Becoming a Bookworm
If you had told me in my younger years that I would have a love for books, I probably would have thrown one at you. Pretty visceral reaction don’t you think? Well, it is an honest one for sure because till I got to college reading was not for me. Reading was one of those things that never came easy and for a matter a fact still doesn’t. This is due to the fact that I have a processing disorder so things take an extra step in my world. Hence the horrific grammar! (Thank you for those who can look past this!) I can still remember how upset I would get when I would take an Accelerated Reader test and completely bomb it while, my classmates excelled. I’m just lucky my mom was our computer teacher so when needed, I could retake a quiz every now and then. Even she didn’t get how I couldn’t score better but at this point we didn’t know I had processing disorder. I would dread anytime we got our summer reading list and don’t even get me started on the terror of reading out loud. As High School years began, books still weren’t my favorite at all! Until I read one book called “Rebecca” by Daphine du Maurier. Still to this day Rebecca stays with me. I can’t pinpoint exactly why this particular book has held this effect on me almost 14 years later. But I am grateful for it because it was the start of a great love affair with reading. Moving on, I graduated High School and started college at Chico State. This is where I had a lot first and a lot of DRAMA! Oh god I am drama magnet……… I swear I try not to be but dam in my twenties it followed me like crazy. One day the drama got too much and I found myself needing space. So I ended up at driving to a World Market, it was then I noticed a Barnes and Noble located right next door. Before I knew it, I had walked in the familiar double doors and a sense of calm came over me. Like it was saying here you are safe, here you can get lost in magical worlds and great mysteries. And get lost I did… I walked through every aisle till I came across the YA section and that was it. During my time in Chico, I frequented that Barnes and Noble quite often. I’m pretty sure I still have some of those books in a box somewhere cause that is one thing I cannot part with. Yep this girl cannot part with any book now. How the tides have turned. I am now the girl who has a giant stack of books to read next to the bed, the girl who can’t leave a bookstore without at least two new books, and joined a book club. At 31 years old I can say without a doubt I LOVE to read. I love that I had to build shelves to hold my precious collection. Most of all, I love how reading has helped me grow into a stronger and confident person. Now if I only I could feel this way about scary movies lol.
Toodles Noodles-Caitie
