Reading biography

I started reading because my sister who is two years older than me was forced to read. As any younger sibling, I used to love to follow my sister around (and I am pretty sure it was because it immensely annoyed her). Following her around and imitating her reading, paved the way for me to read.

My dad used to bring us to the Jurong East Library to read. Given that I found it to be an entirely new experience, I used to follow my sister around (and according to my father, we used to be those noisy children who fought in the library) and borrow books that she recommended. She had excellent taste because I read books such as Dr Suess. My dad made us have a reading log. In it we had to write the title of the book, when we started reading and when we finished reading the book. He would check the book and we were rewarded if we met the aim he set for us. Now when I look at the record book, I know what my first book was and what the different kinds of books I have read are. It is really amazing now when I flip through it. It has been some time since I recorded in my reading log and this reflection has made me want to start recording again. My dad also bought us ice cream from Swensens as a reward for going to the library. I used to go for the ice cream. However, I am really glad my dad did that because now I love reading because of him.

Alot of books that I read in my childhood have formed my list of favourite books. Matilda, Anne of Green Gables, Sherlock Holmes, all the books of Agatha Christie(I aim to own the entire collection and I am halfway through my aim) and so on. Who can forget Roald Dahl whom i found to be absolutely amazing. I have not been a fan of Harry Potter. It was fascinating but I really love Lord of the Rings (The movie did not do justice to the book at all!). I think it is the most amazing fantasy novel ever written.

Of course, as I am older now, I enjoy reading books with good historical contexts. Books such as The White Tiger, The Glass Palace, Kim and Shantaram are some books I enjoy reading now because of the contexts of the books. I am still exploring the genres of books that I like to read. This reflection is really not enough in documenting my reading journey as I have so many books that I enjoy. The pattern is not linear and instead goes all over the place. I do not remember some of them but when someone mentions the title it always jolts my memory and I get excited. However, that is the thing about reading. There are so many books around that every time I read, I find books that aren’t very interesting for me to read to books that I would love to own. So all in all, I just love reading!