This meme is hosted by the official Filipino Reader Conference site to promote the 1st ever Filipino Reader Con on September 14th.
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Your reader’s story: How did you become a reader?
I inherited my love of reading from my Mom, who always had a book at her bedside table. I used to accompany her to bookstores, where I wandered off to the more age-appropriate sections while she browsed for her Sidney Sheldons and Danielle Steels and Jackie Collinses and Robert Ludlums.
My elementary and high school library cards were well-used. On average, I went through 3 Borrower’s Cards per year (I needed to allot time to studying too! 😛 ).
In elementary, my reading list included Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators, Beverly Cleary books, and Choose Your Own Adventure books. Oh, and Paddington Bear; let’s not forget him because he’s ridiculously adorable.
In high school, I went through the Sweet Valley and Sweet Dreams phase like most teenage girls, but I also started to pick up occasional YA fantasy fare, like E. Nesbit, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Diane Duane, and Madeleine L’Engle. It was also in high school that I was introduced to the Dragonlance saga, which would ignite my interest in epic fantasies.
In college, I started reading my Mom’s books, and that piqued my interest in general fiction. I also continued to hunt down Dragonlance and Michael Crichton titles. And I read Isaac Asimov short stories in the library in between classes.
I never stopped reading since then. I try to pick up a book whenever I have an opportunity to do so, and I try as much as I can to make time to read even when I’m busy. Idle times like long commutes or long waits make for productive reading times for me. 🙂
What I love most about reading is being transported to another place and time. I don’t have the capability to travel much, so books are like my vacations. Charlaine Harris said that books are the cheapest vacations you can buy, and Samantha Sotto said that imagination is one of the few places that Filipinos don’t need a visa, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. If it weren’t for books, life will probably be like living in a boat that’s forever anchored to a port.
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Previously on Filipino Friday:
FF #1: Introduce Yourself
The Girl Who Read and Other Stories 
“If it weren’t for books, life will probably be like living in a boat that’s forever anchored to a port.”
Amen to that. 🙂
who would think words written on paper could work such wonders 🙂 love your chronicle of authors and genres!
Looks like we both made the most of the books available in our school libraries! 🙂 Yep, have to agree with you – life would be VERY boring (and lonely) if I didn’t read books. I don’t get to travel as much as I’d like so I compensate by reading books because like you said, that’s a form of traveling too.
So the Goodreads Reading Challenge is like our Frequent Flyer program! 😉