Thursday, August 19, 2010

Think About It Thursday


Think About It Thursday is a brand new meme hosted by Rachel at 1001 Books. Every Thursday she will post a bookish related question that makes you think a bit. So, congratulations to Rachel and here we go!

This weeks question
What is your earliest memory of reading and was it a positive or negative experience?

This certainly did make me think because I don't actually remember reading anything until the 5th grade. Is that bad? But, since the 5th grade I have so many reading memories and some have been positive and some negative.  This is too hard so instead of leaving a simple answer, I will make a list. I like lists.

  1. 5th Grade- the school librarian recommended I am Regina by Sally M. Keene. This is the first book I remember reading because it was a positive experience for me. This book is still one of my favorites even as an adult. POSITIVE
  2. 5th Grade- my 5th grade teacher (Mrs. Federspeil) attempted to make the class read Johnny Tremaine by Esther Forbes. The only thing I remember about it is that he burned his hand in the first chapter...that's all I remember, because that's all I read. NEGATIVE
  3. 7th Grade- forced to read The Hobbit. I hate Sci-fi/ Fantasy to this day. NEGATIVE
  4. 8th Grade- Mrs. Culkin introduced me to The Giver by Lois Lowry. This is my favorite book of all time. This was also the first time I "read ahead" of the class because I enjoyed it so much. Even today I would not be a very good book club member, because I would read ahead if I like the book...I did this in my college Literature classes and it pissed the professors off. POSITIVE
  5. 11th Grade- high school American Lit. I class on American Short Fiction- Roman Fever by Edith Wharton. This was my reading OMG moment. If you have not read it go do it now! Unfortunately I moved to another state in the middle of the semester, so I bought the text book from the school because I loved it so much! This is when I officially achieved NERD status and started eating lunch in the courtyard by myself. It was shortly there after that I spent my entire Christmas Vacation reading The Green Mile by Stephen King. POSITIVE
I think that completes my list. After high school I did a lot of reading on my own for "fun". I also took a dozen English/ Literature classes in college and have enough credits to have had a double major in English except I refused to take another year of foreign language. Did you know you have to have 3 years in a foreign language to get a minor/ major in English?

Thanks again to Rachel at 1001 Books for hosting and I look forward to seeing what everyone else is Thinking About this Thursday!


5 comments:

  1. Thanks for playing along with me.

    Now that you mention it,I remember reading Johnny Tremaine about the same time and all I can remember is the burnt hand as well.

    My mom is a big Hobbit fan and tried to get me to read it. I wasn't having it. I'm not a big sci-fi person either.

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  2. HA! HA! So this is what you were up doing till 2:30am ;)
    Like this and might have to join this post today. Of course I'm much older and cannot remember as many details as you my dear ...lol

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  3. I did the same thing! I always read ahead of the class if I liked the book... in US History in HS we had to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair... and we were only supposed to read up to Chapter 20 (can't let impressionable children read about socialism!)... I think I was done with the entire book when everyone else was on chapter 9 or something. :)

    I read the Hobbit in preparation for auditioning for the 8th grade play... The Lord of the Rings is much better. Bilbo is annoying.

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  4. I seem to remember a certain books of poems that you loved to read...Up the Down Stairs or something like that wasn't it? How about Anne of Green Gables....you loved the movies but I seem to remember the books being hard to read.

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  5. I had to research to find more of the books I loved to read when I was a kid, some I even shared with you kids when you were growing up:

    1) Laura Wilder - Little House on the Prarie series

    2) Beverly Cleary - Ramona the Pest; I think it is so funny that Ramona and Bezus is coming out again and now in a movie. I loved Ramona!

    3) Pippi Long Stockings! I love reading about all her zany, crazy adventures!

    4) Beverly Cleary - Henry Huggins - Ramonas Male counterpart

    5) An oddball read: "7 Bridges for 7 Brothers"....had to do with seeing Bobbi Sherman in the movie verson.

    6) found another from Scholastic book club that I remember reading:

    "The Enourmous Egg"
    7) Clifford the Big Red Dog


    so many!!!

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