At the ripe old age of 22, I can’t believe I’m saying this but I love reading. Throughout primary school, English was my worst subject, I absolutely hated this subject and would even break down in tears. This meant reading wasn’t exactly my favourite and while my classmates were enjoying books such as Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia, I was sat in the corner dreading having to read.
I don’t know what it was about reading but we just didn’t get along. It wasn’t until when I was in Year 3 that things changes, my favourite teacher understood what I was going through and was on hand to help me improve. She gave me a list of different children’s authors, to make reading exciting for myself. Now, there’s only one author from this list that I actually remember and still read today.
That particular author is Jacqueline Wilson, who has written over 70 children’s books focusing on adoption, divorce and mental illness. I really enjoy reading her books, I feel they are perfect for people of all ages. I have not stopped reading her books despite the age I am now. She’s like Roald Dahl if I’m honest where no matter how old you are, you’ll never stop loving their work.
From that moment, I started to enjoy reading more, I tried my best to read more and branch out to find the genre for me. During this time, I loved having the school library where I could nip away to grab any book of my choice. The whole level system carried into secondary and at times, I wasn’t allowed to read certain books because I wasn’t on that level! Why should that matter?
My love for reading slowly increased and before you knew it, I was in Year 11 and reading books such as Of Mice & Men and Romeo & Juliet for my exams and coursework. From here I fell in love with Fantasy books and this is where I started reading Twilight and House of Night, this is a genre I still love to this day. Looking back on my reading journey, I can’t believe now I am in love.
Thinking back to my earlier years, how much I hated reading and now how I have reviewed over 50 books on An Ocean Glimmer, it’s a crazy thought. Some genres I have loved and others have been completely new to me, I am open to reading new and exciting genre. One thing I’ve really noticed about books is that they’re everlasting and they’ll never get boring.
My favourite has definitely been those genres that I have kept me reading for hours on end. Books will always be there to comfort you in the good and the bad. Also, it’s great just to get away from the world for a little bit. It’s amazing how just a simple book can suck you in and before you know it, time has flown and you’ve finished the book. These are always the best kind of books to read.
I have a long list of to-read on my Goodreads, some books include:
- Four Dead Queens
- The Siren Chronicles
- A Shiver of Snow and Sky
- Beauty and the Beast and the Enchantress
I am so excited for the next couple of months, even years for where reading will take me. There are still a lot of genres to explore and plenty of authors out there. Books are ever changing and there are always new authors joining the scene and bringing their creative work. One author I have been loving recently is Emma Pullar with her Dystopia series Skeletal and Avian.
I fell in love with Skeletal, Emma is such a great writer, she drew me in and I can not stop reading. Her writing style is very easy to understand and she brings out a lot of different emotions in her words. I am very happy to have read both of her books, Emma loved my review of Skeletal and I’m glad I made her happy with my review. That’s why I was so happy to read the second book in the series Avian.
She didn’t fail to disappoint me! Avian continued the story in the best way and I was hooked from the first moment. With thanks to authors such as Emma, I believe I will continue to read for many more years, just to experience this amazing work. I’m always after new genres and books to explore so, please comment below some books I should be reading. You never know, you might just see my review soon.
I hope you have enjoyed this post! What is your favourite thing about reading?
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An Ocean Glimmer 
I’ve never been an avid reader but I have always loved a good book. I find people’s reading journeys so interesting, and we read the same books for our year 11 exams hahaha. I’m on the lookout for a new book to read at the moment so I’m gonna check out some of the books you mentioned 😁
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Aww that’s good sometimes it’s just good to pick up a book once in a while. I know, it’s super interesting! Oh we must be similar aged, I think the books have changed now. Well I know when my sisters were in that year. I hope you enjoy those books!
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I love reading , literally any chance I get a book is in my hand! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading all yours xx
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Thank-you!
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I’ve never been much of a big reader myself! I really like Jodie Picoult. She writes about some pretty heavy topics but I just can’t put her books down
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Aww I really have to be in the mood to read. That’s great! Those are always the best.
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This was lovely to read! I loved Jacqueline Wilson books as a kid, I remember when Scholastic would come into school and I’d always make sure to get one of her books. I completely agree with you that the best genres and books are the ones that keep you reading for hours. I love getting stuck into a book then finding that several hours have passed by. There’s an escapism to books that I just love. I’m always on the lookout for new books so I’ll definitely be giving your recommendations a look at. I’m a sucker for a good dystopian! Great post.
Kelly | http://paperbackadventures.com
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Thank-you Kelly! Oh my I remember that as well, it was great! Most definitely, that’s perfect especially on the weekend or evenings. You definitely should, let me know your thoughts.
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It was really nice to read about your relationship with reading throughout your life. I love reading too but I don’t always get as much time as I’d like to do so.
Nicola
http://nicshealthylife.co.uk
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Thank-youu Nicola! Glad you enjoyed this post. Most definitely, we need to find the time to read more
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I absolutely love reading, but I never seem to be able to find the time to do it! Loved reading about your journey though! X
Han | lifewithhan.blog
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I know! It can be hard but soo rewarding when you find the time.
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