The book that started your love of reading.

[Nom de ploom]

my mother had loads of book sand I worked on a book stall on Rotherham market for a few years so reading was always part of my life growing up.

amongst the romantic novel silhoutte specials etc were quite a few things actually worth reading on the book shelves..early reads fo rme were Louis L'amour (westerns), Wilbur Smith, neville shute (struggled a bit with these as a kid), and alaistair maclean - guns of navarone..

The hobbit was the first school book I bought to read ahead of the class it was so good. still is.

as i got older 12-13 I read Guy Smith horror and about 8 or so James Herbert. The Rats trilogy ranks amongst the very best of its genre - Domain being top of the list - utterly brilliant.

My love of reading was probably ignited by The Wasp Factory, and depsite the fact that the only genre I really can't get into being Sci-fi, I like most other genres.

[Nightmare]

tons of the ones on here.....but i loved reading from very early on which includes the ever super 'Bears in the Night'; but the one which probably stuck with me most was Mike Mulligans Steam Shovel. wonderful book!

very pleased lots of other mentioned Willard Price - still got all of those (actually i still have ALL the books ive ever owned) and they're still great i think

The Perilous Descent was another stand out from being young.....also read all the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Swallow and Amazons etc (just recently rebought them all from various second hand shops round the country as my sister got the first lot )

Oh, and anything by Douglas Hill. The last legionary books are still some of my favourites

[cardigankid]

I could say loads of sexy titles but the first book I picked up that wasn't a 'Commando' or picture based comic, with considerable reluctance I may say, was ' The Boy Next Door' . It had me by page two and I have never looked back.

I don't know what it is about Enid Blyton, because reading back over some of them now they seem like obvious trash, but at 10 it was seriously good stuff. Total vicarious adventure with all sorts of nuances I struggle to see in them now.

[Loosenut]

I struggle for many many years to get into reading books and then finally last year something clicked when I picked up the book pillars of the earth, although it took some time to read the whole thing I really did enjoy it. Since then I have been through a few books but none have giving me the enjoyment that this book did. I am currently getting through the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes again taking its time to do so.
Ps if anyone could recommend me any other books like the pillars of the earth i would be very grateful.

[Vaud]

Catweazle said:

This was bought for me when I was five, I still have it.

Probably a Richard Scarry for me as well. I don't have the Richard Scarry any more, but have just bought them for my daughter...

Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis... or not...

[Crush]

Enid Blyton The Enchanted Wood



However, as I became older I lost interest in books as consoles and tv took over as my form of entertainment.

What got me back into books was Raymond E Feist Krondor the Betrayal


Actually downloaded his first book (Magician) on Kindle last night and intend to start reading the books in order

[Nightmare]

You are in for a treat

[ehonda]

Jack London - Call of the Wild. We didn't have much money when I was a kid so books were few and far between, someone gave my dad that book for me to read, I loved it and read it over and over again.

[Lv2spd2]

I honestly cannot remember a time when I did not love reading.

[NoNeed]

I only started to enjoy reading as an adult when my manager gave me "the celestine prophecy" to read and I really enjoyed it. He couldn't believe that that was the only book I had read properly and he then gave me the old man and the sea stating that as a young adult I would need it's message to get on in life.


Loved books ever since

[boxst]

I didn't read books very much as a child. Then in my late teens someone gave me one of Terry Pratchett's books. Haven't looked back since, and enjoy all kind of authors from serious to comical.

[Justin Cyder]

Probably Janet & John & the secret seven & famous five, Ginger, Stig of the dump & all that stuff when I was a kid, but the one that I know I read over & over was 101 Dalmatians.

Not profound by any means but for some reason I was drawn to it repeatedly as a child & I can't honestly remember why.

[jbudgie]

'Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet' was one I used to read over again.

[Jinx]

Princess of Flames by Ru Emerson - I was 13 and hadn't bothered reading much before then.
Whilst not exactly a highbrow work it did start off my love of books and I've probably read it a half dozen times over the years. Now have a nook - not quite the same but takes up less self space.

[Gargamel]

I too can't really remember a time when I didn't read.

Certainly read a lot of ladybird books when I was at infant school, followed by Ted Hughes, Iron Man, James and The Giant Peach, Charlie & the CF - all that stuff.

However, despite reading The Hobbit at about 8 years old (I have older brothers) I never really paid much attention to authors. Then I found a book in the library at Secondary School (year 7) called The Two Towers
a much better read than The Fellowship of the Ring at least at the start of the book. Suddenly I realised there were so many more books out there, hell I have even ploughed through The Silmarillion.

Always been a reader, currently wrestling with Trollope's Barchester Chronicles - with the odd Lee Childs thrown in.

[TheChampers]

This. I was about 5 or 6, still have it and read it, when they were younger, to both of my daughters at bedtime

[Super Slo Mo]

My parents used to read Playhour comic to me when I was very small (3 or 4 at a guess, mid 1970's), until I reached a stage where I could read it for myself. Then at the age of about 5 or 6 I read my first novel, Enid Blyton's Five Go Off To Camp. I was hooked at that point, and read books like they were going out of fashion, right up until I discovered the internet about 15 years ago.

I still read, but not nearly enough. One of the downsides of modern communications I guess.

ETA: Next poster reminded me - Alastair Maclean was a favourite of mine during my teen years, I think I read every single novel of his, over and over again.

Edited by Super Slo Mo on Tuesday 7th October 19:42

[CubanPete]

Stig of the Dump
Swallows and Amazons* Probably the book I have read the most
Famous Five
Alastair Mclean
Tom Sharp