Today's topic is Top Ten "Gateway" Books/Authors In My Reading Journey. This is a great topic, although it meant a lot of thinking and reminiscing since I started reading at a very early age. I'll start with the first book I ever read by myself and go from there.
Top Ten "Gateway" Books/Authors In My Reading Journey
I read this one at the tender age of 4. I remember my parents reading it to me countless times even before that and the excitement when I read it aloud to them for the first time. When I had a child of my own, this book was added to her bookshelf. It's a nice feeling.
2. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson BurnettThe Secret Garden was my first full-length novel. I loved getting lost on the moors with Mary, discovering secret passages, making new friends with animals, and planting a hidden garden. I already have a copy waiting for my own daughter and hope she enjoys it as much as I did.
2. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
I remember receiving Daddy-Long-Legs in a box full of Baby-Sitters Club books and setting it aside. Little did I know it would become one of my favorite novels and my first epistolary novel. It sparked a love for the genre that persists even today.
In 7th grade I was as voracious a reader as ever, so my English teacher would often have me pick books from the classroom book rack to pass the time when I had finished my work and had nothing to do. One day I picked up a book with an eerie cover featuring a huge black cauldron and thought I would give it a try. My life changed that day as I discovered the joy of fantasy fiction. To this day, I still own the entire 5 book collection and can't wait until my daughter is old enough to read it with me.
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenThe summer before I left my parents' house and went off to college was filled with a lot of reading. I wanted to catch up on some classics, so I started with Pride & Prejudice. I tore through most of Jane Austen's works that summer thanks to this book and a new Austenite was born. I still read Pride and Prejudice every year and can't imagine a year without it.
I blame my mother for this one. While I was away at college during my freshman year, she began reading more. She, of course, knew my penchant for books even remotely fantasy related, so she gave me her copy of Dance Upon the Air. I. was. hooked. From there on, I read every fantasy and paranormal romance by Nora Roberts I could get my hands on. In fact, I just bought her newest release yesterday. It has stayed with me through the years and I don't see it changing anytime soon.
6. Goddess by Mistake by P.C. CastI found this book purely by chance at a library book sale. A friend's mother just so happened to run it, so my friends and I got a chance to shop the night before a big sale. I found this one, read the description, and decided that it sounded fun. Little did I know I would soon be receiving puzzled looks from my roommate as I laughed my way through every chapter. It was funny, imaginative, and original. When it was obtained by Harlequin Luna, re-titled Divine by Mistake, and given new pages, I was thrilled. This copy still remains my pride and joy, though, for it provided so much enjoyment.
This is the book that started my love affair with fairy tale re-tellings. It was one of the assigned books in my children's literature class. Let me just say it was one of the best classes I ever took and I devoured almost every book the professor assigned. Beauty was special in the way it inspired me to look at fairy tales in new ways. It inspired one of my best term papers and led me to take another look at another favorite, The Black Cauldron and the rest of the Prydain Chronicles, with fresh eyes.
8. The Illustrated Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, illustrated by Dame DarcyYou may find it shocking to know that I didn't read my all-time favorite book until 2004. That's right, 2004. I found this particular edition in the Baton Rouge library during the brief time I lived there. I was swept away into its gothic tone and eerie setting. The illustrations were spot on and went so well with the story that I would forever be able to form mental images of the story from then on. It still remains on my shelf and will never leave it.
9. The Iron King by Julie KagawaThank you, Julie Kagawa, for introducing me to YA literature as it is today. Looking back at the very first months of my blog, I discovered that The Iron King was the first YA book I reviewed. Come to think of it, after I finished The Iron King, I ran out that very night and bought the next two titles. From there, the sky was the limit and I have since discovered many other titles that I love.
Last but not least comes Between Shades of Gray, one of the best books I've read in the past 10 years. It reignited my interest in historical fiction and, what's more, introduced me to a new friend. This moving, candid look at a little known point in European history kept me up all night and led me to own not one, but two copies, as well as buying it for every person with a birthday or Christmas party.
