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I didn't read much growing up other than short horror books from the library, mostly the Daniel Cohen "nonfiction" monster books. I read scattered King novels through middle and high school but it wasn't until my senior year when I bought the paperback of THE DARK HALF and the new hardcover of FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT, that I took off reading and never looked back.

Great thread!! I can't remember my first book(s) either, but I remember the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander as well as Chronicles of Narnia and the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. First novel I read was Jaws by Peter Benchley and I never looked back! Not sure of my own motivation but for the most part I think Readers are born, not made.

I don't remember what it was I read first, but I do remember that I read a lot of Hardy Boys books when I was younger, would sometimes read one in a single day. The library was a regular place for me, that's for sure, lol! There was one science fiction book I really enjoyed that I cannot remember the title for or the author of. It involved a kid finding an egg-like device (at least I think that is right, lol) that was maybe green. With it he could somehow time travel.

I remember a series of children's books available in my grade school library that I checked out repeatedly. Each one focused on a different Universal movie monster. I started getting into these in first grade. Early on, still grade school, I was also a fan of anything having to do with Greek or Roman mythology, stage magic, medieval weaponry, or spies. My mom would take me to the public library once a week and we'd spend hours there.

I used to love those books, and everything Dr. Seuss. Its sad, but I can still quote Green Eggs and Ham and Horton Hatches the Egg word for word

was the book I learned to read with.
I read every Seuss book, the Hardy Boys series, quite a few forgotten Scholastic books, and every non-fiction children's book involving insects, reptiles and fish my library had.
The book I remember most strongly (and fondly) is . That's where my love of horror fiction started.

The first adult books I read were TREASURE ISLAND, THE SEA WOLF and CAPTAIN'S COURAGEOUS. I still have a love for adventure stories, on or off the high seas.

Dr. Seuss books for sure. Since he came from my hometown, he was very popular at my school. Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham were my faves. I remember reading some Beverly Cleary books also.

From there, it was on to Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. I don't remember how, exactly, but I quickly moved to Edgar Allen Poe, to Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and then Stephen King.

I don't really remember reading much Dr. Seuss myself. I know I didn't dislike the ones I read, but I don't remember loving any of them either

I second Kealan's sentiments.

Wow, I agree with Kealan! Have you ever considered writing a book about what you went through? It is very unfortunate what some people do, defending it with some extreme view of a religion. I don't know what form of Christianity they followed, but I know there are a lot of Seventh Day Adventists who us the Bible to defend and justify their abusive behaviors, particularly towards women and children.

Wow, that's a terrible story, Ila. Kudos to you for breaking out of that and dedicating your life to helping people. You must be a strong person.

Ila, what a heartbreaking and inspirational story. I echo the sentiments above. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be raised in that environment.

I don't remember my first read, but I do remember reading The Wizard of Oz books and The Great Brain series. The book that really hooked me was Where the Red Fern Grows. Man, I was so into that book that it hooked me and have been a big reader ever since. I recently picked up a copy of the same edition I read as a kid and was pretty excited to find it. My first horror books around the age of 9 or 10, were (no surprise) King & Koontz.

There were no King and Koontz when I was 10.

LMAO!

Kealan wrote: "As far as I know, there were NO authors in the Ice Age."

Oh! Kealan with the burn! LOL

Now I picture DeNiro turing to Joe Pesci saying "you gonna let him talk to you like that?"
And we all know what happened after that. Spider was no more.

:)

Ila wrote: "Jon Recluse wrote: "There were no King and Koontz when I was 10."

Same here. I cut my detective teeth on Erle Stanley Gardner and his Perry Mason novels. In the projects there was a person (can't..."

I read my aunt's Nero Wolfe novels. Nothing weirder than a detective that never leaves his house.

I will always be eternally grateful to my third grade teacher for instilling the desire to read into my very soul. She read in class and I haven't been the same since.

Kealan wrote: "Relevant to this topic, an essay I wrote in celebration of King's CARRIE turning 40:

"

Excellent essay!

I enjoyed it, as well.

As did I. :)

Conan the Barbarian stories were some of my first loves. Had all the paperbacks and would read before bed, pausing just long enough to stare at the covers, then prayed to Crom before going to sleep.

Crom never answered my prayers, of course.

What were you praying to Crom for, exactly?

All sorts of Hyborian-age evil awaited me in my sleep. I prayed for Crom's aid. He did not come. I was tortured for hours until I woke. Crom was not much into intervening.

Of course not.
Crom is a barbarian god.
Offer up the skulls of your enemies type, y'know?

You needed to pray to Melvin.
God of Nocturnal Incontinence.

Ha.. Nice.. then again, when there was just one set of footprints in the sand, perhaps Crom was carrying me.

LOL

Carrying you?
No.

Shoving you into a gnome brawl and betting against you?
Yes. ;)

Jon Recluse wrote: "Carrying you?
No.

Shoving you into a gnome brawl and betting against you?
Yes. ;)"
Dirty fighters them gnomes are. (By Crom, we've hijacked Kealan's thread.)

embarrassing but I read the books I shouldn't that my brothers wife bought ..My first read was

Mark wrote: "Jon Recluse wrote: "Carrying you?
No.

Shoving you into a gnome brawl and betting against you?
Yes. ;)"
Dirty fighters them gnomes are. (By Crom, we've hijacked Kealan's thread.)"

Ankle biters, every one of them and prone to groin headbutting.

(By Groucho, you have.)

started off with Enid Blyton..those great adventure stories when summers were always warm and kids solved mysterious and went on great adventures when the criminals were always caught and the endings were always happy...I used to dream those great stories at night and believe I was on the island of adventure :) I progressed like most of us did here to Herbert...king and koontz and anything else that looked fun and exciting to read....

Kealan wrote: "Thanks to Ila for suggesting this topic.

What was the first book you read, and what moved you to start reading in the first place?

For me, my mother was a voracious reader, and even though we wer..."

Like you, we didn't have much growing up. My whole family are avid readers though and I also started early. My Grandma used to tell me stories from both sides of her family so I got German ghost stories and Native American legends. My favorites were always spooky :) One of my favorite books as a kid was Bunnicula about a vampire rabbit and his friends.

That's the way I was introduced to scary stories.
My uncle telling stories he remembered from the old radio shows, like Light's Out and Inner Sanctum, mixed with some of the urban legends of Brooklyn, by flashlight.

I'm going to be buying the whole set soon. I want my grandbaby (Due in July) to have the same love of reading I have :)

I remember that series as well.Not sure if I still have Bunnicula or not.There are so many books and series that I have read over the years,that it is hard to remember.Anybody remember the book How To Eat Fried Worms?

Nothing profound here. The first book I read and enjoyed beyond whatever picture books I read as a kid was The Stand or Pet Sematary. I forget which I read first. My dad read the stand and said it was the scariest thing he had experienced in his life, so I had to read it. I found Pet Sematary far more frightening. I was 14 or 15 I think.

Started reading as a child Enid Blyton and progressed to the amazing Just William books by Rickmal Crompton. In the 70's discovered The Rats by James Herbert (I remember reading on a beach in Greece) and from there onto King and Koontz....never looked back :)

After reading King's earlier works, PET SEMATARY was a gut punch.
My first King was 'SALEM'S LOT.
My first McCammon was THEY THIRST.

My first experience reading SK was THE SHINING when I was 14. After that I was hooked, but none of his other works have ever quite matched the scare factor of that one for me.

However, when I was 10 my mom took me to see the original CARRIE movie. Pretty much traumatized me for life and helped create the sick individual you see before you now.

I went to see Carrie when it was first released with a friend who had seen before. At the final scene when the hand emerged from the grave my friend grabbed me and I nearly jumped out of my skin

My biggest jump scare at a movie was while watching It's Alive.

Stray toddler loose in the theater.