I have been a reader for as long as I can remember. I will admit that reading was not always my activity of choice. Growing up, my mom would make me read for 30 minutes a day. At the time, I did not enjoy that in the slightest; however, I am so thankful for that now.
The first books I remember reading, and most likely a universal experience for girls, were Pinkalicious and Fancy Nancy. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that quite literally everything I own is pink and that I love being overdressed and getting dressed up in general. Other books that I read religiously were Judy Moody and the Rainbow Magic Fairy book series.
A few years later, I found an interest in reading on my own time. The City of Ember was definitely one of the first books I read that made me want to never stop reading. I also read this book called Macaroons at Midnight, and I would read it over and over again. That started my obsession with Paris, and I finally got to visit the city last summer.
In the sixth grade, I read a series called Among the Hidden. I had to read the first book for school, but after that, I could not go without reading the rest of the series. I also read The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and Divergent all in the sixth grade. Reading these series in middle school was actually a peak experience that I believe everyone should be required to indulge in. Those books would not have had the same effect on me if I had read them any later. In Middle school, I was so into reading that I would read during my classes and even walk through the halls. I knew the librarian since I would ask her for recommendations all the time. She recommended I read To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and insisted that I come back to tell her my thoughts. My little sister even told me years later that I remind her of Lara Jean. This became a pattern, and practically every book I read in middle school was based on her recommendations.
At the beginning of high school, I inevitably fell into the Colleen Hoover craze, and I read a few of her books. Those were not life-changing; however, there were many books I read in honors and AP language arts classes that I still think about. These include Frankenstein, Lord of the Flies, The Crucible, The Kite Runner, and many others that I still think about from time to time. There were also many books and series that I read outside of school and during my free time. Anne of Green Gables, multiple books by John Green, The Beginning of Everything, and many, many more books have changed me in ways that will stick forever.
Each book I read leaves something with me, such as a value or a new way of seeing the world. Reading books challenged my assumptions, introduced me to lives I would have never lived, and gave words to feelings that I did not know how to explain. Each story I read expands me in some way. I am who I am today, not just because of what I’ve lived through, but because of what I’ve read, and I hope to carry those lessons with me into every new chapter of my life.