Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish. The topic this week is your Top Ten Bookish Memories, i.e. meeting an author, waiting in line to purchase a new release, or a memory of reading your favorite book. 


I haven't had the pleasure of meeting an author, but I had plenty of good memories of reading great books.  

Not many people know this, especially in the blog world, between the ages of 8 and 16, I lived with my family in Portugal (my parents are from there), although I knew the language, I always felt awkward with the others kids, I was teased because of my accent, my name, etc..., I didn't make friends very easily, my refuge was reading.  I read just about anything I could get my hands on: Enid Blyton's Famous Five, Secret Seven and Mallory Towers series; Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series; Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  I made friends with those characters very easily.  There were many times that my grandmother had to force me out of the house on beautiful summer days. Wherever I went, a book came along with me.  I loved reading on the beach (still do), salt air, the waves crashing in the background, and having a Perna de Pau (my favorite Ola ice cream).

Reading in the closet with a flashlight.  I did that so I wouldn't be interrupted by my younger sister.  It worked like a charm, until she figured it out.

Reading on the couch on a rainy day with a fire in the fireplace, the radio on low and having tea and discovering new worlds or visiting old friends.

When I read The Diary of Anne Frank for the first time.  It was the first book that brought me to tears.  Just thinking about it now, it's making me tear up.  While reading it I felt that Anne was truly a wonderful person and she always thought the best of people, she had hope in a very trying time.

This is a funny memory:  I was reading To Kill a Mockingbird while walking home from school.  Not a safe thing to do, I know.  While I walking and reading I bumped into a light post and said "excuse me sir", and kept on walking, oblivious that my mother was behind me the whole time. I am still teased about this.

I remember the first time I read a Jane Austen novel, it was Sense and Sensibility.  It was one of those moments where I had the "where have you been all my life" feeling.  I then read every single book written by the author, my favorites are Pride & Prejudice and Persuasion

Another favorite memory was reading my first romance novel. I was in University at the time, it was during exam time, I was stressed, and needed a break, walked into a Coles at Rideau Centre in Ottawa and asked the sales person for a good read that would not make me think too much, and it had to be funny.  She suggested Julie Garwood's The Bride.  Needless to say I fell hook, line and sinker for historical romances.

But my favorite was the first time I read a book to my newborn daughter.  You would think reading a book to an infant would be easy enough, but I was bawling by the end of it.  The first book I read to Sophie (who's 12 now) was Robert Munsch's Love You Forever.  It was also the first book I read to my son Kyle (10), and I had the same reaction.

What about you?  What are your favorite bookish memories?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reading was a great escape for me as a child too! I loved the Anne of Green Gables series...although I think I still haven't read the last one. I also fondly remember reading my first Austen novel. I went the cliche route and read Pride and Prejudice first though. :)

Unknown said...

It doesn't matter which one you read first, but you read Austen. lol I have a thing for Mr Darcy. :D

Thanks for stopping by Wandeca Reads!