Timeline:

Childhood (87-2000)           High School (’01-’07)     College (’07-’10)     Adult                                                                                                                               (’10-Today)

___________+___________________+________________+______________+

Where the Red Fern Grows               Sula            Not very much Reading     Ekart Tolle

Nancy Drew                                 Native Son                newspapers            Depak Choprah

Lord of the Flies                    Wuthering Heights          Textbooks                  Spiritual

                                               

Books I loved as a child:


Where the Red Fern Grows, Lord of the Flies, Nancy Drew series

Memories I have of seeing somebody read:

My mom would read books like the Celestine Prophecies, Ismael, and other books about religion, and discuss them with my grandma at the coffee table. I also watched a lot of Oprah, so I followed her book club, even though I never fully read her book club books.


People I remember who loved to read:

Friends, in AP English class loved to read and discuss books.

People who read to me when I was little:

I remember, mostly, my teachers, and grandma would read to me.

Books I loved reading in school:


I loved American literature, like Mark Twain, The Awakening, and The Great Gatsby, Native Son, A Raisin in the Sun, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, and Sula. I like any book that discusses history and social change controversy.

Books I hated reading in school:


I hated to rush through books. A lot of times I would read for class, and have a few chapters to cover in a night. I never thought that was a fair amount of time to read and process what I was reading. But I did not like reading Albert Camus books, I am not a fan of existential writings, too negative.

Books I have read on my own and enjoyed:

Ekhart Tolle, Depak Chopra books, on life, ego, relationships, interpersonal healing. These authors have a lasting influence on how I want to show up in the World.

Literary characters I connect to:

I loved Emily Bronte’s, Wuthering Heights, it took me forever to read. I wrote my high school senior paper on there work. The book was gothic, and depressing, but dissecting the themes within her writing was fascinating. Her diction, and imagery in writing is impeccable. Also, Memoirs of a Geisha, was another book I really connected to. I guess, I have a preference for book with strong female characters experiencing social strife, along with strong imagery.

Books that have captured my imagination:


The Awakening, Wuthering Heights, and Memoirs of a Geisha. With each of these books, I imagined what I would do and how I would feel in these women’s shoes. Today, I will go to the beach and imagine how much going into the ocean symbolizes renewal, new beginnings, creativity, artistic inspiration, and liberation, like in the book The Awakening. I read this book when I was 16, I am now 26.

Books and/or writers I am interested in, but haven’t yet read:

I pretty much know what I am interested in, books that are spiritually, and mentally inspiring.

Books I pretended to read or understand:


I tried to read Fifty Shades of Grey, and Hunger Games. I did not like them, they are trendy books, that do not inspire me. In fact, I think it is stupid certain school districts required students to read the Hunger Games because the message and theme of that book is terrifying.

Other types of reading materials I read and enjoy:


I like to read magazine articles; celebrity gossip is a guilty pleasure of mine. I like drama, when I am not involved in it, and it is light.

Other memories I have about books and reading:

I remember that I did not like to read when I was a kid. The materials did not interest me. Until, I read Where the Red Fern Grows, in 3^rd grade. I was literally crying at my desk, and when reading block was over, I asked my teacher to let me finish the last chapter, or else I couldn’t go on with my day. It was in this moment, that I realize now, that I like to be emotionally connected to what I read. Everything I spend time doing, especially reading, I want it to teach me something about the World, how it works, and give me perspective on life events, that people overcome.