My Reading History: The College Years

 I was at a YA Librarian day a few months back and Teri Lesesne spoke about having everyone in her class create a reading history. It sounded like fun, so I thought I'd give it a try.

New to this post, check out the early years, my childhood fiction reads, my middle school reads, and my high school reads

College reading and high school reading blend a bit...

College reading happened mostly in the summer, with the exception of my senior year. I took a children's writing course and we needed to go to the library. So I went to the public library and got myself a card - and wondered why I didn't do that my first year there. Stupid. I spent time reading books again, mostly on the weekends because I was an early riser. I have a hard time remembering most of the books I read, but there are few that stand out.

I also worked in my hometown public library during summer vacations. I remember my father reading an article in the paper about Harry Potter and asking me if I read the books. I hadn't heard of them. The third one was just coming out. I grabbed the first one from the library and started it. At first I wasn't impressed - until I got to the end of the first chapter and the Boy Who Lived.

From my summer readings, I also remember:

A friend recommended this fantasy series and I fell in love with it.

I went through a Meave Binchy phase - my two favorites:

I read Rosamunde Pilcher 

I read more LM Montgomery than just Emily. I finished the Anne series (including her daughter's books)

I loved Little Women and read through the others and more of Louisa May Alcott's work

I went to England for a semester abroad and read:


Which fueled my love for women's fiction and I tore through several authors:

My Reading History: the High School Years

 I was at a YA Librarian day a few months back and Teri Lesesne spoke about having everyone in her class create a reading history. It sounded like fun, so I thought I'd give it a try.

New to this post, check out the early years, my childhood fiction reads, and my middle school reads

We read several books for school, but I'm not including those. 

I read Little Women - probably after watching the movie

After Clueless came out, I read a review in the school newspaper saying it was an adaptation of Emma. So I read Emma and I was hooked on Jane Austen. I read all her novels. (My three favorites and I adore these covers!)

My senior year, I had two study halls back to back. I would hide in the library stacks and read - pulling books off the shelves. I only remember two. The Count of Monte Cristo - which I LOVED and one about the titanic, which I think might be Amanda/Miranda. I remember being annoyed that someone checked it out while I was in the middle of reading it...

From my hometown library, I went through two reading phases:

Spy Books: Evelyn Anthony, Len Deighton, and Jack Higgins

Romance Thrillers: I raced through Victoria Holt's and Phyllis A, Whitney's books

Plus of course, I went through more Mary Higgins Clark

I read John Grisham and Sue Grafton

I know I read more, but I'm having a hard time remembering them. I would come home with a huge stack of books in my arms - as many as I could carry. I frequently read what my mother or my sister read.

What books did you read as a teen?

My Reading History: The Middle School Years

 I was at a YA Librarian day a few weeks back and Teri Lesesne spoke about having everyone in her class create a reading history. It sounded like fun, so I thought I'd give it a try.

My Middle School was 7th and 8th grade. I still loved talking about books with friends and I had a few who were readers. Sometimes a great book would get passed around between us all. Sadly, I don't really remember using the middle school library for fiction books. But the public library was just across the street from my house. I visited quite often. I would walk home with a huge stack of books - as many as I could carry in my arms.

Here's what I remember devouring (often still reading what my sister read)

I went through a horse phase:

I went through a creepy book phase:

There was a Sweet Valley High Phase

Followed by Freshman Dorm:

I used to re-read this book until it fell apart - and beyond.

I re-read this trilogy often:

I would visit my best friend's house. She had stacks of books in her basement. I would come home with piles of books. Especially by Lurlene McDaniel. I don't remember any of the titles, but I remember loving them (so different from my reading now where I just want happy books)

Other books I remember reading:

Then I started in the adult section of the library. This was my first one and then I read all Mary Higgins Clark books I could find.

My Reading History: Children's Fiction Years

 I was at a YA Librarian day a few weeks back and Teri Lesesne spoke about having everyone in her class create a reading history. It sounded like fun, so I thought I'd give it a try.

As I grew older, I wanted to read the books my sister read. I re-read books that I loved often. I used the library. I had my own books and shared books with my sister. 

We went through a Judy Blume phase.

The Little House books:

And the scary books:

Then the Babysitter Club books hit and that's all I read for a long time.

In 6th grade, I started to hide my reading, but I did check several of these out of the school library. They might have been my first romance books.