Monday, April 25, 2011

Musing Mondays: Who Influenced Your Reading?

 
This week’s musing asks…
Do the members of your family read? Do you think it was passed down to you? ((or, if you want you can answer this: Who do you think influenced you as a reader?))

My family are readers but I'm definitely the nerdiest of the bunch! The biggest influences on me as a reader were my teachers and friends. I spent a lot of time in the library as a kid and was just always drawn to read- librarians were very important to my development as a reader, too, especially the librarians in the children's room at my local public library. Sad to say, I don't even remember my school librarians. I started reading things that we kept around the house but quickly moved on!

More Musing Mondays at ShouldbeReading.wordpress.com.

16 comments:

Confuzzled Shannon said...

I don't remember the school libraries names but I remember my elementary school librarian by face. I also use to help in junior and high school and got some sort award plaque for library aide. I don't really remember much of it though. lol

Harvee said...

I guess teachers and my parents who taught me to read before I even started school!

Book Dilettante

Mystica said...

I was an only child for 16 years. There was nothing else to do but read! None of my families were readers.

Gigi Ann said...

I was influenced by school, as soon as i could read I loved it.

Zibilee said...

My mother and grandmother used to read a lot when I was younger, and I think I picked up the bug from them. Reading runs in my family in spurts, because my uncle is a big reader (and we have some fabulous conversations about books) but my dad and brother don't read at all. Out of all of the family, I would have to say that I am the biggest reader, but they were the ones who influenced me.

caite said...

wait! you connect reading and nerdiness? I beg to differ...lol
since I was reading...and loving it...before I was in school, I think it came from my mother more than anyone else.

Unknown said...

Funny, thinking about it most of the family were resolute non-readers. Not anti-reading, but more "too busy" with putting food on the table and keeping things rolling to find time for reading. As a result there wasn't the nurturing of we as young readers. Don't really have any memorable librarians as a child. What it comes down to is just a raw curiosity that manifested itself in books and reading.

Kristin said...

I think the library was my favorite place to be when I was a kid (besides my grandmother's house).

My answer can be found here.

Rory L. Aronsky said...

I remember I started reading when I was 2. I don't remember if my dad influenced me a great deal, because he was a sort-of avid reader back then, as my mom tells me. I remember more reading a lot on my own in those years than seeing my dad read often. But for me, it mushroomed after that, to the extent that my third grade teacher actually called my parents in for a conference because I was reading on a level far above my classmates. A few times, I had brought John Grisham novels with me to class to read. Yes, I was that advanced, and yes, this particular elementary school in South Florida had time to worry about such things rather than being proud of it.

My major influence was in 11th grade, my English teacher Roberta Little at Hollywood Hills High. She loved the written word and wanted as many students as possible to love it, too. Because of her, my favorite play is "The Glass Menagerie", and I'm going to venture into playwriting.

She always encouraged different opinions. She genuinely wanted to know what we thought about a certain work, such as The Great Gatsby, and never pooh-poohed an opinion just because it didn't match her own, like it was with a "critical reading, writing and thinking" teacher I had when I attended College of the Canyons here in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles.

The most important things she reminded me of through her teachings was to never stop exploring in books, to always seek out what makes you happy, and always be open to what may not interest you at first, but could turn out to be useful to you.

bermudaonion said...

I come from a family of readers, but did have a very special librarian, who influenced me, when I was in elementary school.

Space Station Mir said...

I definitely got the reading syndrome from both sides of the family-and I'm still known as the bookworm in my family at large. I do remember all my school librarians, mostly because they let me hide in the library during lunch, but I'd say the biggest influences on my reading were my dad, my teachers, and now book bloggers on the Internet..

Anonymous said...

I spent so much time in the school library, but like you I can't remember any of the librarians. I guess I was concentrating more on the books!

Here's My Musing Monday

bibliophiliac said...

Both of my parents were life-long readers. That was a huge influence: I saw my parents reading every night. I remember the public library much more vividly than the school library. From school I remember the excitement of ordering (and then receiving) Scholastic books.

Vasilly said...

I don't remember my schools even having a library until I was in the eighth grade! The librarian there along with my parents encouraged my reading and I'm so grateful for their support.

Unknown said...

My grandparents and my father influenced my reading. Unfortunately my mother was not a reader. I still remember, the library in Nantasket Beach many years ago, where my grandparents would take me. My father during the school year would take me too. I still remember falling on a block of ice outside the library. Funny, I would think that bad experience would stop me. But, still love to read to this day.

Bellezza said...

I love that teachers were some of your greatest influence! Yippee for teachers that inspire their students! (I had several which were less than that.)