Reader's Autobiography (Reader's Notebook #2)

“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” ~ Jim Rohn

My first book must’ve been something my mother read to me while I was still in the womb.

I loved Dr. Seuss, and own a collection of all his stories. I loved fairy tales and Aesop’s Fables.

My favorite stories always had some sort of lesson to learn, after all, the purpose of life is to learn lessons along the way.

The ghost girl who plays the piano with no hands, stands in the corner of my dorm room once a year around Halloween, and I don’t trust strangers’ intentions nor my friends’ judgments of character because you never really know a person; I read and I learned that monsters aren’t real, but men are.

A lot of people make a lot of mistakes in fiction and I’ve learned to take their cautionary tales to heart.

I read my mother’s psychology books and astrology books and couldn’t see why people think Capricorns lack imagination because I’m one of the most creative people I’ve ever met.

A Soldier’s Secret is the worst book I’ve ever read. I can’t finish Mockingjay because it’s a terrible book and I’d rather read The Scarlet Letter again because Hester is a real, strong female protagonist and The Scarlet Letter is a better book.

I wanted to be a veterinarian and read about birds and bats and I thought I could own a horse someday.

Every once in a while, and stop and read a book about breeds of cats and recipes for dogs. I wasn’t a Harry Potter fanatic, but last summer I learned to identity as a Ravenclaw.

My role models were fictional characters. I’ve read the stories of so many Black women and cried when I read The Hate U Give two summers ago, because it’s the most amazing piece of literature I’ve ever read, and no one’s ever understood me so well.

I will always hate Frankenstein no matter how many times I read it; if I want romanticism, I’ll re-read Walden. THE SCARLET LETTER IS BETTER THAN THE HUNGER GAMES.

Books were my happy place and I hope to be a writer to share the worlds I’ve created with others, who like myself, want a place to go to learn lessons without making mistakes.

Hi there, I just wanted to add that these “Reader’s Notebook” posts are unedited versions of what I submitted to my English professor for my final project.

Honestly, I am pretty hard on myself – especially when it comes to writing – so having a record of what I deemed to “acceptable” work will help me hold myself accountable. In this way, I will be able to truly track my progress as a writer.