Reading Story

Reading Story

Much to my mum’s despair I cannot remember ever being read to by her. My mum tells of how she used to read until she fell asleep with my brother and me snuggled under an arm each. She was a keen reader when she was young particularly in her teens and reading is very important to her. We used to visit the library once a week and we would each be allowed to choose a book. One of my favourites when I was young was a book called Red is Best, which my mum can still remember in part having read it so many times, I also liked Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories.

My grandparents on my mum’s side also read to us when we visited, I would always ask for a story about a ragged teddy bear, called Buffy. I also loved nonsense poems and still do; one of my favourites is The Pobble Who has No Toes by Edward Lear. I enjoyed visual poems as well, where the words weren’t set in lines; it broke rules. I have lots of children’s poetry books at home, one of which I won as a prize at school, probably for most smiley faces on a chart. Interestingly although my brother and I had the same experiences of literature in our all important younger years he never reads for pleasure now. He is dyslexic and finds reading a challenge, this leads me to think that a keen reader not only experiences literature from a young age and is encouraged to read by an influential figure, be it parent, guardian or friend, but also needs to feel competent in the activity to develop an enduring love for words on a page.

My earliest memory of reading is during ‘story time’ at school, I don’t know how old I was but it must have been young because we were reading a giant book as a class. I felt even at that young age to be a confident reader. English at school was always a favourite lesson of mine and I remember enjoying learning new words. In year seven we studied a book about a boy called Conrad who was ordered by and delivered to an “eccentric” lady who wanted a child but from what I remember of the story there was no man on the scene (making a baby by traditional methods an impossibility), never a point made explicit. The description of the lady as eccentric stuck with me because I didn’t know what it meant, once I found out I think I used it in every piece of writing I could and crammed it into any sentence possible, even if inappropriate.

Education was valued in my house and my mum always spent time with us (my brother and me) doing research for school projects, we had a set of encyclopaedias that we used for reference, this is before Internet ruled the world. I also wrote stories as a child, which my mum would ‘write up’ for me, I remember naming one of the mythical creatures I wrote about by joining lots of names of animals together, something like giraffepigmonkeyzebra, not the most imaginative writing but I was under ten. I only write for pleasure now when I’m travelling when I keep a self indulgent diary, which I would cringe if anyone read. The last poem I wrote was about my Grandpa, a very close friend of mine helped me to write it and I read it at his funeral.

I continued to read throughout my childhood and up until my early teens. The last set of stories that I read in my teens were the Anastasia collection, a typical read for a twelve year old girl, the main character was a geeky misfit, although very ordinary, frustrated with her parents and experiencing the pains of growing up. Now, although I was no Anastasia, there was something in her character that I could relate to and before I’m critical of modern children’s literature perhaps I should revisit what captured me in my early adolescence, or at least I would if the books weren’t stored away in the attic, I’m sure it’s no great work, however. I also read teen magazines for girls, bliss, sugar, etc. How trashy they were? But I enjoyed reading the embarrassing stories section, which you knew were elaborate lies of things that never actually happened. In a naïve way I think I thought of them as adult in their tame allusions to boys and sex.

I stopped reading for pleasure around the age of twelve or thirteen, as seems to be surprisingly common. Despite being studious and serious at school I only read set texts for English and other non-fiction relating to schoolwork. Around GCSEs I became a hermit and revision guides were my fodder for thought and I could recite the Science Lets Guide by heart, which boded well for exams and less so socially. This continued during my A levels only reading set texts and only when I went to university did I start reading for pleasure again. It was 'chick lit' mostly at first but with guidance from a well read uncle of mine I started to explore more ‘serious’ texts. His recommendations were often biased towards modernist literature concerned with social issues, or should I say socialist views. He’s a great fan of Orwell and having read most of his works now, barring his essays, I’d fight his case for being ‘canonised’.

I think literature can offer you a new perspective, show you a different way of thinking and challenge your ideas about the world. With my interest in education and young people it is not surprising that I have also read and enjoyed A Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night and the David Pelzer trilogy. As well as gritty realism I love getting lost in fantasy; I recently read the Philip Pullman trilogy, it was a world so exquisite in detail that I found myself absorbed by it. Another fantasy writer I enjoy is Angela Carter, Nights at the Circus is exceptional, I love the detail in her writing, wondering if the central character has a belly button because she was hatched from an egg, if you are confused and intrigued by this read the book.

As well as reading more avidly and for enjoyment now I also enjoy literature through drama, at university I was in the theatre society and among other parts I played Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere in Lady Windermere’s fan. Wilde’s wit is exceptional and his plays are charming. On my ever expanding reading list is A Picture of Dorian Gray, which I still haven’t got round to, despite seeing a contemporary dance version recently and missing most of the references! I find plays very accessible and I think it is important when studying plays to see them dramatised. Tennessee Williams is possibly my favourite playwright, although it’s a difficult call, Arthur Miller is fantastic as well. I like the study of human relationships, what happens is less important to me than the people in the play.

You have inspired me to read the Philip Pullman trilogy now thanks! I enjoyed your story and felt I could draw many parallells between my reading history and yours.

What a wonderful opening! I really like the tone that you set with the opening lines. The bit about your brother is lovely and Iam glad you shared it

That David Pelzer trilogy..how good was that! I also love Wilde and you really must read Dorian Gray, it's brilliant!

You have a lovely writing style, really honest and heartwarming! x

This was a delight to read.x

Shamefully I used to love the girly magazine problem pages too! Don´t think I could stand to read them now... far to cringing (as is that word, but it´s the only one which will do).
Great story, thanks