This post was inspired by Kevin, who was inspired by Franki. (I found myself nodding, “me, too!” as I read Franki’s list.) I was inspired so much, that I actually began this post in the morning. With my coffee. When I should have been getting ready for work! (My friend, Tracy, did the same thing!) I decided not to put a number in my title, because I didn’t know how far I’d get.

1. I don’t remember learning to read, I just remember reading. (I seem to always put this first whenever I do any sort of “Me as a Reader” activity.)
2. I do remember Dick and Jane, Sally, Spot and Puff.
3. I remember my mom telling me I taught my sister to read; I don’t know if that is true.
4. I remember losing myself in books, and in my mind, I was usually the protagonist.
5. I remember my mom taking us to the library. A lot. Wherever we lived. (We moved several times during my elementary years.)
6. Round robin reading was painful for me. I had no patience for word-by-word readers and I would always read ahead. And then get in trouble for not knowing where to read when it was my turn.
7. I was always in the highest reading group. Until 6th grade. And I remember being so disappointed,  trying so hard, and wanting so badly to get in the top group. I hated 6th grade.
8. As an adolescent, I lived a few blocks from the Mt. Clemens Public Library, and would spend many hot summer days reading the day away in the cool AC of the children’s room.
9. I went on reading binges. When I found an author or series I liked, I wanted to read ALL of the books.
10. I loved Nancy Drew.
11. I read the entire Little House series in 2 weeks. When I was 11.
12. In high school, I often had a book inside of my textbook.
13. When I went to college, there was so much I had to read, that reading was one of the last things I chose for recreation. 🙁
14. But, I did read the entire Chronicles of Narnia the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college.
15. When I became a teacher, my recreational reading was children’s books.
16. My all-time favorite book is The Secret Garden.
17. It wasn’t until I became a teacher and started studying the teaching of writing that I understood why I loved the book–the craft of the author, Frances Hodgson Burnett.
18. I have wonderful memories of my mother reading aloud to us, and doing all the voices.
19. Reading aloud to students was one of my favorite things to do as a teacher.
20. When I became a media center teacher, I loved being surrounded by books.
21. It took me a whole summer to automate my library, because I kept reading all the books!
22. I loved sharing my childhood favorites with students, helping them find “the book” that might hook them.
23. When I came across a poster of all the Newberry Medal winners, I set a goal to read them all. I didn’t. 🙁
24. The Breadwinner is a book that troubled me greatly. I had a chance to talk to a woman who left Afghanistan, and asked her how accurate the story was. She said real life was much worse. At that moment I recognized the power of story, and how important it is for certain stories to be told.
25. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is another book that moved, troubled, and angered me.
26. The Harry Potter books brought back the thrill of “just one more chapter” and not being able to stop.
27. I was in a book club, and loved having an excuse to read for fun.
28. I need to find another book club. AFTER my dissertation is done and defended.

TO BE CONTINUED…