starving

No, not starving in the usual way.

Absolutely starving for books.

Once upon a time, I was a total bookworm.

It was super awesome.

I started reading at three, after enthusiastically embracing my mother's attempts to teach me.

I spelled my name out on the sidewalk in chalk.

I read the signs at the zoo.

In first grade, when all of my friends were reading See Spot Run, I was starting chapter books.

My third grade teacher told my parents that I was on a seventh grade reading level, and a few years later they were told I was on a college level.

I read hundreds of books every year

One summer I read like fifty and entered each book's name into a raffle that my local library held. I won a 20GB 4th Generation iPod! Super dope.

Yeah boyyyy. :)

The point here is not to brag.

I'm not trying to say that I am better than other people.

All that I am trying to get across is that -

I.

LOVE.

READING.

Seriously.

I would be so okay if this is what heaven looked like.

During the summer I would go to the library and come home with a huge stack, only to go back for another stack the next week.

When all my friends were outside swimming or in watching Nickelodeon, I was, most often, sprawled out on my bed, reading Harry's latest adventure, or the Baudelaire's most recent mishap.

Some of my favorites growing up!

K through 12 I would put off homework to finish my latest find, though I got more responsible at the end, when it came down to read-this-book vs. graduate.

That marks when my priorities started to realign, and reading was put on the back burner.

I am ashamed and sad to admit that I have only read two or three books that were not for school during this school year. It is rather horrible, and I am starting to really feel it.

I need literary goodness in my life!

I need it now!

So.

I am vowing right now to start anew, and read, dare I say it, at least four books a month.

That's one a week, which I can totally do. Just have to make sure that I get all of my homework done before I start reading and it shouldn't be a big deal. 

Also, I plan on reviewing them and starting a list of books I read from this point on. Because that's cool! I wish I had a list of all the ones I read growing up... So many. At least a thousand, I'd guess.

The first ones on the list are I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Both great. I'll be rereading them... I should probably find new stuff, but I'm just grabbing stuff from my house and I've read most of the books that we actually own.

When I do have frequent library access (over the summer!), though, I will need ideas.

I must make a list of must-reads!

Any recommendations, lovely people?