100 Things About Me as a Reader, Part 1

So, I'm way behind on blog reading and just came across Mary Lee's "100 Things About Me as a Reader" at A Year of Reading. Inspired by her blogging partner Franki's post, Mary Lee lists some interesting tidbits about herself as a reader and also says that a lot of individuals are posting their own lists, and teachers are assigning this to students. Of course, I can't pass this up. Here's the beginning of my list.

1. According to my mom, by the time I was two, I was "reading" books my memory. 
2. Also according to my mom, my first favorite book was The Pokie Little Puppy. I found a copy of this for my daughter when she was one, but it's never caught on. 
3. The first series I fell in love with was the Trixie Belden series. A family friend gave me a full set when I was in the third grade. 
4. The second series I fell in love with was the Flowers in the Attic series and then every other dark V.C. Andrews series I could get my hands on. 
5. My Aunt Marian, along with my mom, helped nurture my love for reading. She frequently bought me books and lent me her own when I was growing up.
6. When I was young, the library was one of my favorite places to be. It still is.
7. I read Gone With the Wind when I was in 5th grade. It continues to be one of my favorites of all time. 
8. I'm not sure that I have a favorite genre. I read whatever I'm in the mood for at that moment, but I do have a soft spot for dystopian fiction. 
9. I became an English major because I loved reading and writing about what I was reading so much. 
10. My two favorite classics are "Les Miserables," and "The Great Gatsby." Just mention the name Jean Valjean, and I get giddy.
11. I often have around six books started at once. Right now, I'm reading four books and listening to one audio book.
12. I get sad when people tell me they're not readers. 
13. I love the touch, feel, and smell of books, but I really want a Kindle. I have the Kindle iPhone app, but it's not the same. 
14. I love Historical Fiction. My favorite periods are the Tudor period, the Civil War, and the Renaissance. 
15. I love reading nonfiction, but it's challenging to find well-written nonfiction. The best nonfiction authors tell their subjects' stories and don't just present facts. 
16. I get frustrated with too much detail. I've never gotten through the first book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy because of all the detail, and that makes me sad. 
17. I haven't read as many classics as I would have liked to because of the whole detail thing mentioned above. 
18. I feel guilty for not finishing a book even if it's really bad. 
19. Neither my brother or my sister read for pleasure. I'm not sure why.
20. When I've had a really rough day, all I want to do is crawl in bed and read a book. 
21. When it's cold or raining outside, all I want to do is crawl in bed and read a book. 
22. I've always said that if I was stuck on a deserted island, my one wish would be to have a book of Shakespeare's greatest works. Now I think it would be a Kindle loaded with all kinds of books. 

Whew...this is hard, but fun. I think that's enough for now!