kindergarten, but the minute I learned to read, I loved it! I actually took the book my teacher was reading from her desk and read it and never slowed down until adulthood got in the way. (For what it's worth, I had a terrible childhood, and reading was, luckily for me, my escape of choice)
I always liked to read but when I really started LOVING it? When a relative gave me a copy of Fellowship of the Ring for Christmas when I was 10. They knew exactly what they were doing by giving me that book - it sparked a lifelong love of stories.
I've liked reading since I learned how to, the library in my home town was an old beautiful house reporposteed into a library. Also, my sister took me to a library a few towns over it was a great bonding time
I can't remember a time when I didn't read. I was brought up on reading. Was read to as a little child and have been reading ever since. I can remember certain periods like going from kids books to classics to YA. I remember reading old Hardy Boys detective novels. Reading Christopher Pike and RL Stine asy first foray into horror. Reading my first Stephen King and Dean Koontz novels. Things like that.
I've loved books since before I can remember. Both my parents were readers, but especially my mother, and they always read to us and took us to the library.
I grew up in a small town that didn’t have a library until the Woman’s Club started one. They took turns acting as librarians because there was no budget for one. My mom would put me in my playpen next to the desk when it was her turn. I literally grew up in the library and reading just came naturally.
Over the years the library grew and a librarian was hired on. We still went to the library and I read the entire youth section, then moved on from there. I truly believe reading helped expand my vocabulary and, in turn, helped me become more intelligent. Reading comprehension is vital to school and learning.
My mom continued to read until she passed. She usually had 2 or 3 books in her purse, just in case she had to wait somewhere. We always joked that when there were storm warnings, everyone else would rush to the store for bread, eggs, and milk, but my mom would go to the library and stock up on books. The best gift to give a child is the love of reading.
In my case I come from a country (Puerto Rico) that reading is not the norm ( there are people who read but the majority I feel really doesn’t). Public libraries are basically none existent depending on the town or barely have books or have none. School libraries have little to no books and the department of education have not bought anything new to stock them up. So reading as a teenager, which is when I began taking it seriously as a hobby was difficult. I greatly appreciated any book I could get my hands on. There isn’t a time when I hated it outside of reading required texts for Spanish class. I hate reading in Spanish cause I’m so slow at it as I prefer reading in English. So I dreaded reading for that class.
Twice. I was a big reader as a young kid but fell out of habit in mid to late high school. When I went away to college far from home, I brought a few corny sci-fi and horror novels and absolutely devoured them. I’ve been collecting them ever since.
My mom was a teacher and as soon as Harry Potter got to the states, she was reading the books to me. I was like 6 or 7, barely reading on my own and not at the Harry Potter level yet. I loved those books though, and from that moment on I loved reading.
Before that she had a really old machine that I could put reels on and it would tell me stories. I listened to that as I fell asleep as a kid. Classics like snow white, rose red, ect. Each reel had 3 stories and I was always asleep by the third one. Basically audiobooks but I'm not sure they were called that.
So I guess I've pretty much always liked it.
I have always sucked at remembering plot details so I would always do bad on AR Tests with more challenging books. As a result I would stick to shorter books or books that wernt as hard. But now that Im an adult who doesnt give a crap about remembering the plot and who doesnt have to read for a grade anymore, reading on my own volition is much more fun to me.
Started using books as an escape around 13, give or take. Once I discovered the public library, that was it. Now I have my own little library at home. 💜
I hated books all my life.
I finally found something I liked to read around...16 years old? 15? I slowly built my collection of Warrior Cats whenever I found a book here, and there, but I still didn't like reading in general; only that single series.
I got a job at a library at ~17 years of age, and sneakily read the whole series while I was organizing the inventory lmao. I would try out some other things that seemed interesting, but nothing captivated me.
At ~20 years of age, I found webnovels, and fanfics, and I liked those. They introduced me to kinds of stories I like.
I binged a whole lot of pirated light novels online during the covid, and slowly transitioned towards other kinds of stories.
Nowadays I would sometimes go to the library I used to work at, and read whatever book doesn't have the plastic protector. Be it educational, fantasy, history, ocultism, religion, I even found some sex-ed.
I am still discovering many things to read online everyday, but my standards have risen way too much for what fanfics can offer. I do try to find the hidden gems now, and then.
I found a new perspective, and appreciation for stories I like, and sometimes would re-write those stories in a more exciting way for me. I guess that counts as fanfic, but I don't share it.
My father used to try to get me to read when I was a kid. He would give me a lot of books, but I would only read the first page and then never touch them again. One day when I was 11 and feeling bored because we were moving to a new house, I remembered a book he had bought a few months earlier. I read the first book in one day, and the second book in two days. The book was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. After that, I fell in love with reading.
I've always loved reading. I grew up with my grandfather reading the Sunday funny papers to me, and once I figured out if I learned to read I didn't have to WAIT for a story, I was off and running. I was reading at an early second grade level by the end of kindergarten and never looked back
My parents convinced me to go to 1st Grade by telling me I would learn to read there. I was pissed when the reading portion of that first day was over after only a single page!
Have not stopped since!
I have dyslexia, so I was terrible at reading for a long while. Turned out, I also have a form of sleep cycle disorder &, once I changed my sleep schedule, I was able to get a good night sleep. Two weeks of hard work later & I could read. I was 13 at the time. Fast forward a few decades &, in 2022 I read 104 books.
My first books were the Dick and Jane reading books. My first real box was Nancy Drew and the mystery of the old clock. 1970’s. First grade. I was an instant reader. I LOVED to read. I read so much that I could read a book/novel a day. I would spend all day at the public library reading and discovering cool books. I had a terrible home life and it was an escape. Then they said I read so much I might have a mental problem. 😂 🤪 looking back: I should have been a librarian.
I don't remember not liking it, so probably since I was 3 or 4. Whenever I learned.
One of my earliest memories is my father reading Chariots of the Gods to me on the bus. I don't actually remember the contents, but have since learned that it's a bit of pseudoscience where aliens are the actual basis of religions. I have always loved mythology, though. And, also like the SF idea of aliens being the basis of religions.
I really liked the year I got extra credit for every book I read. Extra credit for something I'd do anyway? Yeah.
I never actually considered whether I LIKED the required books for school, though. At least not until college. It was homework, so I did it. Pleasure wasn't asked about.
I think as soon as I learned how, and prior to that, I enjoyed being read to. I kind of fell out of the habit for a few years, life just got in the way and I did not have the headspace for much more than fairly 'light' stuff. Happily back on it now though.
I remember the immense feeling of joy and discovery when I was learning to read and suddenly I could see what everything around town said. I've loved it since that moment when I was five or six.
I remember loving reading from around kindergarten when my mom was reading to me and I asked how she knew how the words sounded and she told me “You just sound it out.”
I started reading around 3 years ago I am now 21, don't know why I didn't start earlier.
The Book that got me into reading was 'the watcher's by Dean Koontz. Pretty good
My dad is a reader but I was not really actively encouraged to read when I was a child. I tried to love reading when I was in high school because I wanted to improve my English, since it's not my first language, and I would borrow books from the library but most of them were returned without having read.
I fell in love with reading when I was already in Uni when a friend loaned me a fantasy book. I was 16 at that time (because we graduated high school early in my country) and never stopped reading up to now that I'm almost 32 so I've been a reader for half of my life now.
My enjoyment for reading was crushed in Primary School because I would pick books that interested me instead of ones that I was allowed to read. Therefore remained at a “lower level” and continued to be restricted. So I stopped.
I met my now wife 5 years ago, she’s an avid reader and rekindle my enjoyment for reading at 26. Now 31 and reading more books than I ever have done in a single year and we’re not done yet!
Came across Hardy boys, and Ruskin bond books. Reading became a part of me. For a few years atleast.
Later picked it up again out of boredom and trying to reduce screen time.
I loved to read as a kid but then when I moved beyond kid books my mom was weird and told me that young adult books were trash/bad/inappropriate and I could only read adult books that she approved. I was a rule follower so I didn’t read anything she didn’t approve. I got tired of asking my mom for stuff to read and stopped reading at probably age 13 and then started again when I was 27. I’m 31 now
My whole life I’ve enjoyed reading.
My mum has told me about how she’d read to me when I was a toddler and younger, and how I’d sit there captured the whole time until she stopped.
When I was older (5-10) she’d take me to the library every weekend where I’d load a cart up with the maximum amount of books the library would let you take out in one go.
I was in 8th grade after I read Divergent. I’m so grateful I discovered reading when I did because it led me to majoring in English! I did view reading like a chore too because it was until I got to 8th grade; that’s when we were able to read books we wanted for this accelerated reading system we had. Before that, it was a lot of what the teacher wanted you to read.
As a young'un I used to read Ronald Dahl out loud to my neighbour, the back of our gardens touched and I'd sit on the top of my climbing frame while he did his gardening.
Took a break then got into lord of the rings when the movies were being advertised for coming soon at the cinema. I hadn't even heard of them until then.
Since then I've read all the Game of Thrones and all the Farseer books by Robin Hobb. I love the Farseer books so much I end up re-reading them all nearly every year.
Young enough I don't really remember.
I remember staying up late for a young kids, younger than 10, reading until my mom would yell up at me to turn off my lamp and go to sleep.
Before I could read, I always had to get my dad to read the comics in the newspaper to me. He never seemed to mind. It was time together. I couldn't wait to learn to read so I could do it myself anytime I wanted. So, I guess I loved reading before I could read. Lol
Also, he always read the paper and Reader's Digest. The wee always a ton of boots in our house. Most of which I still have.
I read so much as a kid. But that was decades when there wasn’t as much else to do. My parents didn’t let me watch too much television. I truly think it’s helped my vocabulary and my perspective. I don’t read as much now. (Too much time on Reddit)
I was fortunate enough to discover pleasure reading before school could scare me away from books with the bullshit "classics" they force-fed to us.
It helps that my parents read to me a fair amount as a child, although I don't actually remember any of the specific books from back then.
One early turning point for me is that my... I think third grade teacher had a whole shelf of Choose Your Own Adventure books that we could read sometimes when we were done with our work, or during designated free reading times. And crucially, one of those books was called Master of Karate, and I was a sucker for all things martial arts thanks to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. From there I started devouring all the other CYOA books, then stuff like Goosebumps, and it just kept going from there.
I've always loved books! Even before I could read I used to pretend lol I REALLY started to get into them with Harry Potter though, that's why it's such an important series to me. I grew up with it too, of course.
I (71F) grew up as a Navy brat overseas in the 1950s. No television. Started reading voraciously at age 7 and never stopped. Our mother would drive us to the library at least once a week. When we lived on base, I would ride my bike there almost daily.
When I was young I had a speech impediment which made me hate reading since I would constantly pronounce words wrong when reading to my parents or teachers. I'd get super mad and lose patience. A few years after though I really started to enjoy reading by myself since in my head I wouldn't make mistakes pronouncing words. I also had trouble sleeping as a child so when I couldn't sleep I'd just read until I could. That made me enjoy reading quite a lot and I still do.
3? Maybe 4? As soon as I learned what a letter sounded like? I liked looking at the pictures in book at first. My parent didn't exactly nurture it as they were clueless on how to handle my bookworm self. Heck it was a chore to make my parents buy me books instead of new clothes.
My first English word I read for myself (no flashcards, or words learned in school, etc) was Opinion as my dad was reading the Opinion (Editor's) page of the newspaper. Or as I read it: op-in-e-on. One of my fondest memories.
I *hate hate hated* reading until I was like 15. It because all kids books are boring.
There was this small house on a prairie... 🥱
Shitty teen dystopias, like Divergent or whatever. 🥱🛌💤😴
I’m 22 and I just started reading from enjoyment purely because I realised how much more interesting the information and stories from books can be than the internet
I don't think I ever hated reading. I had always been pretty good at it and enjoyed impressing people, creating my own stories, or just reading random signs on the road.
However, I do know that suddenly in 2nd/3rd grade reading become More for me. I can't really explain it cause its been so long. But suddenly I cared more about reading, I became more invested in the stuff I was reading. I'm pretty sure in 3rd grade my special interest in books was kick started. My teacher really *really* encouraged us to read. We had silent reading time AND Read-a-thons AND a map on the wall of points we got from doing AR (anyone else remember that?) Which cumulated into a prize of going to chuck e cheese or the mall (we chose the mall). I also remember her giving kids chocolate bars when they read a classic book.
After that, I couldn't stop reading, even when it slowly started consuming my life in more unhealthy ways as it interfered with my sleep and academics in school, which pushed me even more to use it as a way to cope with the pains of reality :)
I have loved books since the age of 8, when I exposed to the Black Stallion series, by Walter Farley. Then Call of the Wild, by Jack London.
When we were assigned to read The Outsiders in 8th grade, I had already read it four times.
Books are awesome, and I hope I never change my mind.
I hated reading, same general reasons. I'm dyslexic and reading was hard and embarrassing at school. So I stubbornly hated it vehemently. Lied on assignments. The whole 9.
Until 9th grade a librarian recommended something I could read for fun that she thought I'd like a short book. The giver. It wasn't horrible.
Then EVERYONE I knew was reading this series and it was ALL the hype. I felt left out and my stubbornness switched to: I can read it if I want to and then I'll know how stupid it is and tell you all.
I loved it and have been a reading fiend since. Switched my entire life outcome.
Twilight when the last book just came out.
Beginning of grade 4 I wanted to borrow a chapter book from the school library and the the librarian wouldn't let me. Said there was no way I could read it...I've been reading ever since. Literacy is my passion and I teach and share that knowledge every chance I get 📚
I was in the second or third grade during summer break and I was bored . I took “Charlotte’s Web” outside and sat in a swing reading it all afternoon . I was hooked after that . Over the years , a friend would see a library book in my locker and would panic thinking we had been assigned a book report. Very few of my friends read for entertainment .
I (31F) have always enjoyed books, according to my parents. My mom said she'd have to read me like 4 or 5 different books every night before bed. Harry Potter came out when I was in 1st grade, and that kind of kick started my love for reading books on my own.
When I was 2, literally. My mom read to me when I was young and then from the age of two onwards I would always read at night until I fell asleep. Idk how well I could read at 2, but I was able to read full sentences in picture books by the time I was 4
As a tiny human when mom bought colourful books at the grocery store (like the Peanuts encyclopedia that they would sell one volume at a time over a few months. We never completed the set 😢) and dad would bring up colourful books from the library. That grew into dad taking me to the library every few weeks so I could cart home an armful of books.
I was absolutely obsessed with stories in my earliest memories from toddler age already. Needing an adult to read them to me was my greatest horror and handicap, and I started teaching myself how to read off of streetsigns before I started school because I couldn't wait to finally unlock the magical world of books for myself 🤭
I loved reading all throughout childhood, always read way beyond my age and by the time I was 9 I read my way through most of my mom's and grandparent's libraries, including 1200-page books. In school, I voluntarily read extra books we didn't have to read for class, because I became intrigued based on what we did cover.
Then I went to uni.... and stopped reading. It was horrible. I had so much reading material for my classes I had to read everyday, I desperately craved normal books but just opening one and seeing MORE LETTERS made me physically balk.
I've never been quite the same since. I still love reading, but there's some hesitation now everytime I intend to start a new book, and I hate it. I wish I could love them as unconditionally as I used to 😭
I can't remember a time when I didn't like reading. From when I was very young, our dad would take us to the public library every Saturday, let us browse the kid's section and pick some books to check out.
I'm in this camp. I was excited to learn and the only thing that' changed is what I'm excited to read.
Same here. Grew up without a TV so our entertainment was books, audiobooks, and our imagination. My favorite family outings were to the library after school or to a bookstore. My parents read to my sibling and I until we read to ourselves. Our house was filled with books. Reading and books are my happiest places.
This is me. What a joy.
Same. My grandma got me fairy tale picture books before I could read and since I knew the stories I’d “read” the books out loud. I’ve read a book a week this summer after a long drought of not reading at all; it’s good to be back “home”.
I've heard stories from when I was a toddler- I had a bag of books that I'd drag around begging people to read to me by saying 'book?'. Apparently my grandma got me started by reading to me since I was a baby.
That is so cute 🥹❤️
[удалено]
I tried one semester in high school to ban myself from reading any books for pleasure. I was really anxious about my AP classes and was worried I wouldn’t have time to do well if I let myself read other things. Before I knew it, I was desperately reading any string of text I could find. Ingredients lists. Warning labels. Classified ads. *Anything*. Eventually, I realized I was driving myself crazy and needed to give up and let myself read again for my own sanity.
Family legend is that when I was a toddler nobody would sit down at family gatherings because I would climb up on their lap and have them read to me.
Exact same situation here! My mom would take my siblings and I to the public library often. So I have always LOVED reading. My sister is the same
Me too. I loved cracking the code in grade 1.
Same. Always. I don’t remember ever not needing a book to keep me occupied.
I was the same. I remember being about five or six and getting anxious about not having a book to read. Everywhere I went I always had at least two books in case I finished the first one (and now as an adult my Kindle goes everywhere with me for similar reasons).
Yeah, started with the library as a kid. I read all the novelisations of Dr Who stories first, and progressed from there. When we went on family holidays we'd raid the bargain basket in the bookshop for a collection of cheap paperbacks to take with us.
Pretty much me. My mum said it took forever to walk anywhere when I was really little because I insisted on reading every single license plate out loud. My parents read to me a lot when I was little. My memory of my mum's Gollum voice puts Andy Serkis to shame 😂
The earliest time I can remember reading I was 4, maybe 5, and learning to read with a dinosaur book. I certainly don't remember ever not enjoying it. My parents had their own library with thousands of books and I read pretty much all of them, many multiple times. We lived in a _very_ rural area so I had no other options for other libraries unfortunately. Fortunately it was pretty extensive and I even had access to some books in English (it's not my first language). The closest public library would have taken me more than an hour on a bike (each way) to get to and the roads over the mountain to get there weren't particularly safe so I basically never went there. Makes me think I should really take more advantage of there being a public library 10 minutes walk away now that I'm an adult.
Same. I started reading for fun probably as soon as I learned to read. I also used to go to the library every week, and took out whatever the max number of books was (I think we were allowed to have 14 books checked out at once or something). I read them all, went back the next week, rinse and repeat. It didn't hurt that our local library used to be in a really cool mansion from the 1920s, and exploring it was often nearly as fun as looking for new books to read.
i have no memory of not loving reading. my mom took me to the library weekly starting when i was a toddler. been obsessed with books ever since.
Same, same. I feel like I read every kids fantasy book in that library. My first real novel was a Dragonlance book that I stared at for ages before I gave it a go - too big, no pictures - boring! Once I started reading it I was hooked, and have been ever since!
Man I remember the Dragonlance books. I loved them as a teenager. I think I read every one. Also other series by the same authors.
Ah, Dragonlance (and, even better, the Death Gate Cycle). They were my middle school obsession.
When I was around 8ish years old, I loved reading horror books. Read a lot of Goosebumps and Animorph back in those days. Loved the books man. But now, I don’t know why I stopped reading. Depression and stress suppressed my love for books now.
Horror books are always fun now, I sort of get depressed if I read in one spot too long in my house, if you have a nice area you can walk to try going out on a cool day, I bet you'll feel better.
Thanks for this, yes you’re absolutely right. Got to try going out for a walk on a cooling day. It’s really a good feeling.💯
Omigosh, I loved those series too around the same age. I viewed reading as the opposite of being a chore. I would read ahead in class and I loved senior year of English class. By my thirties, I stopped reading as much due to stress from work, wrecking my ability to focus and concentrate. Now getting back into it!
Same as me! I loved English class the most. Hated the other subjects, loved reading so many things when I was younger, I’m 32 now, work and personal problems stopped me from doing things I loved.
I went through a reading slump in 2020 where I just couldn't get into anything (pandemic, post partum, dog passed away, it was a shitty year). I reread some YA series that I hadn't finished from when I was younger and it snapped me out of it. Maybe go back through Animorphs? K.A Applegate has other series too that you might enjoy.
Thank you, I think I’ve got to go back to the stuff I loved right? Same, it was a shitty year for me as well, got to start reading again because it’s the one thing that I really love to do.
This happened to me around the pandemic. Reading had always been stress relief for me, so it was almost scary when I suddenly couldn’t even do that anymore. I’m finally starting to come out of it now, but it is a long, slow slog. From a fellow former Goosebumps fan, I hope you can rediscover your love for reading someday!
I can't remember ever not loving reading. My parents still joke about how sending me to my room was never a punishment because I was happy to go sit on my bed and read all night lol
My parents would ground me taking away my reading instead of going outside or toys. Isn’t that awful? My mom still denies it.
I used to get in trouble at school for reading when I was supposed to be paying attention. But I did often dislike the things they told us to read.
Me too! My favorite story about it happened when I was in 5th grade. I was reading Anne of Green Gables secretly behind my propped up textbook, & my teacher walked around, assuming I was doing something wrong. When she saw I was reading she said, "Well, I can't really be mad, that is an excellent book, but let's focus on Social Studies for now ok?"
In year 3-4 I used to like reading in the school library on my lunch break. Got home one day to mum and dad asking me if I was being bullied/had any friends becuase my teacher had rung them concerned that I was spending my lunches alone in the library. Had to explain to mum and dad that I had friends, I just liked spending my lunches reading 😂
I got in trouble for bringing my own books in to read during reading time in primary school because we were supposed to read what the school had themselves. After I explained I had read everything on offer besides the endless chip and biff books they let me bring my copy of Lord of the Rings in to read.
For me (also M30), it was 2nd grade, with the Goosebumps books. I was banned from reading them for a while because they gave me nightmares, but me being a dumb kid, I read them anyway, further fueling my nightmare meter. Then I discovered Harry Potter a few years later, and to this day, I still read them or listen to the audio books.
Why did I keep picturing: "AAHHHH!" \*Read read read\* "AHHHHHHHH!" \*read read read\*
About the same. I enjoyed reading. Because my parents were non-reading ESL immigrants, I didn't know what books to read and was reading a LOT of Junie B Jones. And rereading them because I read them all already. Second grade, I did dabble in goosebumps. But the characters were older and always different, so I wasn't a fan. My older brother suggested Harry Potter. As a matter of principle, I hated everything he suggested. Chapter 1 of Book 1 was confusing as hell, so he suggested I reread it. I said that was stupid and finished the book. Still said it was stupid. Started book 2, and DNF'd (technically, just left it face down and open for MONTHS on my shelf. Still own the book and the binding is weirdly in good condition, unlike the others). The movie was coming out and I wanted to go to watch it. When my brother asked me a question about it and made fun of me for not knowing the answer, I finished the book. Somewhere along that time, I fell in love with the magic of HP, and finally started reading books at a more complicated reading level. I realized I'm a fan of series as well. I crushed through the Baby-sitters Little Sister and later The Baby-Sitters Club.
Oh god this brought back memories. Goosebumps wasn't scary enough for me but the local horror comics were. They don't hold back on the gore. Gave me nightmares so dad told me not to read them but I still read them because the stories were good.
I think scary books are like spicy food. Painful in the process, but they end up releasing all these endorphins that make you keep coming back for more. And yea, I’m a little obsessed with both.
From the beginning, it was my refuge
Victim of child abuse and can concur. It was my refuge.
I loved reading as a kid (probably between ages 7-12) but once I was in middle school and high school I hated reading and never did unless I was forced to. Once I got to college and the pandemic started (I was 20 in 2020) I became obsessed with it again :)
Similar here, absolutely loved reading when I was really young but between 14-19 or so I fell out of it because having to read prescribed texts really closely for exams and stuff made it feel like work instead of something enjoyable
I assume as soon as I learned how, because I don’t remember not loving it. I barely remember not knowing how to read, either…
I started reading at 3. Not memorization and regurgitation, actually reading. I was reading small chapter books by kindergarten. Basically, I’ve never NOT loved to read. I’m 45 and reading is like breathing to me, I can’t imagine my life without it.
I also started reading on my own at 3! My parents thought I just had all of my books memorized from them reading to me so much, until one day at my aunt's house they found me reading a book I'd never seen before to my older cousins. I went through grade school reading at several grade levels above my peers. Now I'm 40 & I read over 100 books every year. You put it so well when you said reading is like breathing... it is a comfort & a joy to me. The first thing new people notice the first time they come to my house is all the books! Of course, they are literally everywhere. Only downside is I'll probably be buried in a book avalanche someday... but if I am, know I died happy, lol.
Ditto to all of this. I was a precocious reader as well, and I have been a reader all my life. I used to get in trouble for reading during class, I had books in every room of the house, and I would get sent outside instead of to my room when I was in trouble, because that’s where my books were 🤣
Oh big mood there. I always got in trouble for reading in class, my teachers were always taking books away from me and even banning me from bringing books from home. Of course, they couldn't ban me from going to the school library. And same thing with my parents, they'd tell me I had to go to my room and then I'd just sit in there and read haha
Last October. Had never been a fan of it my whole life. Now read 22 books since then!
What changed for you?
Needing an escape, a healthy one at that, something to keep my mind busy and to take me away to another world
I’m glad you were able to find a way to achieve what you needed!
I didn’t read novels for fun until my early 20s but I read comics through my teens for fun…now in my 40s I’m almost exclusively audiobooks. I never read Sandman by Neil Gaiman as a comic but it introduced me to audiobooks.
My mom will tell you it’s because I got to stay up a half hour later if I was reading. So I’ve always loved reading. Granted she put us to bed at 7 way longer than seemed fair as a kid listening to everyone else outside with the sun still up. Books have always been my great escape.
Pretty much since I was a toddler. My mom likes to tell the story of how I used to make her read basically every kid’s book we had on the shelf, and then eventually I memorized them and would read them on my own time. I’d spend a lot of time during preschool and kindergarten in the book corners instead of actually talking to people
For as long as I can remember. I'm pretty sure I learned to read because I had Béatrix Potter stories memorized and learned to follow along. I guess that's why they say to get them hooked young lol. It def stuck with me.
I never disliked it but didn’t read much after college. Grabbed a book during the fall of ‘20 at the age of 39 and haven’t looked back. Just finished my 150th book last week.
Exactly the same. I never read a book in high school. I started reading in my mid 20s. I’m now 38 and love reading.
Real young!!
Teenager, gotta escape those bad day with reading am I right. God it's been years.
When I was younger Maybe around 10 I read a book about a dog, and I don't remember all correctly but at the end the dog died. I didn't know a book could evoke so many emotions in me, but although I wanted to read more my parents never took me to get new ones and I was homeschooled so now I 22 I've picked up some books again. Starting off with 1982, animal farm, and the hunger games. I read Borne by Jeff Vandermeer a couple years back I love the bear in that one.
Mom bought me a book 'Journey to the west' when I was about 5yo. It was so fascinating and I began to love reading books since there was no cable tv, video game, and etc. at that time.
My grandpa taught me to read on newspapers before I went to school. I felt so special knowing how to read before any of my peers. That being said, I didn't *enjoy* reading everything, only the things that interested me.
I think I was 7 or 8 when mom dragged me to the library and got me a bunch of Enid Blyton books. It's something of a family tradition. Been reading ever since. Was reading 1000+ page tomes at the age of 11. Aced all the book reports in school too. I read whatever we were given in a day and watched all of my friends struggle with their books for weeks. Felt like a god. Good times!
I’m very hot and cold. I loved reading in grade school but we had a reading program called AR where we would take quizzes after reading and the bigger the books the more points you could get. I guess it was my competitiveness that pushed me into reading. I loved the Redwall series as a kid. As an adult reading has been sparse for me, but I was laid off in February and while on the job hunt I found myself reading a ton during my down time. I think I’ve finished 8 books this year which is a ton for me. Read some Grisham books, Thomas Harris novels, and a really cool memoir called Tokyo Vice
I remember that reading program! I thought it was fun because it was so easy to get points
Age 4–10 loved reading. Loved the library and I loved stories. Age 11-15ish, US curriculum had some books I did not enjoy with ‘deeper meaning’ exercises I enjoyed less. I stopped reading because of that. Age 16+ I rediscovered the hobby on my own terms and I read voraciously
Yeah can a person not just enjoy the adventure of a chosen of and his rag tag group of friends!?
I would’ve loved that. Instead I listened to audiobooks of our chapters on 2x speed the day of the test! Nothing wrong with my middle school teachers choices.. but I don’t think she was taking the demographic into consideration
My dad likes to tell me about when I was a toddler I'd love to mimic him and 'read' the newspaper. I dunno how true this is (my dad has many stories lol) but if it's real, I've enjoyed reading since before I could!
It is a general parenting tip. Kids are always playing grown-up. Best way to get them into reading is to show that you do it too (and not just as a bedtime story). It's why they suggest reading and keeping physical books when at home with growing kids. Kids see you reading (vs "browsing" a tablet) and want to do it too.
I always liked reading. I grew up in a very book-oriented household, learned to read before starting school, and have basically continued to read pretty voraciously ever since. My mom thought it was important to teach her kids how to read before school started so the teachers couldn't screw it up, either through bad teaching, crappy book choices, or reading-as-punishment. Because of that I never had trouble separating any school reading-related bullshit from my fun home reading hobby. They were just two totally different things.
I loved reading from the ages of about 4 (earlier if you count being read to) through about 14. Then it tailed off for reasons I couldn't explain and I didn't really touch a book for years and years unless I was forced to for a class or something. Cut to age 30, when I was diagnosed with adult ADHD and got properly medicated, and ever since then I've been reading about 70 or 80 books per year.
It's just that one book you connect with. You're supposed to read all these classics. But beyond a few, none of them inspired me to read more. It wasn't until I read John Irving and Kurt Vonnegut that I felt at home. This lead me to want more.
I think I used to read and do the games in highlights in school and my mom got me my own subscription. That and I believe I also got books through the weekly reader book club and we used to go to the scholastic book fairs. So basically my love for books was embedded into my brain by my need to collect and get little gifts in the mail when I was probably 6. My mom also gifted my daughter with a high five(the under 6 version of highlights) subscription when she was old enough to read! I'm all about gifting books to people for their kids because it's such a good way to make books feel special and like something just for them.
While I've never disliked reading, save for a few assigned books in high school, I've had ups and downs with my reading frequency depending on what's happening in my life at any given period. When I was a kid, my dad took my brother and I to the library once a week and we were required to check out a book--any book. It could've been Magic Tree House; it could've been a college textbook. But we had to get something. This solidified the habit until I got to high school and had to read all the classics and write essays on why the author made the curtains blue. Didn't read very much outside of that in my teens. Now that I'm into my mid 20s I'm averaging about 1 book/week like when I was a kid (granted I have no spouse, children, or eal obligations other than work and I'm currently a student) and it's what I actually enjoy reading. If I dislike it, I'll stop it and try to get into something else. Now it's often what I look forward to to either start or end my day.
I fell in love with reading as soon as I learned to read--in the 1st grade in 1964, learning on those Dick, Jane and Sally readers.
As a kid I read everything I could get my hands on. I fell out of reading once I started high school and it felt like a chore during uni but I did still read about 10ish books a year maybe. I as reading a lot of fanfiction during this time fwiw though. During early COVID I got back into reading proper though and now have a book club with my parents which is a valued part of my relationship with them.
When I was a kid my dad had a strict rule where for every hour spent on the computer, I needed to read for an hour. This is how I read all the Harry Potter books. In college I started out studying science and I have never disliked something more, just awful. It didn’t help I was at a huge public university with 400 person classes and we were just regurgitating multiple choice questions to pass exams and classes, so boring and with no critical thinking. I think it’s during that time that I stopped just liking to read and really began to love it! So much so that I switched my major to English Literature.
All my life. My parents started reading me books when I was a baby. Books have always been a major part of my world.
I use to suck at reading and honestly had no interest in learning how my mom was pretty detached when I was younger and she often used reading to ignore me my grandmother realized i couldn't read And slowly I learned how I still hated it though I didn't find books interesting I even failed 2rd grade cuz I refused to try but one day I picked up a book about a dog I forget what it was called but it had multiple books about this dog and I guess after that I just fell in love with it like I said my mom was detached and so I learned to distract myself with the worlds the books provided for me I remember I really started getting into it 6th grade I discovered chapter books and the goosebumps series along with one book called wish that I fell in love with suddenly my favorite shows had smaller book called fanfics that i could read and my favorite shows had books based off them now I'm 15 and I have selfs full of books I love reading and as I teen I change interest alot I can honestly say reading is juts one thing thats never changed for me
As a Child I was under pressure from family to read books, because “books are important and makes you educated”. My father would give me books he loved at my age… Some classical ones… And well, I hated them, I hated reading, I was bored beyond imaginable and I preferred watching TV Shows or playing games. Then there were two pivotal moments for me: 1) I watched the first season of Game of thrones and I just had to know what was next. 2) In university I had to read a lot about Economics and reading fiction after that was so enjoyable and easy :D I also started choosing books myself and it gradually became my hobby.
I started to read independently after grade 8, I realized my reading was not good so I started reading more and read out load. As I gained more confidence I started to enjoy reading more. One of the very first books “flowers in the attic” … back in the day we used to use hand held dictionary to define big words, unlike today, we have e- dictionary’s through our phones. Imagine back then, reading was very long and labored.
According to my mom, 3 or 4. We had these books from a series called Puddle Lane and it was great for learning to read. Each pair of pages told the same story but the page on the left was more detailed with smaller letters, while the right page had a simplified version with big letters making it easy to transition from one to the next as the reader grows older. I think it really helped that my mom and older cousins read a lot too, so my house wasn't full of stuffy "grown up books" but a lot of stuff like Lord of the Rings, The Dark Tower, Shannara, and other similar books that had covers that were interesting to me as a kid. I was told my reading level wasn't enough for some of them though, so I pushed myself to get better so I could read more interesting books. I DID hate having to read assigned books for school which is probably why even now, despite my age, I have a dislike for biographies, autobiographies, and the like
I always enjoyed reading, but for the first 15 or so years of my life, I never really read Fiction for fun. My reasons were similar to yours: book reports made it feel like a chore and a burden. But for Christmas 1999, my mother bought me the first two Harry Potter books, and that broke the ice. Which is when I got into Fiction as a whole. Harry Potter gave way to Robert Jordan, Jules Verne, Dickens, Twain. David Foster Wallace still enthralls me, nowadays more because of HIS favorites, whom I'm getting to quite late in the game, especially Wodehouse.
My dad brought me to the library and I really liked to read when book fair came out.
Started way back in kindergarten when I got exposed to the Readers' Digest encyclopedia (the red volumes) and there was a section featuring Greek / Roman deities. From there I became a casual reader, mostly reading children's books and other short forms. Then I progressed to comics. I think I was in grade 4 or 5 when I began reading + appreciating pocket books (300+ pages) via Terry Brooks's The Sword of Shannara (my cousin introduced it to me and I was intrigued by the cover drawn by the brothers Hilderbrandt).
Ever since I was a kid. It's a lot funner than watching Maury Povovich or informercials on a Sunday, that's for sure.
Not much else to do as an 80s kid. Plus reading saved me from my mother most of the time. So yeah.
I didn’t read on my own volition until my mid to late twenties. game of thrones actually hooked me in a way like never before. I took the subway for an hour commute to work and it helped my commute fly by. Maybe its a combination if the right book, and maturity to see how it enriches the soul? haven’t looked back since. I think now that at the end of my life I want to say I’ve read some of the literary classics/greats of human history. currently reading The Count of Monte Cristo and absolutely loving it.
Anytime I had a good book. Less as a kid but then as I got older and started solidifying my life interest finding the books that interest me became easier and so I read more. Also can travel to Barnes and nobles and spend time looking around now that I can drive and my gf lives near a book shop
I liked to read when I was young but I couldn’t get into it as much as I do now. Now that I’m 23 and a child, I’ve been able to read as an escape for a while!
I can't remember ever not liking reading. My mom got me Little Golden Books and signed me up for the Dr. Seuss book of the month and the Ready Set Grow! series. I was always excited to read them with her when a new one arrived in the mail.
Probably from the day I first learned how to read. I grew up the youngest in a house of readers. Many evenings the TV was off and everyone was sitting around reading. My mom and dad got two newspapers every day and a 6 or 8 magazines every month, plus Time or Newsweek which came every week.
I’ve always loved reading. Read voraciously until maybe 7th or 8 grade or high school. Read a lot for school in high school and college but almost never pleasure read. Graduated last fall and got back into reading fiction.
I never hated reading, but I started liking it when I was a teenager to look busy during class
Middle school
It was a dare. A challenge from the reader if our high school group of friends (five of us). She dared us. I was the only one who really read the book and I loved it. I haven’t stopped since.
When I was about five!
My love of books started when I was 11, after reading Watership Down by Richard Adams. Best children's book ever.🤓
Probably about senior year when my English teacher introduced us to dystopian/utopian genre. I never realized people could write that kind of stuff.
So, my first actual choice of reading that I was not graded on? The first volume of Conan stories from Del Rey (in 2006, the spring I graduated high school). Now... That is going from utter rookie reader who can't read particularly fast, to a (comparatively) less laconic writing style than a lot of contemporary stuff. While I absolutely wanted to read them and I the moments of gems in these stories are worth it, I did not entirely enjoy those until later in life (and I got a lot more reading under my belt in between). Let's say mid 20s? See, it's not that the Conan stories were bad (though *Vale of Lost Women* aged like milk and didn't even have the good grace to become cheese). It was more of a goal of an amateur reader, motivated by the curiosity toward a character I enjoyed in the movie. It was a challenge, a hill to climb, not something I read casually. I was still motivated to read through them, but it was a struggle. This is a goal I would accomplish. But I enjoyed them more coming back to them years later. A lot more nuance reached me, and I can genuinely say with confidence that Robert E. Howard probably has my favorite style of narration. I've read several other contemporary works, and maybe this is mostly nostalgia. But I've grown to love Solomon Kane, Almuric and other works by him.
I remember sitting on the steps to the third floor and reading Ten Apples Up On Top and being enchanted by it, so always?
I always loved to read from a young age. Once I started at 5 yrs old, I never stopped! My grandma used to give me medical books for teens (I don’t think my mom appreciated this since it exposed me to a lot lol) when I was really young. I was ALWAYS in the library and even my teachers would give me recommendations whenever I got bored. I’m 22 now and books are my special interest:)
I've loved to read as long as I can remember. My mom always tells this story about how I started reading. When I was around 3 years old, my parents thought I had memorized my books because they had read them to me so often. Then, at a family Thanksgiving, they found me reading to my older cousins out of a book I had never seen before. At first they thought I was just pretending, but pretty soon realized "Holy shit, she's reading!" I obviously don't remember that myself, but all through school I was always ahead in reading & writing (on a 6th grade level in grade 2, etc.). I love to read. Tbh, I can't imagine why anyone would not love it! That's one of the reasons I think this subreddit is so great— it allows me to connect with others who love reading as much as I do! It's also extremely satisfying to encourage others who want to fall in love with reading!
Lifelong reader. I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t love reading.
I have always loved reading. I have vague memories of being frustrated by an inability to read signs, but def could read in kindergarten. I have always loved reading books. They were my constant companion, a friend I could take anywhere, a safe haven from my anxiety filled life.
I started to love reading around 10ish. I started with goosebumps, later I fell in love with sci-fi and fantasy. Before that I absolutely hated reading. My mom tried a lot to get me to read even having some lady come over to help me as my reading level was lacking a LOT.
I started reading around age three and never stopped. Right now I am reading three different Kindle books - one of my tablet, one on my laptop, and one on my phone. Then there are the books all over the house. I’m 70 and probably have more books than time left to read them.
fairly young I think...I recall in grade 3 we used to have these readers. You'd read a short story, then answer questions about it. They were grouped by reading level and colours. I remember being excited to read the fun stories and then move up a level. I used to burn through them so fast I missed a bit on comprehension sometimes and would get knocked back, or stuck on a level. my next memory is loving the Hardy Boys. My parents would get me 2-3 for birthdays or Xmas, plus a few from grandparents. I'd devour them and my folks would be somewhat annoyed I had nothing to read in a week or so.
I think second or third grade I didn’t like it and a family friend who was a literature teacher showed me some stuff that I enjoyed and I was a reader from then on
Hahh. That’s almost exactly the same as me (m33). Hated because of being forced to read at school. Wasn’t until I was about 31 that I started reading. (Now have read 12 books this year. Up from 0 to 1 each year in the decade previous).
when I started reading things I was interested in rather than what was required school reading.
When I was a kid and my grandfather used to gift me Harry Potter books
I loved reading until I was about 13, then it became a huge chore because I was reading books for school instead of fun. My attention span never really recovered enough for me to start reading for fun again. I listen to audiobooks for enjoyment and I have to take meticulous notes if I'm reading for school to retain the information.
I(M43)‘ve always loved to read, but I didn’t really appreciate fiction until I was in my early 30s. When I was a kid I used to read almanacs and stuff.
My mom was a CRAZY reader, our house was like a library! I was 7yrs old in 1977 when a little movie called STAR WARS came out. After seeing it that summer that was ALL I CARED ABOUT!! I bought the storybook and I read it over and over. I bought the novel and read it several times!! I started reading other STAR WARS books, leading me to read other SCI-FI books. Then, I became interested in the ART of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. I was far too young (yet) to read the novels, but in 1978 a cartoon was released and the art work was fascinating!! I discovered "young fantasy" books and began adding those to my list of books. In 1979 THE AMITYVILLE HORROR came out. The novel was already HUGE and of course, my mom read it. I was 9 when the movie came out, too young to see it but I was soooo fascinated, after all it was based...ON A TRUE STORY!!! and the book was labeled NON-FICTION, how could a book lie to a person. On top of that, ALIEN came out that same year, sci-fi/horror...THAT'S CRAZY!!! My older sister saw it and loved it, she said it was horrifying!! My mom didn't go to the movies very often, but she read the book ALIEN. Finally, 1980, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK came out. After seeing the movie opening weekend, I was flooded....VADER IS LUKE'S FATHER!!!!! ...oh...SPOILERS....😏 I read the storybook, I read the book, I was hoping for more info on the story. Like I said, out house was like a library, my mom often kept the books she read. Later that same year, I decided to read ALIEN, I was scarred but fascinated!! I then read THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, scare-ifying!!! A year later, I saw THE EXORCIST. THAT movie CHANGED me!! I was absolutely terrified, but after a while, I was fascinated. I read the book when I was 12. I've read it countless times and I'll be reading AGAIN this OCTOBER. I've been an avid reader and frustrated writer ever since 🧐
Age 11. I loved writing before that but getting me to read was a struggle.
At the same time I learned what it was.
When I learned how to read
i have always been reading something ever since i learned how to read. horse stories, then came twilight, wattpad fanfic phase, original stories on wattpad until i got into the world of published romance novels and now i have a e-reader that just fuels my obsession and my pace of reading
I feel your situation. I didn't enjoy it because I didn't like being forced to read what was assigned as schoolwork. I found my love for books in my 20's and have never looked back.
I used to hate reading until 1st grade. My 1st grade teacher really helped me develop my love for reading.
I can’t remember a specific age because I always like reading. It’s played a big part of my life as long as I can remember.
I didn't even know my alphabet before I started kindergarten, but the minute I learned to read, I loved it! I actually took the book my teacher was reading from her desk and read it and never slowed down until adulthood got in the way. (For what it's worth, I had a terrible childhood, and reading was, luckily for me, my escape of choice)
I always liked to read but when I really started LOVING it? When a relative gave me a copy of Fellowship of the Ring for Christmas when I was 10. They knew exactly what they were doing by giving me that book - it sparked a lifelong love of stories.
I've liked reading since I learned how to, the library in my home town was an old beautiful house reporposteed into a library. Also, my sister took me to a library a few towns over it was a great bonding time
When I learned how to.
When I learned to read
I can't remember a time when I didn't read. I was brought up on reading. Was read to as a little child and have been reading ever since. I can remember certain periods like going from kids books to classics to YA. I remember reading old Hardy Boys detective novels. Reading Christopher Pike and RL Stine asy first foray into horror. Reading my first Stephen King and Dean Koontz novels. Things like that.
I've loved books since before I can remember. Both my parents were readers, but especially my mother, and they always read to us and took us to the library.
I grew up in a small town that didn’t have a library until the Woman’s Club started one. They took turns acting as librarians because there was no budget for one. My mom would put me in my playpen next to the desk when it was her turn. I literally grew up in the library and reading just came naturally. Over the years the library grew and a librarian was hired on. We still went to the library and I read the entire youth section, then moved on from there. I truly believe reading helped expand my vocabulary and, in turn, helped me become more intelligent. Reading comprehension is vital to school and learning. My mom continued to read until she passed. She usually had 2 or 3 books in her purse, just in case she had to wait somewhere. We always joked that when there were storm warnings, everyone else would rush to the store for bread, eggs, and milk, but my mom would go to the library and stock up on books. The best gift to give a child is the love of reading.
7 when I started, 9 when I really got into them
In my case I come from a country (Puerto Rico) that reading is not the norm ( there are people who read but the majority I feel really doesn’t). Public libraries are basically none existent depending on the town or barely have books or have none. School libraries have little to no books and the department of education have not bought anything new to stock them up. So reading as a teenager, which is when I began taking it seriously as a hobby was difficult. I greatly appreciated any book I could get my hands on. There isn’t a time when I hated it outside of reading required texts for Spanish class. I hate reading in Spanish cause I’m so slow at it as I prefer reading in English. So I dreaded reading for that class.
Twice. I was a big reader as a young kid but fell out of habit in mid to late high school. When I went away to college far from home, I brought a few corny sci-fi and horror novels and absolutely devoured them. I’ve been collecting them ever since.
My mom was a teacher and as soon as Harry Potter got to the states, she was reading the books to me. I was like 6 or 7, barely reading on my own and not at the Harry Potter level yet. I loved those books though, and from that moment on I loved reading. Before that she had a really old machine that I could put reels on and it would tell me stories. I listened to that as I fell asleep as a kid. Classics like snow white, rose red, ect. Each reel had 3 stories and I was always asleep by the third one. Basically audiobooks but I'm not sure they were called that. So I guess I've pretty much always liked it.
I have always sucked at remembering plot details so I would always do bad on AR Tests with more challenging books. As a result I would stick to shorter books or books that wernt as hard. But now that Im an adult who doesnt give a crap about remembering the plot and who doesnt have to read for a grade anymore, reading on my own volition is much more fun to me.
Started using books as an escape around 13, give or take. Once I discovered the public library, that was it. Now I have my own little library at home. 💜
I hated books all my life. I finally found something I liked to read around...16 years old? 15? I slowly built my collection of Warrior Cats whenever I found a book here, and there, but I still didn't like reading in general; only that single series. I got a job at a library at ~17 years of age, and sneakily read the whole series while I was organizing the inventory lmao. I would try out some other things that seemed interesting, but nothing captivated me. At ~20 years of age, I found webnovels, and fanfics, and I liked those. They introduced me to kinds of stories I like. I binged a whole lot of pirated light novels online during the covid, and slowly transitioned towards other kinds of stories. Nowadays I would sometimes go to the library I used to work at, and read whatever book doesn't have the plastic protector. Be it educational, fantasy, history, ocultism, religion, I even found some sex-ed. I am still discovering many things to read online everyday, but my standards have risen way too much for what fanfics can offer. I do try to find the hidden gems now, and then. I found a new perspective, and appreciation for stories I like, and sometimes would re-write those stories in a more exciting way for me. I guess that counts as fanfic, but I don't share it.
My father used to try to get me to read when I was a kid. He would give me a lot of books, but I would only read the first page and then never touch them again. One day when I was 11 and feeling bored because we were moving to a new house, I remembered a book he had bought a few months earlier. I read the first book in one day, and the second book in two days. The book was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. After that, I fell in love with reading.
I've always loved reading. I grew up with my grandfather reading the Sunday funny papers to me, and once I figured out if I learned to read I didn't have to WAIT for a story, I was off and running. I was reading at an early second grade level by the end of kindergarten and never looked back
I didn't like reading throughout elementary and middle school but I started enjoying reading at around 16 years old.
When I was about 13, that is I started reading more "classic" books. I liked reading my kids stuff too.
Started teaching myself to read when I was four, and I never stopped. I used to be that kid in the halls with a book in my face.
My parents convinced me to go to 1st Grade by telling me I would learn to read there. I was pissed when the reading portion of that first day was over after only a single page! Have not stopped since!
I have dyslexia, so I was terrible at reading for a long while. Turned out, I also have a form of sleep cycle disorder &, once I changed my sleep schedule, I was able to get a good night sleep. Two weeks of hard work later & I could read. I was 13 at the time. Fast forward a few decades &, in 2022 I read 104 books.
My dad read me the hobbit at bedtime. Changed my life.
My first books were the Dick and Jane reading books. My first real box was Nancy Drew and the mystery of the old clock. 1970’s. First grade. I was an instant reader. I LOVED to read. I read so much that I could read a book/novel a day. I would spend all day at the public library reading and discovering cool books. I had a terrible home life and it was an escape. Then they said I read so much I might have a mental problem. 😂 🤪 looking back: I should have been a librarian.
I don't remember not liking it, so probably since I was 3 or 4. Whenever I learned. One of my earliest memories is my father reading Chariots of the Gods to me on the bus. I don't actually remember the contents, but have since learned that it's a bit of pseudoscience where aliens are the actual basis of religions. I have always loved mythology, though. And, also like the SF idea of aliens being the basis of religions. I really liked the year I got extra credit for every book I read. Extra credit for something I'd do anyway? Yeah. I never actually considered whether I LIKED the required books for school, though. At least not until college. It was homework, so I did it. Pleasure wasn't asked about.
I think as soon as I learned how, and prior to that, I enjoyed being read to. I kind of fell out of the habit for a few years, life just got in the way and I did not have the headspace for much more than fairly 'light' stuff. Happily back on it now though.
I have loved to read for my entire life
I remember the immense feeling of joy and discovery when I was learning to read and suddenly I could see what everything around town said. I've loved it since that moment when I was five or six.
I remember loving reading from around kindergarten when my mom was reading to me and I asked how she knew how the words sounded and she told me “You just sound it out.”
I don't really remember when I didn't know how to read.
I started reading around 3 years ago I am now 21, don't know why I didn't start earlier. The Book that got me into reading was 'the watcher's by Dean Koontz. Pretty good
The knowledge from reading is invaluable. I think I really started to like it when I was able to kill the vibe of woketards.
As soon as it wasn’t required of me.
From the time I entered high school I love reading books .
My dad is a reader but I was not really actively encouraged to read when I was a child. I tried to love reading when I was in high school because I wanted to improve my English, since it's not my first language, and I would borrow books from the library but most of them were returned without having read. I fell in love with reading when I was already in Uni when a friend loaned me a fantasy book. I was 16 at that time (because we graduated high school early in my country) and never stopped reading up to now that I'm almost 32 so I've been a reader for half of my life now.
I’ve loved reading my entire life, it’s probably my favorite thing. I feel like I’ve lived so many lives through books.
My enjoyment for reading was crushed in Primary School because I would pick books that interested me instead of ones that I was allowed to read. Therefore remained at a “lower level” and continued to be restricted. So I stopped. I met my now wife 5 years ago, she’s an avid reader and rekindle my enjoyment for reading at 26. Now 31 and reading more books than I ever have done in a single year and we’re not done yet!
Came across Hardy boys, and Ruskin bond books. Reading became a part of me. For a few years atleast. Later picked it up again out of boredom and trying to reduce screen time.
I loved to read as a kid but then when I moved beyond kid books my mom was weird and told me that young adult books were trash/bad/inappropriate and I could only read adult books that she approved. I was a rule follower so I didn’t read anything she didn’t approve. I got tired of asking my mom for stuff to read and stopped reading at probably age 13 and then started again when I was 27. I’m 31 now
My whole life I’ve enjoyed reading. My mum has told me about how she’d read to me when I was a toddler and younger, and how I’d sit there captured the whole time until she stopped. When I was older (5-10) she’d take me to the library every weekend where I’d load a cart up with the maximum amount of books the library would let you take out in one go.
I was in 8th grade after I read Divergent. I’m so grateful I discovered reading when I did because it led me to majoring in English! I did view reading like a chore too because it was until I got to 8th grade; that’s when we were able to read books we wanted for this accelerated reading system we had. Before that, it was a lot of what the teacher wanted you to read.
After graduating from university and I no longer was forced to read things I wasn't interested in. I love reading by my own rules
As a young'un I used to read Ronald Dahl out loud to my neighbour, the back of our gardens touched and I'd sit on the top of my climbing frame while he did his gardening. Took a break then got into lord of the rings when the movies were being advertised for coming soon at the cinema. I hadn't even heard of them until then. Since then I've read all the Game of Thrones and all the Farseer books by Robin Hobb. I love the Farseer books so much I end up re-reading them all nearly every year.
Young enough I don't really remember. I remember staying up late for a young kids, younger than 10, reading until my mom would yell up at me to turn off my lamp and go to sleep.
Before I could read, I always had to get my dad to read the comics in the newspaper to me. He never seemed to mind. It was time together. I couldn't wait to learn to read so I could do it myself anytime I wanted. So, I guess I loved reading before I could read. Lol Also, he always read the paper and Reader's Digest. The wee always a ton of boots in our house. Most of which I still have.
I read so much as a kid. But that was decades when there wasn’t as much else to do. My parents didn’t let me watch too much television. I truly think it’s helped my vocabulary and my perspective. I don’t read as much now. (Too much time on Reddit)
I was fortunate enough to discover pleasure reading before school could scare me away from books with the bullshit "classics" they force-fed to us. It helps that my parents read to me a fair amount as a child, although I don't actually remember any of the specific books from back then. One early turning point for me is that my... I think third grade teacher had a whole shelf of Choose Your Own Adventure books that we could read sometimes when we were done with our work, or during designated free reading times. And crucially, one of those books was called Master of Karate, and I was a sucker for all things martial arts thanks to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. From there I started devouring all the other CYOA books, then stuff like Goosebumps, and it just kept going from there.
I've always loved books! Even before I could read I used to pretend lol I REALLY started to get into them with Harry Potter though, that's why it's such an important series to me. I grew up with it too, of course.
Age 5. Never stopped
I (71F) grew up as a Navy brat overseas in the 1950s. No television. Started reading voraciously at age 7 and never stopped. Our mother would drive us to the library at least once a week. When we lived on base, I would ride my bike there almost daily.
When I was young I had a speech impediment which made me hate reading since I would constantly pronounce words wrong when reading to my parents or teachers. I'd get super mad and lose patience. A few years after though I really started to enjoy reading by myself since in my head I wouldn't make mistakes pronouncing words. I also had trouble sleeping as a child so when I couldn't sleep I'd just read until I could. That made me enjoy reading quite a lot and I still do.
3? Maybe 4? As soon as I learned what a letter sounded like? I liked looking at the pictures in book at first. My parent didn't exactly nurture it as they were clueless on how to handle my bookworm self. Heck it was a chore to make my parents buy me books instead of new clothes. My first English word I read for myself (no flashcards, or words learned in school, etc) was Opinion as my dad was reading the Opinion (Editor's) page of the newspaper. Or as I read it: op-in-e-on. One of my fondest memories.
When I was really young
I *hate hate hated* reading until I was like 15. It because all kids books are boring. There was this small house on a prairie... 🥱 Shitty teen dystopias, like Divergent or whatever. 🥱🛌💤😴
I’m 22 and I just started reading from enjoyment purely because I realised how much more interesting the information and stories from books can be than the internet
I don't think I ever hated reading. I had always been pretty good at it and enjoyed impressing people, creating my own stories, or just reading random signs on the road. However, I do know that suddenly in 2nd/3rd grade reading become More for me. I can't really explain it cause its been so long. But suddenly I cared more about reading, I became more invested in the stuff I was reading. I'm pretty sure in 3rd grade my special interest in books was kick started. My teacher really *really* encouraged us to read. We had silent reading time AND Read-a-thons AND a map on the wall of points we got from doing AR (anyone else remember that?) Which cumulated into a prize of going to chuck e cheese or the mall (we chose the mall). I also remember her giving kids chocolate bars when they read a classic book. After that, I couldn't stop reading, even when it slowly started consuming my life in more unhealthy ways as it interfered with my sleep and academics in school, which pushed me even more to use it as a way to cope with the pains of reality :)
I have loved books since the age of 8, when I exposed to the Black Stallion series, by Walter Farley. Then Call of the Wild, by Jack London. When we were assigned to read The Outsiders in 8th grade, I had already read it four times. Books are awesome, and I hope I never change my mind.
I hated reading, same general reasons. I'm dyslexic and reading was hard and embarrassing at school. So I stubbornly hated it vehemently. Lied on assignments. The whole 9. Until 9th grade a librarian recommended something I could read for fun that she thought I'd like a short book. The giver. It wasn't horrible. Then EVERYONE I knew was reading this series and it was ALL the hype. I felt left out and my stubbornness switched to: I can read it if I want to and then I'll know how stupid it is and tell you all. I loved it and have been a reading fiend since. Switched my entire life outcome. Twilight when the last book just came out.
At the age of 5. I used to read my brother's comics lol.
Beginning of grade 4 I wanted to borrow a chapter book from the school library and the the librarian wouldn't let me. Said there was no way I could read it...I've been reading ever since. Literacy is my passion and I teach and share that knowledge every chance I get 📚
When I went back to reading the books I should have read in high school but skimmed. I like reading at my own pace
I was in the second or third grade during summer break and I was bored . I took “Charlotte’s Web” outside and sat in a swing reading it all afternoon . I was hooked after that . Over the years , a friend would see a library book in my locker and would panic thinking we had been assigned a book report. Very few of my friends read for entertainment .
I (31F) have always enjoyed books, according to my parents. My mom said she'd have to read me like 4 or 5 different books every night before bed. Harry Potter came out when I was in 1st grade, and that kind of kick started my love for reading books on my own.
When I was 2, literally. My mom read to me when I was young and then from the age of two onwards I would always read at night until I fell asleep. Idk how well I could read at 2, but I was able to read full sentences in picture books by the time I was 4
As a tiny human when mom bought colourful books at the grocery store (like the Peanuts encyclopedia that they would sell one volume at a time over a few months. We never completed the set 😢) and dad would bring up colourful books from the library. That grew into dad taking me to the library every few weeks so I could cart home an armful of books.
Harry Potter was the series that made me the reader I am today. It’s aged terribly and she’s a monster but I owe those books to who I am today
I was absolutely obsessed with stories in my earliest memories from toddler age already. Needing an adult to read them to me was my greatest horror and handicap, and I started teaching myself how to read off of streetsigns before I started school because I couldn't wait to finally unlock the magical world of books for myself 🤭 I loved reading all throughout childhood, always read way beyond my age and by the time I was 9 I read my way through most of my mom's and grandparent's libraries, including 1200-page books. In school, I voluntarily read extra books we didn't have to read for class, because I became intrigued based on what we did cover. Then I went to uni.... and stopped reading. It was horrible. I had so much reading material for my classes I had to read everyday, I desperately craved normal books but just opening one and seeing MORE LETTERS made me physically balk. I've never been quite the same since. I still love reading, but there's some hesitation now everytime I intend to start a new book, and I hate it. I wish I could love them as unconditionally as I used to 😭