I can recall multiple instances of the same event: My mother read various books to me at a young age. At the time, I could not read by myself, so I heavily relied on her reading as my primary source of entertainment. A constant in my life has been an inability to sleep without a source of mild entertainment, such as a podcast or music. In this case, reading filled the same gap. It was boring yet engaging enough to stop my mind from drifting. This resulted in an appreciation of books, not a love of reading. Currently, I do not recreationally read in the present time, but I still cherish these moments with my mom.
The earliest of these moments was a simplified version of Homer’s Odyssey. I distinctly remember the story of the cyclops, in which Odysseus and his crew blinded the cyclops and then escaped from its cave by tying themselves to sheep. Later, when I was learning to read, I returned to this book and read this story by myself. This was a big accomplishment for me at the time, and why I believe that I still remember the earlier memory.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, I also remember a more negative early reading moment. A few years after the earlier moment, my father decided to read John Christopher’s The City of Gold and Lead to me, as I had most likely annoyed him prior to going to bed. I remember the book being so boring that he had fallen asleep on the floor before I had. Later I revisited this book and the rest of the series, in which I found it to be much more enjoyable.
As a result of both of these moments, I would begin reading my favorite style of book, the long fantasy series. This period of time from about ages 9-11 was my peak in book consumption. Around every couple of months, I would randomly find a series and read it for 18 hours a day until it was done. One such series that I remember distinctly was the Michael Vey books. I was gifted the entire series right before the peak of the hot summer, and I had little desire to go outside at the time. I picked up the first book and read for around 24 hours until I fell asleep. Continuing on at this pace for about 3 days, I was able to finish the series.
Connecting to the present, I believe that this style of reading is the culprit for my current lack of reading habits. Truthfully, I do not retain much information as I read, and I prefer to become attached to characters and finish their story quickly. In comparison with the before example, I cannot read for 24 hours straight anymore because of a lack of patience. This lack of patience and tendency to become less immersed in a book after taking breaks results in little to no attachment to characters, which is the main reason I would read. I also tend to dislike the beginnings of every book, such as the backstory and introduction, which reduces my interest and increases the likelihood of dropping the book on the spot. This disinterest in the beginnings of books is the main reason why I enjoy longer series compared to shorter books because after the first book of a series, characters are familiar and themes continue. In turn, I find it difficult to enjoy school-assigned short stories and novellas because I do not feel an attachment to the characters in them.
As of the last 5 years, I have read under 10 books out of my own free will. I am looking to change that, and want to explore another fantasy series in the near future.