I guess I'm not sure what my first experience with a book really was. All I know is, when I was little, every single night, my Dad would read a book to me at night before tucking me in. Every night I would pick the book and the two of us would sit in my bed and he would read. I remember he would purposely mess up the words to make it more fun, to which I would respond, "Hey, that's not right!". I loved having my Dad read to me. But eventually as I grew older, the roles changed, and I started reading to him.
My favorite books to read with my Dad was a series called "The Berenstain Bears". There was Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Brother Bear, and Sister Bear, pretty unique names, eh? I remember I had something like sixteen of these books varying in plots from "No Girls Allowed" to "Too Much Junk Food" to even "The Babysitter". I absolutely loved this series and never grew tired of it. I must have read these books with my Dad cover to cover, more than just a few times. These books have a special place in my heart because it always reminds me of the fun times I spent reading in bed with my Dad.
From this experience, reading with my Dad, I found myself to always be a good reader. I was always the one asked to read in class or to be the narrator because I was a pretty "fluent" reader, I guess you could say. Even in middle school I was asked to read the morning announcements. I'm sure I'm like this because of the way I would read with my Dad. Every time I messed up a word he would make me go back and read the word again, even the sentence again, to make sure I got it right. Of course, I hated that, but it definitely helped me become a great reader.
I think I've always liked reading. I don't think you could say I love it, but I really don't hate it. I'm not sure why I don't love it though. I feel like I should like it more than I do, seeing as I had such a good relationship with it when I was younger, but I just don't. I find that I won't like a book for a variety of reasons - if I can't get a clear picture of the character, or the plot, I won't like the book because it just bores me and I have no idea what's going on. I'll even find that if I don't like the texture of the pages of a book, it'll be very hard for me to read it. I have absolutely no idea where I got that from, but it definitely plays a key role in my choice of book.
I still feel the same way about books. I definitely read more now then I did in middle school, but I still find it hard to pick a good book that will suit me just right. I'm not a very picky person, but there is just something about books - I can't explain it!
As for reading goals, I hope I can figure out what types of books I know I'd like to read. Whenever someone asks me, "Well, what's your favorite genre?", I have no idea what to say. I like many different books, but I don't like one specific genre. I'll like a mystery book, but not all mystery books. I'll like a biography, but not all biographies. I think you're catching my drift here when I say it's hard for me to choose a book. But this year I believe my absolute overall goal would be to really connect with my reading identity so I can be able to easily pick a book I know I'll like.
My favorite books to read with my Dad was a series called "The Berenstain Bears". There was Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Brother Bear, and Sister Bear, pretty unique names, eh? I remember I had something like sixteen of these books varying in plots from "No Girls Allowed" to "Too Much Junk Food" to even "The Babysitter". I absolutely loved this series and never grew tired of it. I must have read these books with my Dad cover to cover, more than just a few times. These books have a special place in my heart because it always reminds me of the fun times I spent reading in bed with my Dad.
From this experience, reading with my Dad, I found myself to always be a good reader. I was always the one asked to read in class or to be the narrator because I was a pretty "fluent" reader, I guess you could say. Even in middle school I was asked to read the morning announcements. I'm sure I'm like this because of the way I would read with my Dad. Every time I messed up a word he would make me go back and read the word again, even the sentence again, to make sure I got it right. Of course, I hated that, but it definitely helped me become a great reader.
I think I've always liked reading. I don't think you could say I love it, but I really don't hate it. I'm not sure why I don't love it though. I feel like I should like it more than I do, seeing as I had such a good relationship with it when I was younger, but I just don't. I find that I won't like a book for a variety of reasons - if I can't get a clear picture of the character, or the plot, I won't like the book because it just bores me and I have no idea what's going on. I'll even find that if I don't like the texture of the pages of a book, it'll be very hard for me to read it. I have absolutely no idea where I got that from, but it definitely plays a key role in my choice of book.
I still feel the same way about books. I definitely read more now then I did in middle school, but I still find it hard to pick a good book that will suit me just right. I'm not a very picky person, but there is just something about books - I can't explain it!
As for reading goals, I hope I can figure out what types of books I know I'd like to read. Whenever someone asks me, "Well, what's your favorite genre?", I have no idea what to say. I like many different books, but I don't like one specific genre. I'll like a mystery book, but not all mystery books. I'll like a biography, but not all biographies. I think you're catching my drift here when I say it's hard for me to choose a book. But this year I believe my absolute overall goal would be to really connect with my reading identity so I can be able to easily pick a book I know I'll like.
A Year Later:
As a sophomore, I wrote this blog post about my reading history. But now, as a junior, and having had an entire school year filled with reading in Miss Barnicle's class, I can actually say I enjoy reading. In this last paragraph, I spoke about how I didn't know what genre of books I liked, but after reading and experiencing countless books last year, I realized that the genre is not what attracts me to a book. And surprisingly enough, I love books that I can't relate too. I'm sure you've heard the saying "opposites attract", well, that's kind of how I feel about the relationship I have with books.
Last year for example, I read A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. The supposed memoir describes the journey of Frey through a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Although there were definitely some dry parts where all you wanted was for the book to end, I can definitely say I enjoyed reading it. Now, I am not a drug addict or an alcoholic, nor do I hope that this is what destiny has in store for me, but I loved reading it. It was like I could live vicariously through James to be a different person, understand what he was going through, and his situation. In addition to A Million Little Pieces, I loved reading The Crucible, which depicts the salem witch trials in the sixteen hundreds. With each unfolding scene I felt myself wanting more and more to jump into the book myself and strangle Abigail for lying about what she'd done. And although this book was definitely more similar to my life than a drug addict resisting treatment in rehab, it still could take me on a journey through a world in which I did not know. One of the last choice read books I read in Miss Barnicle's English 2A Science Academy class, and probably my favorite, was The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. The book described Jeanette's very different life growing up, as her parents chose to be homeless. Her parents, in a deep whole of debt, move throughout the country to everywhere from; the desert, where they slept under the stars; her late grandmother's home, which eventually gets robbed; and an abandoned house where Jeanette finally realizes she must save her siblings, and herself. The Glass Castle opened my eyes to my own past, and how I got here. I enjoyed the book very much and would definitely recommend it to anyone in search of a great read.
As far as this year, my reading goals have definitely changed. I hope to read more frequently than I did last year, and find time in my busy schedule to read outside of class too. I still don't know if I'd choose reading over being with my friends, but I definitely enjoy reading much more than I ever did in middle school or even as a freshman.
