You Don't Like to Read?

        When people find out I didn't always like to read, they are astounded. I'm sure it's hard to imagine someone who has worked in libraries and pushed children to find their own love for reading didn't like to read. These days you would never find me without a current book loaded on my phone, different books loaded on my two Kindles and a hard copy of a book or magazine lying around the house. Doesn't like to read--not now!

               As a kid, I never liked to read. I didn't have trouble reading. I was a good reader and was one of the top readers in my class. I never had trouble getting motivated to read for class. Reading was just something I did not do in my free time.

               Looking back, I suppose my dislike for reading was reinforced when I was in 6th grade. My family moved from the Detroit area to a Chicago suburb. I was required to read all the books the class had read during the first half of the school year. Plus, I had to keep up with what the class was currently reading. That was a lot of reading in a short period of time.

               After sixth grade, I was caught up in my reading, and I could just keep up with the required reading for my classes. My sister always LOVED to read! On family road trips, she would always be tucked into the back seat absorbing a book. Not me, I'd bring a craft to work on in the car. We spent a lot of time at our cottage in Michigan. My mom also enjoyed reading. She and my sister enjoyed rainy days nestled into their chairs devouring one book after another. Not me. I would be found writing a letter or working on a craft. I never had problems keeping busy, and I didn't have trouble keeping up with my schoolwork, so not loving to read was not a problem.

               In high school, I was in honors English classes. I loved going in-depth and studying the symbolism and deeper meaning of the books we read. I enjoyed reading books for class, but I would never read for pleasure. Research papers were added to the class projects once high school started. I loved doing research and writing papers! That continued into college. I loved learning new things. Toward the end of my college career, I worked as an editor for the school newspaper.

               After I graduated from college, I worked for a textbook company working on a Spanish textbook series. After I got married, I moved and started a new job working as a copy editor for an advertising art firm. I performed a lot of typing for ads and publications, and I edited other writers' work. This experience didn't enhance my love for reading. I would just find mistakes in newspaper and magazine articles and books. That was no fun.

               Soon, motherhood began. I started reading aloud to my son before he was born. My sister was a teacher, and she kept us well-stocked in books. I read to my son as often as I could, and his brother loved to hear stories, too. After dinner, we'd spend quite a bit of time reading. We enjoyed picture books, simple chapter books and eventually moved on to more difficult chapter books, like Harry Potter. As the boys learned to read on their own, they would read their own books for a little while, and we would end the evening by having me read from our latest chapter book.

               At the time our family was chasing one of our many transfers, we were reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. We had one copy with three bookmarks. One to mark how far my husband read after the boys went to bed, one to mark our eldest's spot and one for where I was reading aloud to our youngest. We had so much fun comparing what we read and anticipating what would happen next.

               School started soon after we moved. I wanted to find out what happened in the story, so I added a fourth bookmark to mark my spot. I would allow myself half an hour to read while I ate lunch--I could have easily lost an entire afternoon finishing the book!

               By the time we all finished reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, our youngest had mastered some new reading skills, and he was required to read a certain amount of time on his own. So, I faced family reading time with no one to read to and nothing to read. After almost 8 years of reading as much as possible to the boys, here I was. Nothing to read, and I WANTED to read something just for the fun of it.

               I was in search of something to read. Where else to go but the library? I was already a regular patron grabbing books for the boys to read themselves and books to peak my husband's interest. I perused the chapter books in the kids' department. I grabbed Island of the Blue Dolphin by Scott O'Dell. I loved that, so I read everything by that author. I moved onto My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. I finished off everything he wrote from the library.

               I started working at the boys' school. A co-worker gave me a book by Lori Wick. At first, I was a little taken aback by the style of the inspirational fiction genre. I thought my friend was trying to change my religion. I was going to give up on the book but decided I couldn't tell her I read it when I didn't. I read all of The Pilot's Wife and did really enjoy the story. I went on to read every book the library had written by Lori Wick. I explored other authors in the inspirational fiction genre.

               A few years later, we had another job transfer. I continued to work in the boys' schools. I was able to secure a position in the school library. I was in Heaven! I got to help kids find those perfect books to read AND I GOT TO READ TO KIDS! That was truly my favorite part of the day. I wanted to be the best librarian I could be. I read many books by Jim Trelease. There is a lot written on the topic of helping kids develop a love for reading. I would always admit that not everyone loves to read. In a discussion about people who love to read, Trelease said that most book lovers can think back to that one homerun book that secured their love for reading.

               I have worked in other schools and public libraries. I always liked to be familiar with the books available to the kids--how else could I promote the books in our collection? I remember the summer I took over my first school library position. My family took a road trip from Chicago to the East Coast. I filled up almost every available space--even the well by the spare tire--with chapter books from the library. I wanted to know what was in our collection. I am happy and sad to say, I finished off every book before we returned from the trip. The last day was boring without anything to read!

               My homerun book was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Thank you, J.K. Rowling! Sometimes I am embarrassed to tell people that a Harry Potter book secured my love for reading, but then I think that if I can develop a love for reading, there is a glimmer of hope for anyone.