Stories help create a child. THE book that lit the fire on my passion for reading, writing, fairy tales, and mythology is actually a SET of books my parents bought me at age 3—the Young Folks Library. At that time my mother and father worked long hours at their restaurant business, but my paternal grandparents happened to live with us. From these delicious stories of a princess living atop a glass mountain, a girl spitting out diamonds, and a wise woman bestowing a magical invisibility cloak, my Grandmother Flossie read to me every day with dramatic flair.
By my 5th birthday we had lost her. I will always honor her memory and our spirited story times. Thanks to her and this set of books, my imagination, my inner life, and my magic mirror to the mystical were created.
With World Book Day coming soon, do you want to share what book started your passion for reading and writing?
Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic in Romance
It’s so nice you, like me, keep the image of our grandmothers’ so vivid in our minds. They instilled this precious treasure in our souls- love for reading.
I don’t remember certain books that triggered my fondness for reading but they also were fairy-stories books. Many of them are now passed to my grandson, Andrei..
I think family’s contribution was important. If they hadn’t loved reading, too, they wouldn’t have passed this marvelous hobby to us.
And I think reading made us what we are today – authors.
I’m sure our grandmothers can see it from above and are proud.
Agreed, Carmen. I’m so glad it was that way for you, too. By the way, today I watched a travel show on Romania, and it covered some of the places I learned about from you, including the Merry Cemetery. The northern section with the gypsies sure looks interesting.
I’m not sure what is that section. Gypsies are a second majority around here. And source of a lot of trouble not only in Romania but also in many countries -France, Spain, Italy, Germany. Lazy people, thieves and involved in human trafficking and other bad things.
It mentioned some of the trouble (not the human trafficking part which is horrendous) but was mostly focused on the ones working to preserve their language and old ways, and also others, not gypsies, who preserved old crafts. The hats worn by some of the traditional men were interesting looking. It also showed some of the fortressed churches, that huge palace of the dictator, and castles. Your country is beautiful and rich in culture. I love your posts about it.
My parents bought us the Dr Suess Library and I loved it and still do. I bought one for my children as well and have it now to read to the grandchildren. They also bought another one that was in one of those clubs you got a book a month. It had books like Call of the wild and Moby Dick…those kind of classics. I read them around age 9 or 1 then got into books like Old Yeller, Black Beauty a Pony for Penny, thne on to Nancy Drew. I think I was reading since the teacher said See Spot Run!
Probably you were, Cathy, since Spot was such a good doggie! I enjoyed those old classics, too, except for the ones like Old Yeller than made me so sad. I loved the Nancy Drew books.
Isn’t it great how those books sparked our imagination. I remember loving fairy tales as a child, but the first two books I recall that really stood out for me and pushed me on the writing path were Planet of Death by Robert Silverberg. I know it sounds like a weird one but I was in fifth grade and the imagination that went into that book transported me to a vividly drawn fantastical world.
The other book was the Wicked Pigeon Ladies in the Garden by Mary Chase. I read that one multiple times.
Great post, Flossie!
Gee, Mae, I don’t remember either of those. I’ll have to catch up to you on those. One of my early ones like that was Water Babies by Charles Kingsley