Reading Goal

I'm not sure when it happened, when the change occurred.  Reader to TV junkie, it doesn't sound good, and to be honest, I'm not proud that it happened.

I come from two solid readers.  My dad has always been into fantasy and sci-fi, while my Mom can't seem to stop reading every incredibly sad biography that exists.  I can't remember my sister doing anything else but read as a teenager, and even my brother has been known to occasionally get lost in a book.

I can remember tearing through books as a preteen and saving my money for the "book nook" sale at the fairgrounds each spring.  I would come home with boxes (seriously lots o' boxes) of books, and often feel as though I knew it wouldn't be enough.

I have a fuzzy memory, but reaching back into the depths, my very first favorite book was "Sideways Stories From Wayside School ".  I read my copy, over and over, till it finally started falling apart.  After getting lost in both "The Baby-sitter's Club" and "Sweet Valley Twin" books, my next strong favorite was "A Wrinkle in Time".  Still to this day, that book fascinates me, and as I type this I'm wondering what happened to my copy.

In high school I found myself a little obsessed with Ann Rice & her vampire world.  I was a solid fan until I started reading "Memnoch the Devil", which actually scared me about a third of the way in.  As I threw that paperback across the room, I didn't know it was a turning point toward mind numbing years of too much TV.

I suppose I could blame the change on a scary book, but in reality it also had something to do with the fact I was assigned reading in school.  (I'm a bit of a brat, or used to be anyway, and I really just didn't want to do anything I was told.)  With all the activities of high school, work, then college my spare time was often spent sleeping or spending time with friends.  The next thing I knew, I was lazy and completely complacent with watching TV.

Fast forward through the last dozen (plus) years of my life.  Occasionally a few series have briefly caught my attention.  Although I have a sneaking sensation I should be embarrassed, to say what they are (Twilight, Harry Potter, Hunger Games) my two random favorites from the last decade are "Battlefield Earth " and "The Host ".

As I was making my new year goals, it occurred to me that I'd like to start reading again.  I'd also like to read all of the classics I missed as a grumpy adolescent.  So my goal is 20 books for 2014.  Wish me luck, and next time you see me - ask me what I'm reading.