Has reading shaped your life?

my lounge. - i cannot open the window when it's hot.
@ajk111 (2495)
May 31, 2012 12:30am CST
When i was young i was an avid reader. Jules Verne, HG Wells and John Wyndham were among my favorites. The adventures in these books filled me with excitment and i could not wait to read the next novel. Do you enjoy the fantasy that fills your mind when you read or do you enjoy TV more? Do you think it is bad for you to read as it distorts reality? My mother always said the books i read would one day drive me mad and flip my mind. But i proved her wrong, i now life in a bubble in the sea and ride a seahorse to work everyday.
4 people like this
23 responses
• United States
31 May 12
hi ajk111! it is wonderful to hear that you have defied your mother's doom-filled prophecies. perhaps it is because of and not in spite of the books you have read. books have definitely shaped my life, even to the extent that my husband and i recently bought a house big enough to house our huge library and our book family is now out of storage! we hope never to have to move them all again, as some of them are quite heavy! i read constantly as a child and do now as an adult...and i learned as a child to juggle both reading and television watching and therefore miss out on nothing! i find reading more relaxing when i am tired or sick, though, and television is more of a "fun" activity, that usually must include snacks.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Jun 12
Don't forget Agatha Christie -- I hear she was a real lush!
• United States
10 Jun 12
i had not heard that about agatha christie pageturner...it must be why she earned the title "mistress of mystery"....perhaps it takes such inspiration to create the mystic mood...
@riempie9 (1021)
• South Africa
1 Jun 12
Reading vociferously as a child has definitely changed my life. I'm a bona fide writer with ten novels published, an award winning film which I wrote and directed, and many short stories and hundred of articles - all due to reading and loving the magic of words.
@AmbiePam (84651)
• United States
1 Jun 12
@ajk111 (2495)
1 Jun 12
inspirational!
@GemmaR (8517)
31 May 12
Books made up a large proportion of my childhood, and I always enjoyed reading right from when I was very young. I think that books are something that not enough parents are teaching their children about, and it is such a shame, because you can escape from everything in life by reading a book and entering into a new world. I would prefer to read a book than watch the television, and it is much better for you as it allows you to be more creative and make up your own ideas about the story that you're reading, rather than being made to accept somebody else's interpretation like you would have to if you were watching the film of a book or something like that.
1 person likes this
@ajk111 (2495)
31 May 12
sadly i do think you are correct. parents seem to find it easier to put their children in front of a television set rather than take the time to encourage them to read
1 person likes this
@jazel_juan (15747)
• Philippines
1 Jun 12
Reading played a great factor while i was growing up. I am an only girl in the family and most of my cousins are actually 8 years older than i.. so i turned to reading to accompany me. i could remember my mom buying me all those Sweet Valley High / Twin books, i remember learning new words from it then i would look it up in the dictionary and i could remember using those words everyday! It really helped me when it comes to writing as well as i really became a fast reader. I have read every book of it that was published lol my mom was like fed up as she do not know where to put all those books plus i have read Nancy Drew, Agatha C, David Copperfield to Heidee and soooo many. When i am alone, i really do not feel lonely as i have my books with me, i would rather read books than watch tv actually. Growing up my type of genre even changed, from those love story ones to adventure ones to great novels..to crime and suspense i really do not think it is bad to read, in fact i even encourage my children to read as children now adays will become lazy if you do not introduce books to them because they are sooo engrossed with all the new technology plus the television. I really do not think books will drive me mad as it is the only one that keeps me insane... well in my own perception it does keep me insane though at times i do talk to myself when i am reading, i discuss things with myself~!
1 person likes this
@mythociate (21438)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
4 Jun 12
I agree. Reading (rather than 'watching') awakens the Creator in your mind. You read that there were mountains; your mind Creates those mountains (probably also creating their specifics, the height, width, circumference and surrounding settings). You then meet life armed with those possibilities! 'Reading' is the 'Myoho' of Nichiren Buddhism's "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo" (Korean Sanskrit that I translate 'I wait for instructions--I notice-, listen to- and find my purposes from-the Divine Voice--I'm aware that the world I'm living in must have its own needs met before I can accomplish my mission--and so I add my voice to the Universal Sound (telling the world that--tho it must meet its needs in order to continue living--its goal is greater than that)' ... call it The Kingdom of God, call it Paradise, call it ... what? I dunno ...)
@ajk111 (2495)
1 Jun 12
you have used your time wisely and read some fabulous authors.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130088)
• India
31 May 12
I used to read a lot but now with the Internet my time goes on surfing the Net to devour whatever I am hungry for. Somerset Maugham, Agatha Christie, Mills and Boom and lots of other novels were in my list of books that I have read. By the way I also read comics even now Archie's being my favourite.
@allknowing (130088)
• India
1 Jun 12
@psychoartist - Only one comment. That you enjoyed reading detective novels all over again made me to think. Since you would already know that "the butler did it" would it hold your interest? But bad memory could be an advantage here! I used to read Maugham's short stories which I did read again and again!. You can go for his novel 'Of Human Bondage'. There are many more. http://www.amazon.com/Somerset-Maugham-Novels/lm/R3RZ4UVSLBYWXF One thing I learnt from reading Maugham's writings was to never to be unnecessarily frank.I found he mentioned this somewhere in his novels. He was so correct. Why should I tell someone that she is short for example when nothing can be done about it! @ajk111 - I am sure you must have read Carpet Baggers by Harold Robbins - At the age I read it I had to go for confession! Then Sidney Sheldon's The Other side of Midnight - I saw the movie too. What about Thorn Birds - I could go on and on but now sadly I don't have time.
@ajk111 (2495)
31 May 12
allknowing, what a superb selection of authors i have enjoyed many of the new sphere of graphic novels, an interesting way to present storytelling with some unique artwork to boot! psychoartist, of all the different authors i have read i do believe i have never read an Agatha christie. i think i may now!
1 person likes this
• United States
31 May 12
hi allknowing! i have always been a big agatha christie fan as well...since adolescence! some people really discredit her as being a formulaic writer, but as i have read all of her books more than once, including her plays and her novels published under the name mary westmacott, i so disagree! i think she was a brilliant writer! other than the fascinating suspenseful plots, she offers intriuging characters, humor, social history, and psychology. fascinating. i would like to read some maugham as one of my high school friends has just told me about him and what a big fan she is. which maugham would you recommend?
• United States
31 May 12
I cannot even tell you how many books I've read. When I was a kid we didn't have the money to purchase new books from a bookstore but me and my mother and then go myself would go to the library. She got bags of books from friends. Trade paperbacks, from everything from horror to romance to U.f.o's to self help. I read hundreds. My relative gave me a set of children's encyclopedias and I read them cover to cover. I still love to read, now I like true crime, I just finished seduced by evil and now I'm reading Ashley Judd's bio. I watch more movies now than just random channel flipping television. I plan my viewing out now so as not to waste time. I encourage my son to read, we go to the library often and I am always telling him to pick out a book any book and I'll buy it for him.
@ajk111 (2495)
31 May 12
i recall hours as a child spent choosing books and i recall how exciting it was! i made sure my daughter enjoyed reading by reciting "The lion, the witch and the wardrobe". she is now 10 and loves writing her own stories so hopefully i will be a kept dad in later years!
1 person likes this
• United States
31 May 12
hi foursouls1234, have you enjoyed ashley judd's biography? i read it last year and i never was a fan of hers before that, but her book revealed what a beautiful compassionate person she is inwardly as well. as well as how horrid her family is, which i already suspected. i enjoy true crime as well and recently finished a book called marriage to a pyschpath by barbara bentley. if you havent read it you should look it up! it was absolutely chilling!
• United States
31 May 12
Hi right back psycho artist, thanks for the invite! I absolutely love it so far, I am reading it slowly because I am almost drinking her words in and I don't want to miss any points she makes. I had a similar childhood so I can relate to that as well as her other causes. It explains a lot that I suspected as well about her weird family. I know her from where the movies where the heart is, helen and bug. Then when I saw her mother and sister complaining on their reality show about her book, I knew I had to read it. It's a lot more than I expected. Thanks for the suggestion I will definately pick that up. I'll see if Barnes & Nobles have it today and if not I'll look online.
@AmbiePam (84651)
• United States
1 Jun 12
I love your attitude! Reading has definitely shaped my life. My parents and grandparents always read to me, even as a baby. I started reading real books when I was three. I would just devour whatever books I could get my hands on. As a result I had an exceptional vocabulary and excelled in spelling and speed reading. But the best thing is that my imgagination got to run wild. It made me happy, and gave me reasons to hope when all seemed hopeless.
@ajk111 (2495)
1 Jun 12
i absolutely agree with every word you have wrote
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@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
31 May 12
even at the public school age, i was interested in history and famous people's biographies. i am inspired by people's stories and the odds that they had to conquer to become famous.
@ajk111 (2495)
1 Jun 12
biographies are facinating reading!
@dodo19 (47034)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
1 Jun 12
I've always enjoyed reading books, ever since I was a kid. It was always something that I had fun doing. I do enjoy watching TV, but I also enjoyed reading. For one reason or another, I always seem to need to carry a book with me, even when I know that I probably won't be able to sit down and read. It just something that I've always enjoyed doing.
@ajk111 (2495)
1 Jun 12
a book is a persons best friend.
@riempie9 (1021)
• South Africa
2 Jun 12
My first big book as a youngster was The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, way beyond my reading capability, a difficult book to read. I stuck with it because of the character, an architect, who kept me fascinated. Don't ask me the story. I couldn't tell you.
@Shellyann36 (11385)
• United States
31 May 12
I was an avid reader when I was younger. Mysteries, romance & science fiction were my favorites. They still are today. I would much rather read than watch tv. My Mama did not like my choices in literature and would always lecture me about it. I think reading opens up your creative link to the world. I do not see it as bad.
@ajk111 (2495)
1 Jun 12
great choices Shellyann36. and so true about opening creativity
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
31 May 12
Hi ajk HGWells was my pick too and I also read the Hardy Boys Series from Enid Blyton. I definitely agree that these books had shaped my attitude and outlook during those days of childhood. I wanted to do different and maybe this is one reason, instead of attending those boring lectures at college, I was more into doing social work - organizing health awareness workshops and things like these... But over time, you mature and when that happens, you take the paths which are good or at least better for you... I think it is the age which plays is part more - like now, if I re-read those books they dont have the same effect on me
@ajk111 (2495)
31 May 12
Very true thesids. when young the books held us within an captive imagination. i loved Blytons' famous five adventures.
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
1 Jun 12
Oh dear... typo above on my response... Hardy Boys Series from Enid Blyton... the "from" should have been "and" Hardy Boys and Enid Blyton. Quite true Ajk - the "captive imagination" as our thoughts those days were limited and growing. And now that we have grown, we do realize that most of those are mere for the sake of the books only... Imagine harry Potter being a reality? Nah, that is not possible as we know it. But the kids... they do believe in spiderman, Harry Potter and much more
@suni51 (3429)
• India
1 Jun 12
Same with me ajk111- I used to read every thing I could lay my hands on. I wouldn't say, I read many literary writers but mostly thrillers and detectives like Sydney Sheldon, Agatha, Fredrick Forsyth and local writers like them. I would spent hours reading them and lost in a world that was different from the real world. TV doesn't make me that interested unless I am watching some thing funny on tube.
@ajk111 (2495)
1 Jun 12
i love Forsyth!
@PageTurner (2825)
• United States
31 May 12
I applaud your penchant for reading, akj111! I, too, am a fan of Jules Verne. Only recently, however, did I become aware of my favorite Verne book, The Mysterious Island. Have you read it? I found it fascinating, especially the amount of research he put into the book. Reading has had quite an impact on me. I think that, in large part, it helped shape my career paths early on as I sought degrees that required lots of reading and writing. I much prefer reading to television. Merely watching a program is usually boring to me. I much prefer to at least be thumbing through a magazine whilst watching the television, or, even better, cuddling with my sweetie. Ah, now I have revealed my true motive for watching television -- it has nothing to do with television at all! I am very envious of your sea bubble. What is your seahorses' name?
@ajk111 (2495)
31 May 12
I have read "mysterious island". i found it very eerie as i live on an island very similar to the book....spooky! cuddling with your sweetie is a very acceptable way to watch tv, i have tried it but alas find myself cast aside by my mermaid. my seahorse is called 'Lord vauntervile of sable green atlantis' or 'salty' for quickness.
1 person likes this
• United States
31 May 12
This mysterious island on which you live I find very.....mysterious. I should like to investigate such a place. Perhaps my journeys will lead that way some day. I read an article on the facepage a couple of weeks ago that said that reading is unnatural to our brains, and we have to train them for such an endeavor. It was quite the interesting article. I tried to read another article on the facepage, also about a major research study done on reading. Alas, it wasn't available in the written form -- it was a wretched video! Needless to say, I did not watch it.
• United States
31 May 12
Oh, and please give Salty a treat for me!
• China
31 May 12
When I was in school, I enjoyed reading books a lots. Books give me some kind of peace and satisfaction, especially those about phylosophy. However, after I graduated from colledge, I kind of lose the habit of reading everything. Part of the reason is that I am much busier than before.Everyday when I come back home from work, I just turn on the TV and watch the entertaining program. It does make me laugh a lot and I don't have to think about anything else.However gradually I find that I am kind of avoiding something.It seems that I can't really get a lot from that kind of program. Maybe it's time for me to make a change and pick reading up again.
@ajk111 (2495)
31 May 12
i truely recommend you rediscover your love affair with reading...you will not be dissappointed
1 person likes this
@sylvia13 (1850)
• Nelson Bay, Australia
5 Jul 12
I have always liked reading, but I don't think I can say that it has really shaped my life. Now that I am married i don't seem to read as much as I did before, which I think is a pity. My husband also reads a lot, but he also likes to listen to music while he is reading and I either listen to music, or read and I can't seem to do both! I get the feeling that before, when I was working and had a job that paid me, I had more freedom to get the books I really wanted to read, instead of reading those selected by somebody else.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
31 May 12
Aha! I THOUGHT that was you I passed on my way to the frozen tundra to play darts with the penguins! I would've said hi but I wasn't sure. There are so many of those bubbles in the sea these days, you know. Reading has kind of shaped my life as it made me realize that just about anything is possible. It helped me to open my eyes to not only what is right there all around us but also to what we can't see. Fortunately, for me, my mother was a teacher when I was young and she encouraged me to read, although she put her foot down on the science fiction I loved watching on TV whenever it came on, unless it was from Disney, of course. I definitely like reading more because you are forced to use your imagination (unless you're reading comic books or pop-up books ). TV puts it right in front of your face so you don't need an imagination.
@ajk111 (2495)
31 May 12
"Reading has kind of shaped my life as it made me realize that just about anything is possible. It helped me to open my eyes to not only what is right there all around us but also to what we can't see." beautifully put!
1 person likes this
@WakeUpKitty (8694)
• Netherlands
31 May 12
I always read a lot, the less pocket money (or given for my birthday or found outside on the street) I saved to buy books already at the age of 6 or 7 years old. I still have them. I spent whole summer vacations reading books and later on comics (Redbeard) as well. I don't think reading will drive you mad or change your few on reality. If you read you have to make the pictures yourself, you can be in an "other world" but there is nothing wrong with that. Tv is different, I seldom watch it, also because of the many commercials in between. I do like to watch movies but still prefer books way more. I have lots of them and so have all my kids. I think it's one of the best presents you can give someone. The older you get the more interests you have so plenty of choice.
@ajk111 (2495)
31 May 12
i too when i was young would delve into the fantasy world of books. it was an escapism that led to hours of adventure after i had finished the books.
@riempie9 (1021)
• South Africa
6 Jul 12
Reading has indeed shaped my life. As a young girl I was a voracious reading and always imagined that I would be able to write like real writers and write a book. That was when I was twelve. My first husband did not want me to write. I dropped him. My books were more comforting. Today I am a full blown writer and have ten books published, two short story collections, two film scripts - all from my desire to write either fiction or articles to provide information. I never gave up on my dream.
@gelomon (286)
• Philippines
31 May 12
good day! When I was young, I am not like you, I do not love reading. But when i discover the e-books in my high school days until now that I am already college I liked reading books, books that teaches me how to work with patience, how to treat other people, how to react with other peoples words, how to be a better person. I learned many things by reading books and I can say that reading really shapes every life of a person when we stay open to changes for up to improve.
@ajk111 (2495)
31 May 12
i totally agree geloman. reading truely broadens the mind.
• India
6 Jul 12
Hi friend, good to hear about your reading activities, i am interested in reading and spend most of my time with reading in my school day vacation. But now i don't have enough time for reading. Surely reading is a great habit, we will gain more knowledge with it