[Fatin] My Reading Biography

I vividly remember my very first book, a pop-up one that is, and how I was so fascinated by the pictures, and of course them popping up. The 3 dimensional stories transformed into a more 2 dimensional one, when my mother introduced me to her favorite childhood storybook, which is The Naughtiest Girl in School series by Enid Blyton. Like Mum, I was intrigued by Elizabeth's adventures and that got me started into the love for reading. Soon I was reading novellas like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and famous short stories of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, although at that time (being only a primary school kid), I couldn’t comprehend most of what I was reading. All I remember was how thrilling it was just by reading them. It paved the way for my interest for mysteries, and I began borrowing books from the library on Mummies and Ancient Egypt, to know about its history, its gods and culture, because I was so fascinated by the curses of the Valley of the Kings. So believe it or not, at that age I wanted to be, either a detective or an archaeologist, thanks to the fictional undisputable Sherlock Holmes and mystery of Tutankhamun’s famous curse on Howard Carter.

Ironically, I hated reading the newspapers. I have no idea why.  Perhaps because it pales to comparison to the adrenalin-rushing mystery stories I have been reading; I would just avoid reading the news. So to “complement” this lack of news-reading, I decided to read more. Unfortunately, as I grew older, my taste in books slanted more towards general fiction, or more specifically- Chick Lit. Basically in my adolescent years, Sophie Kinsella’s books was my escapade (after upgrading from SV), to fill my time after studying, though there won’t be much time because I love to study. I would get all giggly reading her books (even now!) and sometimes I do appreciate these light-hearted reading as a break from the hectic schedule. Harry Potter then entered my world, and my love for mystery stories rekindled when I found Dan Brown. Re-reading books became a pastime that justified my reasons for buying books, instead of borrowing them. Books ARE meant to be bought, really. :)

After my A’s I worked at a bookstore, and it couldn't get any better. I was practically living my dream, to be working around books. Work was a dread, but just the thought of walking past the shelves of new books (all fresh from the cartons) excite me and motivates me to continue working there, despite how low the wage was. Working in a bookstore also entitles you to staff discounts (yeah baby), so it was an opportunity to expand my reading list. I tried motivational books like Tuesday's with Morrie and Five People You Meet in Heaven. It was a change. But I still couldn’t resist fiction so I succumbed to Audrey Niffenegger’s Time Traveler's Wife, The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Tony Parsons, Jodi Picoult and the list goes on. At that time too, I was already in University, so that affected my choice in books (I find solace in only easy-reads in the midst of stress-relieving). I had to restraint myself from buying any books because of the never-ending readings. I used to tell myself to think of the guilt that will “penetrate into my soul” if I ever substitute my readings with, let’s say To Kill a Mockingbird. It was painful, I tell you. 

I guess, the more meaningful readings indubitably came from those compulsory texts during the time I studied Literature. Recalling my very first Literature class, Charlotte’s Web was the text I had to read. I enjoyed it. Literature at higher levels then got me exposed to Shakespeare (rather late), Dickens, Margaret Atwood, Edgar Allan Poe, Toni Morrison, J.M Coetzee, etc which got me exploring others like Oscar Wilde, George Orwell and Pearl S. Buck. I won’t deny that I didn’t really enjoy reading the texts primarily just for the exams. It was only when I read them during my own leisure time that it did justice to how amazing they really are. Honestly speaking, if not for Literature, I would never have attempted to read these books. And I’m glad that I did, because it certainly widened my horizons and got me thinking more critically than ever. And I'm hoping this discovery does not just end there.