Do you remember the book that started your love of reading?
I do - it's a book called "Star of Wild Horse Canyon" (by Clyde Robert Bulla) and it came in one of those mystery Scholastic Lucky Book Club Book Bags when I was in Year One. I remember reading it in one sitting - all 70 pages (with a rather large font and numerous drawings...) - and charging out of my bedroom to tell my parents. I thought I was so grown up!
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And then - things started to change. Romance started to creep into my pony books - starting with "The Dream Horse" by Virginia Campbell Scott. On the cover it says "A girl with no roots. A boy with a bad reputation. A horse nobody wants." Okay - I was a thirteen year old horse-mad (horse-less!) girl who was just discovering the pain of unrequited love. I couldn't read this book fast enough!Over the next few years my reading taste started to slide heavily towards romance, and by age sixteen I was lucky enough to have my own horse - to be living the dream of horse ownership, and horse shows - even a pony club camp! - that I'd dreamt of for so long. I was finally the girl in the pony book (handsome teen heartthrob aside).
I sold my last horse, Vee (the pics are of her - isn't she lovely?) in my early twenties, and I can't see horses again in my future anytime soon. But, those pony books will still follow me everywhere - they started a life long love of reading, and daydreaming, that eventually led to me thinking that maybe I should try writing a book one day... And while right now I'm more than happy writing romance, I reckon I have at least one pony book inside me.
Do you remember the book that triggered your love of reading? Do you have a favourite author or series from your childhood?
Actually it was the Nancy Drew mysteries that started my love of reading. I don't remember how old I was but I do remember my parents were sure I was really old enough for them but finally gave in and borrowed one for me to read from the daughter of a friend of theirs. When I proved I could read well enough to understand the books they bought the remainder of the series as they came out. I don't remember how old I was but I know I was younger than the recommended age for those books.
ReplyDeleteLeah, I had A Horse Named Doodlebug too! In fact, I still might have it in a box somewhere. My sister was very into horses when we were kids (and has her own horse now) - I was mainly into dog books. Maybe I should get some photos of them together and do a matching post to yours but about dog books!
ReplyDeleteOh, Leah, do you know how much I envy you for getting your much yearned for horse as a 16yo? Sigh. I wanted one so bad. Loved horse stories as a teenager.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I can't remember the first book I truly loved. I do remember having a particular fondness for a Peter Pan Golden Book when I was very little. Oh, and I devoured anything by Enid Blyton. The first series I fell in love with was Anne of Green Gables. I still have Anne and a whole host of Enid Blyton's, but I'm afraid that Golden book has gone to the big book depository in the sky.
Rach, I dare you! I'd love a post about your dog books. :-)
Hi Ellen! I don't think I've ever read Nancy Drew, but I definitely read a lot of series books growing up - as a teenager I read The Vampire Diaries, and it's sort of crazy that now they are popular again :) I remember waiting impatiently for the next book!
ReplyDeleteRachel - REALLY? That is cool! Good old Doodlebug :) And yes, please do a matching blog post, I'd love to hear about your dog books!
ReplyDeleteMichelle - I know, I was very lucky! I was a bit older than most of the other girls at pony club, but I was determined to experience it all, I felt like I'd waited so long :)
ReplyDeleteThere is one Enid Blyton (Cherrytree Farm?) where at the end the children are all given a donkey. I thought that was THE coolest thing ever. I loved her books, too!
Ah Leah - we read so many of the same books. I fell in love with the Silver Brumby series, and of course Black Beauty - which was the first horse book my parents bought me (and if my father had known he would have to buy me a real horse when I was twelve because of that book, he might have given me Lassie Come Home, instead)
ReplyDeleteI love the Little House On The Prairie series too.
Great pics of your horse . I'm lucky to own eight horses - each of them unique and part of our family.
Fabulous post, thanks for sharing it.
I was never into the horse-y thing as a teen, although I had many friends who were.
ReplyDeleteLike Michelle, I devoured Enid Blyton, but I think my first real book love was the Trixie Belden series of mysteries. I was an avid collector and wanted every single one of them -- not an easy task in the days before internet shopping! I think I eventually owned around 30, and I was incredibly proud of my collection, lol!
After Trixie, romance started to creep into my literary tastes too, mostly with the Sweet Dreams series and Sweet Valley High...
I was an Enid Blyton fan too. A girlfriend and I were always swapping our latest books. Romance became a part of my reading in the teen years and never really went away.
ReplyDeleteOh Helen, I am so jealous you got a horse at 12! My first horse came after years of mucking out stables etc, dreaming and hoping - I reckon my parents waited as long as possible for me to grow out of it. And it just didn't happen :) I'd love to have horses again one day, as I still have lots of horsey friends and love to hear about their horses. We'll see!
ReplyDeleteI loved Sweet Dreams, too, Emmie! I still have my favourite one :) Never really got into Sweet Valley High, the sisters were just too too perfect.
ReplyDeleteI've never read Trixie Belden, will have to go google the series!
Sue - once I discovered romance I never looked back :) I used to refuse to read a book unless it had horses in it, and now I find it hard to read anything without (at the very least) a romantic element.
ReplyDeleteCan I said "ditto" to Emmie? :)
ReplyDeleteI read tons of Enid Blytons and Trixe Beldens before moving on to Sweet Dreams.
What I love now is that I'm (re)reading Enid Blyton with DS1 - I get to enjoy them all over again :D
A book called 'The Children of Willow Farm' by Enid Blyton. Not one of her better known books. In fact her 'Famous Five' were the last ones I read.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading forever, so I have no idea of the first books that drew me in. I come from a family that reads though.
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool that you get to share your favourite books with your sons, Joanne! I'm definitely going to have to look up these Trixie Belden's, too.
ReplyDeleteHi Maria! I'm pretty sure I've read "The Children of Willow Farm"! I've definitely read The Famous Five, they were real adventure books :)
ReplyDeleteMarybelle, I come from a family of readers, too, and my mum's a school teacher, so there was never any chance of me *not* reading. But it wasn't until I got the "pony book bug" that I was hooked :) I can't imagine a home without books, I feel really sorry for kids that aren't encouraged to read, they are missing out on so much.
ReplyDeleteLeah, I come from a family of readers and like Marybelle I can't remember the first book that drew me in. But I do know that it wasn't long before I adored anything with a horse in it! I had Josephine Pullein-Thompson's Show Jumping Secret and Anna Sewell's Black Beauty and Phyllis Briggs's Son of Black Beauty and nearly wore the print off them with re-reading! And from the library, I probably had more than my share of borrowing My Friend Flicka and Thunderhead.
ReplyDeleteFun walk down memory lane! Thanks!