When I was in grade
one I struggled with reading and was put in a reading recovery program. I had always
loved books and the stories they held but struggled to gain access to the
written word. Now I have an honours degree in English literature and have
worked as a research assistant where I spent my summer being paid to read.
When I was in grade two the school library
lost my library book and I wasn't allowed to check out a new book for years. I
remember hating when library time would roll
around because the librarian would yell at me for having not returned my book.
I was too scared to tell my parents that I had possibly lost the library book
so for over two years I went through this cycle of anxiety. The librarian never
did apologise when it was discovered that the book was returned on time but was
never scanned back into the system. It wasn't my fault that book was missing
and it had been on the library shelves this entire time. I hated that
librarian. Now the bookstore that I work at is my library and I can borrow
books whenever I please, but I usually end up buying most of them. I have come
to realise that there is no such thing as too many books only too few shelves.
When I was in middle school my
parents would scold me for reading constantly because they felt I was being
anti-social. Now I have friends and a sport I love to play that I discovered
through my love of the Harry Potter series. Had I not spent all that time
reading about the magical world of Hogwarts I never would have felt compelled
to join Quidditch.
I could talk about books all day and
my love of reading has become a significant portion of my identity. Now and
then I catch myself going on and on about the books that I love; I wonder if my
personality is as flat as the pages I read.