Literary Blog HopWelcome to the Literary Blog Hop, hosted by The Blue Bookcase!
This blog hop is open to blogs that primarily feature reviews of literary fiction, classic literature, and general literary discussion.
This week's question comes from Debbie at Reader Buzz:
How did you find your way to reading literary fiction and nonfiction?
I was fortunate in that I had parents who were readers. While they were primarily interested in genre fiction (mysteries and science fiction) we had a library at home (one wall of our living room was one continuous set of book shelves) that included literary fiction and nonfiction that included a variety of authors: Dante, the Bronte sisters, Poe, Lewis Carroll, Carl Van Doren, William Shirer and others. In addition I had my own library from an early age with children's classics like the Grimm brothers, Andersen, Stevenson, Twain, Kipling and a variety of others. With this start I remember spending time every summer at the public library reading British history and in school becoming acquainted with an ever widening circle of authors. My early interest continued to be reinforced by what I can only attribute to a genetic disposition toward bibliophilia. One which was only truly satisfied with more and more challenging reading. In closing let me leave you with a stanza from one of my favorite poems, learned as a child.
From A Child's Garden of Verses
My Shadow
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
9 comments:
bibliophilia, never sure if it's a superpower like some marvel comic character, or some really bad terminal disease, but most of the time i think it some strange amalgam of the two.
I remember that poem!
How lucky you were to have such a great selection of books on your library shelves at home.
I like to think it is more positive than a disease, but that is an apt metaphor nonetheless.
dragonfly419,
Thanks for your comment. I was fortunate to grow up in a home that valued books and that was a big contributor to my love of literature.
Yep, whatever bibliophilia is, I definitely have all the symptoms.
Here is my post for the Blog Hop.
Deb,
Thanks for visiting - I'm sure many of us share the symptoms.
Sounds fabulous. Sounds like I need to do some library building so my kiddos can experience more of that.
Thank you for sharing. My parents aren't readers, but my grandparents are. From an early age, my grandmother urged me to pick up books. I started with Nancy Drew mysteries, and somehow discovered Austen. :)
Darlyn and Melody,
Thanks for your comments. While I started early with Cather and Dickens I did not appreciate Austen until I was an adult.
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