I was 6 years old when I read my first novel. My mother was annoyed with me that fateful day, and she frustratedly pointed at the bookshelf and said “Find a book and read it – it will keep you occupied while I finish this job”. In those days, my mother worked from home and a fidgety 6 year old does not make a particularly productive day.

I remember walking up to the bookcase and skimming titles until I came to “Nancy Drew and The Quest of the Missing Map”. I don’t recall the story in it’s entirety – which has proven both a blessing and a curse for me – but I from what I do recall, there was a old man and a guest house with a map hidden in a wall…. I really don’t remember much else. The blessing here is that when I do find “The Quest of the Missing Map” again, I will be able to enjoy it with as much gusto as I did when I first read it. The curse is that I can’t tell you anything about it, write a review or even comment on the writing in general.

Genre choices

I suspect that it was that first book that set the stage for the kind of story I would continue to enjoy all my life – thriller, mystery, whodunit types. Even today, I am more likely to reach for a Crime Thriller or a Whodunit than any other kind of book. I have never liked Romance novels, though I read a great deal of Danielle Steele in my teen years – nor did I take too much to war stories or even espionage. And I certainly never cottoned on to the Drama genre.

Which is not to say that I won’t read any books that fall within those genres. I do. In fact, I only recently completed Jeannette Cooper‘s “Desperate Choices“. I would categorize it as a Romance/Drama, however it did have elements of a thriller in it. I quite enjoyed it and recommend it highly to all our readers. Outstanding story-telling.

What’s your story?

While I was trying to come up with a topic for this week’s post, I asked myself what it was that started me off as a reader and by extension, what you the FE community have to share with us.

Tell us about your first book ever – how you think it influenced your current reading habits – even how it may have affected your desire to write your own stories. Feel free to use the comment form below and share with us.