The Book Vipers discussion

Mine was in childhood. I remember being 5 years old and getting very excited on Fridays as my Dad used to bring home a new ladybird book for me.
Then in 1977, when I was 8 years old, I read my Aunt's copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Fell head over heels, I get all nostalgic thinking of the smell and feel of the paper, the illustrations not to mention the story. I spent that summer with my Gran a lot and read the entire Oz series, in the garden, woods, bedroom. Everytime I see something Oz related I get flashbacks to that lovely time with my beloved Gran and new found love of books. I haven't looked back since.
Sentimental idiot that I am, I bought copy this years before I started a family The Wizard of Oz. My kids love it as much as I did and our favourite rainy day activity is cuddles on the sofa watching Judy Garland's Wizard of oz.
Books are now a family obsession :)

My dad read to me all my life and by the age of two i was already picking out words in books, magazines and the newspapers from the flashcards he'd put on the table for me to guess. On my 4th birthday i was already a pretty avid reader, and got my own library card. I would sit on the pavement outside reading for hours til the shadows grew long and the sun was setting in the sky. On one of my first trips to the library I picked out a book about a pony that was too hard for me, but my dad made me read it anyway, going over the details and hard to read words until i'd learned them all. After that though, I stuck to reading Little Black, A Pony which was much easier for a while. By that summer I was pulling a wagon to the library and bringing books home. In kindergarten, Miss McGowan wanted us to write down all the books we'd had read to us, and i informed her i read my own books, and drove my mother crazy trying to find all the titles, insisting we had to list them ALL - she said 100 was good enough for anyone. But one of the first pre-school books I loved was The Velveteen Rabbit, and all the Dr. Seuss books. When I was 7 I did a book report on Ivanhoe and got a merit for it. I loved The Wizard of Oz too. :) My teachers wanted me to skip 3 grades in school, but my parents refused. I'd often wondered if my life would have very different if they had.

What a lovely story - thanks for sharing. I loved going to our village library, it was so small and dark I used to think it was a great adventure going in there. Always came out with an Enid Blyton (rubbish now I've re-read them with my kids!!) and a Narnia. My infant school teacher had a word with my parents as I read The Hobbit when I was 6, she thought it was inappropriate material!! It's a kids book!!
I loved The Veleveteen rabbit and Dr Seuss too, The Lorax and Horton hears a Who.. :)

I read from a very young age but don't know how or when it started. I can't remember my parents reading to me as neither of them were avid readers but they must have had a hand in my love of books.

I do remember getting banned from the local library for getting many books out and taking them back in the same day. They didn't believe I was reading them and thought I was messing them about.

I also remember going to school and having a reading age much higher than anyone in my class. I often wonder how much my being an only child impacted on my love of books and the new worlds they open up.

My brother, sister and i used to fall about laughing at 'those pale green pants with nobody inside.' Once I went on holiday and took all the black stallion books from the school library.

Here is a photo of my class from 2nd grade, taken in the lovely library with the highly polished floors. My family donated a lot of my favourite books to the library at the time, which was nice because when you checked them back out they had a sticker inside saying kindly donated by...yourself!


That's me, second row from the bottom, second smiling kid from the left.

I remember a reading challenge in grade school. We had a cut out inch worm which would grow with each added book. I loved Little House on the Prairie and Nancy Drew mysteries. Later in college, I fell away from reading for pleasure in place of text books. Now that I'm out of school, I have resumed my love of reading.

I had a cupboard full of Enid Blyton books (and others). I used to love The Magic Faraway Tree ones and the St. Clare books. I can remember my mum reading Milly Molly Mandy stories to me at bedtime and I used to know if she tried to get away with skipping a page lol.

James and the Giant Peach and Rebecca's World were favourites too.

Teresa wrote: "I read from a very young age but don't know how or when it started. I can't remember my parents reading to me as neither of them were avid readers but they must have had a hand in my love of books..."

Hahaha, way to go Librarians of yore!! What a way to nurture a young reader.

Jazzy wrote: "My brother, sister and i used to fall about laughing at 'those pale green pants with nobody inside.' Once I went on holiday and took all the black stallion books from the school library.

Here is ..."

Love the photo, what a cutie. And that library, my idea of heaven.

Sandy wrote: "I remember a reading challenge in grade school. We had a cut out inch worm which would grow with each added book. I loved Little House on the Prairie and Nancy Drew mysteries. Later in college, I ..."

Little house on the Prairie were favourites of mine too. Bought them all for my nieces when they were young, my eldest daughter is getting into them now.

Jackie wrote: "I had a cupboard full of Enid Blyton books (and others). I used to love The Magic Faraway Tree ones and the St. Clare books. I can remember my mum reading Milly Molly Mandy stories to me at bedti..."

Milly Molly Mandy was one of the first books I bought when my eldest daughter was born. My sons have a little girl in their class who is the spitting image of MMM. I love her.

Well I remember LOVING stories. Pestering always for more and then I remember my Mum teaching me to read at age 7 or thereabouts as the school didn't seem to be doing it and it was like a revelation. OMG I can READ this stuff MYSELF and there's LOADS AND LOADS AND LOADS....

Then I discovered the library, I was such a simple child really...

Unfortunately I had no real guidance as to what to read so it was all v haphazard, far too much Enid Blyton, the Dr Doolittle stories, the Chalet School stories, Trebizon School stories, eventually Anne of Green Gables, the Narnia books, the Dark is Rising series, went through a classics phase, the Secret Garden, the Railway Children, devoured it all but looking back some guidance would have been great.

When my eldest was born my mum gave me my very dog eared copy of Seven Little Rabbits Walking Down the Road... she'd kept it all through 4 moves and 30 years... kids aren't that fond of it unfortunately but it is lovely to have it.

It took a while to read. I was 8 before I could read properly. My mother though always read fairy tales to me every evening before going to bed. And I was fairly young when she took me to the library to take out books.

I also read a lot of comics as kid - better said I just looked at the pictures and made up my own stories. I was 14 or 15 I suppose when it struck me as odd that up till then I had never read any of my comics. The thing though was that some comics weren't as interesting as I thought they would be when I started reading them - as they didn't fit the story I had in my mind.

I have read a lot of Enid Blyton when I was young. Every Sunday I just sat in a comfy chair and read for hours - till I had finished what I was reading.

There are so many great kids books. Charlottes Web was another one I loved too.

I find it really heart-warming that all these memories start in childhood xx

Debbie wrote: "I find it really heart-warming that all these memories start in childhood xx"

Childhood is the best place to start, but it's never too late!

I went on tour with a band from Hull, and they were really into the new punk music, and wrote and played it very well. I had just finished reading Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs by Johnny Lydon and gave it to the lad who was the frontman, lead guitar, singer/songwriter. He said it looked pretty good. Later i said, How did you like the book, Simon? He said, I loved it. and know what? It's the first whole book I ever read.

Next time i saw him he was reading a book on The Beatles.

I don't really remember when it started but my mum used to take me to the library and I'd take out the max number of books I could and then it would feel like choosing sweets deciding which book to read first. There were so many books that meant a lot to me as a child and I still have them, battered and loved on my shelves, Robinsheugh, Tales from End Cottage, Dribblesome Teapots, the Ogre Downstairs, Anne of Green Gables, Malory Towers and of course the Narnia books. I read Anne of Green Gables again last year for the first time in many years and I'm afraid I cried at many points throughout the book, where I used only to cry when Matthew died. Must be my age!

Jazzy wrote: "...Later i said, How did you like the book, Simon? He said, I loved it. and know what? It's the first whole book I ever read.

Next time i saw him he was reading a book on The Beatles.
."

On the early morning of Thursday 13th of February, Simon Binks took his own life and left us bereft. I wish I had messaged him when I wrote that last post and told him I loved him. No one knows why he did what he did but the world is a sadder place without him.

If you're thinking about someone, take the time to let them know. Don't wait until tomorrow. Do it today. Tomorrow may be too late.

I love you Simon, you will be with me in my heart always.

I'm sorry for your loss.

That is so tragic Jazzy. My condolences

I am really sorry, Jazzy. That is so very sad.

As far as letting people know that you care about them or that you're thinking of them - yes, do it.
You never know, but it could make all the difference to someone.

I know how precious life is I tell everyone I love them.

I'm so sorry to hear your sad news, Jazzy.

Jazzy wrote: "Jazzy wrote: "...Later i said, How did you like the book, Simon? He said, I loved it. and know what? It's the first whole book I ever read.

Next time i saw him he was reading a book on The Beatle..."

Jazzy, that is so sad. I'm sorry for your loss, heartfelt thoughts and hugs sent your way. I'll PM you xx

So sorry for your loss, Jazzy. :(
It was a lovely story.

Jazzy, so sorry to hear your sad news. Thinking of you.

Thank you so much for all the kind words. The funeral was last monday and so very sad. At the wake I mentioned the story of Simon reading to his dad, and he said that Simon had a shelf full of books when he died, although when I met him he didn't own any. It's never too late to start reading xx

So sorry for your loss Jazzy x

Mine was early in childhood, going to a used bookstore with my late father and feeling overwhelmed by everything in there. That began everything for me.

I remember reading the opening paragraphs to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn at about age 12 and thinking how beautiful the writing was and how moving. That was it for me.

I love reading these stories... so glad I asked :)

My earliest recollection of reading was when I was 4 and I was sitting on my sisters lap. She was moving her finger along the page as she read. I think it was a children's book and I was reading to her too. I can't remember how I learned to read, I just did. Thanks big sis. I've loved it ever since.

It was ...some years ago when in a rainy school holiday, my Mum took me to Woolies and bought me a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We walked home, made a drink and read the first fifteen chapters together, right through lunchtime (which always used to be at one o clock), and the freedom of reading be because we felt like it, and the sheer pleasure of the story meant that I had fallen hook, line and sinker...

What lovely story Sarah. :)

Pat and Sarah.....lovely stories. Books evoke so many memories, new stories can trigger long forgotten treasures waiting to be rediscovered. I love these stories. x

I'm really enjoying these too!So lovely that there are so many clear memories of childhood reading, they all make me smile :)

Teresa wrote: "I do remember getting banned from the local library for getting many books out and taking them back in the same day. They didn't believe I was reading them and thought I was messing them about. "

How sad! Did they clear it up and reinstate you? I had a sixth grade teacher who called home and told my mom I read too much. Libraries and schools are supposed to encourage reading.

I was 2 when I started reading independently. My first book was... a local phone directory. I used to sit down with my second cousin who sadly passed away in 2006 and flick through all of the pages with her and say all of the numbers out loud. Yes, I was 2 and numbers was something that I ended up getting obsessed with. Even still to the present day :)

Wow Alice, that is very impressive x

Debbie wrote: "Wow Alice, that is very impressive x"

Thanks Debbie :)