What book(s) kindled* your love of reading?

[wiggydiggy]

I want to mention these types of collections too, I still buy these today if I see an older classic version. I like the mix of fiction and none fictional stories (though the none fiction are often embellished!).

There are some really clever short stories in these, an excellent one I remember is called The Snake Pit about a snake hunter in India who is led to a large hole which is allegedly full of snakes for him to catch, into which he ventures....

 

[Oldhippy]

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings for me.

 

[Dogtrousers]

When I was growing up most books came from the library. However, there were a few old books. One of which was a ghost stories book which belonged to my mum when she was younger. It had some really disturbing stories in it. The only one I can remember right now is The Monkey's Paw. (Woman wishes for money - son is killed in mining accident and she gets compensation payout. Wishes for her son back and a dreadful thing starts pounding on the door. Third wish - for the dreadful thing to go away)

 

[gbb]

Never been a big reader but..
As a teenager, the Sven Hassel books really caught my imagination, eagerly reading them as they came out.
In my early 20s, i started reading Orwell, 1984, Animal Farm, A Clergymans Daughter etc etc
Later in my 20s, Solhzenytsyn (sp), several of his.

I do seem to like darker stuff.

 

[Legs]

I've just finished reading A Series Of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler (writing as Lemony Snicket) to my 6-year-old son, and he (and I) absolutely loved them. A bit dark, but very funny.

 

[All uphill]

I grew up in a house full of books and my near-sightedness was diagnosed late. It's no surprise I became a book-aholic. I still read three or four books a week, and rarely look at the TV.

I have no idea what my first favourite books were, but I was soon enjoying books by Eric Ambler, Rider Haggard, WE Johns and John Buchan. I also liked science and art books from about the age of twelve.

 

[newts]

Aged 8 upwards I used the library a lot (junior section)
Back in approx 1957 I read The Brendon Chase by BB....... I read and re-read it.
About 10 years ago a friend bought me a copy as a present.......I really enjoyed reading it again, a wonderful book.
As a young adult I read westerns.
I still read but like easy crime/detective type stuff now.

I also re read Brendon Chase a couple of years ago, almost 50 years after the first time.
B B - Denis Watkins-Pitchford. I'm sure if 3 lads went on an adventure like that nowadays there'd be full scale search after 12 hours.

 

[Alex321]

The first book I really remember reading ( a lot of it with a light under the bedcovers when I should have been sleeping) was Lord of the Rings, aged about 9 or 10.

I had read a lot of other books by then, but don't really remember many specific ones - I know I read a lot of Enid Blyton, plus a number of the Biggles books (W E Johns), and some "horsey" books by authors such as Monica Edwards.

Then aged 11, I remember taking a Heinlein book of my parents's and starting to read it - Stranger in a Strange Land. When they found me reading it, they said they didn't mind me reading their books, but that one maybe wasn't suitable for me just yet (as with a few of Heinlein's books, it is pretty much wall to wall sex, and I was quite an innocent 11 year old), and they pointed me towards a few others, one of which was Trustee From the Toolroom by nevil Shute, and I have loved his work ever since.

 

[Alex321]

I particularly remember "Swallows and Amazons" thinking how could their parents let kids loose in a boat without an older person about to supervise them? Surely they would all drown? Obviously, they didn't. I

How did I forget Swallows and Amazons from the list iof books I read when young. We had the complete set, and read them all more than once.

 

[All uphill]

The first book I really remember reading ( a lot of it with a light under the bedcovers when I should have been sleeping) was Lord of the Rings, aged about 9 or 10.

I had read a lot of other books by then, but don't really remember many specific ones - I know I read a lot of Enid Blyton, plus a number of the Biggles books (W E Johns), and some "horsey" books by authors such as Monica Edwards.

Then aged 11, I remember taking a Heinlein book of my parents's and starting to read it - Stranger in a Strange Land. When they found me reading it, they said they didn't mind me reading their books, but that one maybe wasn't suitable for me just yet (as with a few of Heinlein's books, it is pretty much wall to wall sex, and I was quite an innocent 11 year old), and they pointed me towards a few others, one of which was Trustee From the Toolroom by nevil Shute, and I have loved his work ever since.

Neil Shute!

He had a way of gently telling a story that still packed a punch. "On the Beach" is a favourite.

 

[Dave7]

I also re read Brendon Chase a couple of years ago, almost 50 years after the first time.
B B - Denis Watkins-Pitchford. I'm sure if 3 lads went on an adventure like that nowadays there'd be full scale search after 12 hours.

Do you recall the character Smokey (or Smokin) Joe ?

 

[oldwheels]

Cannot remember a time without books.
I do remember when reading the posts that I did read all the Swallows and Amazon ones as well as most of the other well known ones such as Biggles, Just William, P.G.Wodehouse, etc. H.G.Wells Wheels of Chance I thought I had but it is on kindle as I probably unwisely loaned the hardback copy to somebody who has not returned it. Too many lost that way.
I got a school prize for something I cannot remember and got to choose a book. I chose The Poacher's Handbook which they did get for me with a certain amount of bemusement.
Nowadays I read where possible travel books and if all else fails can sometimes find a readable modern detective type.

 

[richardfm]

I've just finished reading A Series Of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler (writing as Lemony Snicket) to my 6-year-old son, and he (and I) absolutely loved them. A bit dark, but very funny.

When my daughter was young she enjoyed these. She had a friend who's American grandmother would post them from the USA when they were published, which was earlier than in the UK

 

[Once a Wheeler]

Definitely adventure in wild places:

• R M Ballantyne, The Coral Island, Martin Rattler
• Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
• Armstrong Sperry, The Boy Who Was Afraid, Thunder Country
• Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn
• H Rider Haggard, King Solomon's Mines, She
• Johann David Wyss, The Swiss Family Robinson
• Nathaniel Hawthorn, Tanglewood Tales (simplified Greek myths for children, especially the Theseus myths)

 

[Slick]

Never a great book lover, although there were one of two that stuck in my mind.

Now the Commando Comics was a different matter, as I couldn't get enough and even looking at the pictures in the link nearly had me ordering a few copies.

https://www.commandocomics.com/