Tocky on 13/11/2009 at 04:50
Two Minute Mysteries, The Monster Fish, and Strangely Enough were the first but Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird was the first I would call an actual novel. I still love that one.
Volitions Advocate on 13/11/2009 at 15:42
It's interesting to see what people read in their early years. And even more interesting to see what is jogged in our memories when somebody else mentions something. I totally forgot about the CYOA books. I never read any of the CYOA branded books, but I think I read all of the ones TSR released under the Dungeons and Dragons flag.
I had a friend awhile back when I lived in Toronto that would brag about her cerebral achievements and how she read some super intellectual artsy novel when she was only 5. I don't think any of us really "got" the books we read when we were that young, unless they were just simple adventure books (like I said, My first book was probably Jules Verne, not a lot of thinking just mostly adventure) I read Frank Herbert's Dune when I was 10/11 in Grade 5, I understood the story but I didn't pick up on all the underlying commentary at all. It took me over 10 years to get through the entire series, because I didn't read through them all one after another, and I understood the deeper themes in the books then, but no way did I get it when I was 10.
I guess we read bigger than we could understand when we were younger, which is pretty cool. I wonder what books I'll expose my kids to when they start to learn to read. Because that's why I read what I did at first.
Enchantermon on 13/11/2009 at 15:57
Quote Posted by Volitions Advocate
. . . I never read any of the CYOA branded books, but I think I read all of the ones TSR released under the Dungeons and Dragons flag.
Ever read the Transformers ones? I only know of two, but there may have been more. They were pretty awesome, though I maintain that the branded ones were the best.
Shayde on 13/11/2009 at 16:38
I remember the first book I got from the young adult library instead of the kids library was 'The Hobbit'. And I remember reading a quarter of the way through Stephen King's 'It' when I was about 10 and my mom freaking out and taking it away from me.
Sulphur on 13/11/2009 at 17:41
Like SD, it was most likely some Enid Blyton rubbish along with miscellaneous folk tales (mostly Russian/Ukrainian ones, almost all of which had to do with some sad git having to wear out three sets of boots made from iron, copper, and steel and weathering forests and witches and treachery to save their lover, but dying before that and getting resuscitated by Living Water carried by a friendly eagle or somesuch).
I probably started off with the Famous Five or Secret Seven, and then went on to the Wishing Chair, which I have fond memories of regardless because it was, well, the Wishing Chair. And it sprouted little red wings on its legs and spirited kids off to far away fantasy lands.
I was still pretty much in love with pictures at the time, so I remember stealing all my siblings' Archie comics and reading them at night under the cover of my blankie and chuckling away while being bopped on the head by people who were trying to sleep.
Sooner or later came the Hardy Boys, which I read only to avoid being ostracised completely from the rest of my friends after I told them that this 'Sherlock Holmes' feller I'd discovered was way cooler - god damn peer pressure.
D'Juhn Keep on 13/11/2009 at 20:15
The first books I remember reading myself were Roald Dahl books. Specifically The Witches.
It was terrifying :(
You guys mentioning CYOA books reminded me of (
http://www.projectaon.org/en/Main/Books) this site which are online versions of a few of them.
I had the first 2 Greystar books but could never find the last 2. When I last checked the site they weren't on it but now they are so think I'll play* them!
<small>I used to play holding pages open. I never bothered working out fights either</small>
Namdrol on 13/11/2009 at 21:10
Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton for me as well.
I think I read the Far Away Tree before the Wishing Chair.
But this is hard, cos I was reading before I started school and it just blends past a certain point.
Like when I was 9 and we were expected to write a book review of every book we read. WTF? I was reading about 6/7 books a week then.
I was that sad little fuck sat in the corner of the playground reading. (I was happy as you like though.)
DarkForge on 15/11/2009 at 11:56
I honestly could not tell you. Apparently I began reading fluently when I was 2, but obviously I've got no hope of remembering back that far.
Quote Posted by Shayde
I remember the first book I got from the young adult library instead of the kids library was 'The Hobbit'.
I don't ever remember doing this, but my Mum had mentioned to me something I did when I was in my first year of infant school (so I'm guessing I was about 5 at the time). It appeared that I had gone walkabouts - my teacher couldn't find me at all. Turned out I'd snatched
The Hobbit out of her bag, sat myself under her desk and was reading away quite happily.
So I think that's the first real book I've been
told that I (at least partially) read. I probably had read other things before then but I haven't a clue what.
gunsmoke on 17/11/2009 at 15:55
I was a self-taught reader at age 4. I started reading aloud billboards in the car one day. It being the '70s, books were about the only option for those of us who liked to absorb knowledge like a sponge. Anyhow, I was very into non-fiction.
Mostly stuff about dinosaurs, and ancient mysteries. Encyclopedia Brown/Alfred Hitchcock and the 3 Investigators scratched my fiction itch.
