Top Ten "Gateway" Books/Authors In My Reading Journey (so your list could be a mix of a books that got you into reading, an author that got you into reading a genre you never thought you'd read, a book that brought you BACK into read)
I've always been a reader. As a kid, I used to walk out of the library with stack of books. Books allowed me to escape into places I never would get to explore.
Disney stories were part of my childhood. After all, I still owned a torn Disney Storybook Collection. And let's not forget about Goosebumps Books collection!
To my middle school ages, I was hooked to many Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul series along with Sweet Valley High.
And my emo-stages while attending high school. Seriously, my health teacher introduced me to Lurlene McDaniel, well known for writing about characters struggling with chronic and terminal illnesses. (Now you know why I love my sad stories!) She's the same person that had "A Child Called It" on her shelves.
Then, for some reason, I completely stop reading for fun.
Until I came across... Twilight. Stephenie Meyer changed my world. People may laughed, make fun of this series, but they have no idea what this book has done to the Young Adult community. Many of the known and well loved authors have been inspired by Twilight. This series has bonded many and taught many to do what they love. Seriously, I will forever be grateful to Stephenie Meyer - thank you for the amazing journey and the timeless memories.
And since I was never a fan of vampires and such sort of genre, I decided to give Harry Potter and other genre a try. Let's just say I read about anything and everything (well almost)... all because of one book.
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While personally I didn't like Twilight I have learned to appreciate it because, like you said, much like Harry Potter it has helped shape YA today. Great list! =)
ReplyDeleteNice list! You have all the 90s greats! The Sweet Valley girls were great - I really loved their Christmas books.
ReplyDeleteJessica@The Bathtub Reader
Thank you so much for your comments and love of Twilight. I feel like I owe the fact I read anything to that book! I would not be a blogger today or have some of the friendships I do because of it. I LOVE seeing everyone else's childhood picks as well. Great job!
ReplyDeleteKristalyn @ The Sarcastic Palmtree
My TTT
Goosebumps was one of my favorites! I forgot all about the Chicken Soup books I loved these as well!
ReplyDeleteI totally forgot about how much I loved the Chicken Soup books. Those were always so sad though!
ReplyDeleteOh, my gosh, you have no idea how happy it makes me to come across another Twilight fan! And you're right--like it or not, Twilight really did have an effect on YA. I don't think there'd be all the awesome paranormal YA books without it. And I loved Lurlene McDaniel in middle school! Her books broke my heart but they were still so good!
ReplyDeleteTwilight is one of those books that you either love or hate, but no one can deny the impact it's had on readers, which I love so much! :D
ReplyDeleteI loved SVH too!! And Yay for the Twilight love. I read them and loved them too. I might even get around to a reread one of these days!
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to stop reading for fun when you are a teen. I think we get too busy with other things. Glad Twilight pulled you back to the Light!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I enjoyed Twilight for what they were -- to me -- fun, easy reads. I didn't take them too seriously, so I had a blast talking about it with others who read them and seeing the movies with the really fan crowds. I wouldn't read them again, but it blew up YA books, so that's a plus.
ReplyDeleteYour list is such a trip down memory lane for me! I totally forgot how much I loved the Chicken Soup books and Lurlene McDaniels. Now I'm wishing I kept all of my Lurlene McDaniels books because it would have been fun to go back and re-read them as an adult. Actually, it would be fun to do that for a lot of the books I loved as a kid. Regardless of what people think of Twilight, it really has had a huge impact on YA, and there's no denying that! Thanks for stopping by my TTT earlier!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ WCW
I love how books like Twilight can do that, get so many people back into reading. It's amazing and I am happy you found a series that you loved so much that it got you back into reading. Great list, thanks for stopping by my TTT :)
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