I’m a Reader

I have always been an avid reader. When I was young I read voraciously – devouring all the books in the school library. My teachers laughed and told me that I would grow up to be a great writer. Instead…I grew up to be an even greater READER! My home is full of bookshelves, some 6 foot, some 4 foot and piles and piles of books on every flat (and not so flat) surface. I have always imagined that my tombstone will read something like “Here lies Julie. She read…A LOT!” For as far back as I can remember there was always a book at my side and, interestingly enough, they have mostly been mysteries and spooky tales, even as a child. I cut my reading teeth on well-loved series like Trixie Belden and the Famous Five, who were always having adventures and getting into scrapes and mischief. How I longed to be part of a gang of sleuths like them. As I grew older I moved on to Nancy Drew and ultimately the mysteries and psychological thrillers that I love to this day. A couple of years ago I sold my set of Trixie Belden novels (34 in all) to a primary school in Melbourne, who were overjoyed to replenish their disintegrating collection when Trixie, Honey and the rest of the group had a resurgence in popularity. It’s nice to know that they continue to bring joy to young readers 30 years after I first bought them. My childhood also began my addiction to ghosts, spooks and ghouls. One book which terrified me, to the point of not sleeping with it in the same room as me, was a collection of ghost stories called Ghosts by Aiden and Nancy Chambers. I loved the creepy, spooky tales during the day but at night that book was banished from my room! These days it doesn’t terrify me and it is still there, lurking in my bookcase. I recently tracked down another old favourite from a second hand bookstore, The Wicked, Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House by Mary Chase was actually my twin sister’s book when we were children, but I loved the creepiness of sisters whose portraits came to life in their haunted home. I now have my own copy to hand down to future grandchildren. It has been a great sadness to me that my daughter is not a natural born reader (and quite incomprehensible to be honest) so my hopes lie with my reading genes being passed on to future generations.