re: What book really sparked your love of reading.

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What book really sparked your love of reading.
I began reading at an early age. My mom taught me to read before pre-school.

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My story is similar except it was my mom and grandmother, the former was persistent, the latter had a master's degree in education and taught for 30 years. Together they had me reading at 3.

It wasn't one book that gave me a love of story. It was an old series of books that contained every great fairy tale, true story, poem, and lore from every culture from India west. They were called the My Bookhouse Series and the last ones were printed in 1937. I still have almost the complete set in good condition. Amazing really, with how destructive I was as a kid, and that they were 49 years old when I was born.

If you can find a set and have a kid with imagination, or have a good one yourself. I heavily advise investing the money to buy a set. They are expensive but its a lot of excellent reading. Really opens up the culture of the rest of the world.

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I am just happy that I am not like most of the retards that think reading is a waste of time, or that there is not enough time to read.

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God you are so awesome.

I read a lot of comic books as a kid and the Bookmobile would come every two weeks in the summer, but the one book that changed everything was "Two Little Savages" by Ernest Seton-Thompson.



"The story concerns two farm boys who build a teepee in the woods and persuade the grownups to let them live in it for a month. During that time they learn to prepare their own food, build a fire without matches, use an axe expertly, make a bed out of boughs; they learn how to "smudge" mosquitoes, how to get clear water from a muddy pond, how to build a dam, how to know the stars, how to find their way when they get lost; how to tell the direction of the wind, blaze a trail, distinguish animal tracks, protect themselves from wild animals; how to use Indian signals, make moccasins, bows and arrows, Indian drums and war bonnets; how to know the trees and plants, and how to make dyes from plants and herbs. They learn all about the habits of various birds and animals, how they get their food, who their enemies are and how they protect themselves from them."

It was published in 1903 and my grandfather read it as a boy too. When I was 11 he visited for Christmas and brought me a copy. He sat down with me to read the first few chapters until the hook was set good and deep. My grandson's copy is waiting for him, as soon as he gets out of those diapers...


(Tldr? You're in the wrong thread.)

Like some one else said, I started with my Dad's Louis L'Amour books. Spent many rainy afternoons in the encyclopedia, or 1970s internet as I call it. Liked the Hardy boys and Black Stallion books until I found Forrester and Lewis and Verne.

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Like some one else said, I started with my Dad's Louis L'Amour books.

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This. I have over 100 of his books in my library, some are duplicates. To my knowledge there is only one book I don't own and I don't even remember the name of it.

My wife and I have roughly 1500 books in our library. In fact this past week we bought about 40. Love the way my in laws spoil us.

This pic is from when we were still moving in. There are four more book shelves you can't see.

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Very cool.

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What is your favorite Louis?

The Lonesome Gods is probably his best full length novel. Though The Walking Drum is more fun to read. He was arguably a better historical fiction/fantasy writer than he was western.

Shorter novel is probably Reilly's Luck for me.

Zack Files
Star Wars Books
Bailey City Kids

I remember when I was really young (pre-elementary school) and my Mom buying me a set of Berenstain Bears books. That's probably my first memory of really sitting down and getting into reading, especially outside of school.

Reading To Kill a Mockingbird in 6th grade just further reinforced it and I don't think I've really stopped since.