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The Cat In The Hat was the first book I can remember reading or trying to read alone. I remember pressing my head so close to the pages that my nose touched them. It was at this moment that I knew something was wrong. I knew what the words were supposed to say, but I would have difficulty expressing them. The letters would be turned upside down and sideways. This book and my frustration started my journey of getting tested for dyslexia.

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Junie B. Jones #1: Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park 

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Junie B. Jones #1: Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park 

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Junie B. Jones #1: Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus was a present my grandfather was an early Christmas present he gave me when I was in 2nd grade. I remember he would sit with me when my other family members were busy and read the story.

My grandfather was patient with my reading and helped me sound out the words I had difficulty pronouncing. Then, when I would get upset with myself, he was able to calm me down, and together, we would re-read the sentence. His book helped me slowly overcome my fear of reading books out loud.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was the first big chapter book I ever read on my own. I wanted to connect with my sister (a big bookworm) and my family with Harry Potter because it was in November when the films were released. And it was a tradition that my family and I would watch the movie Black Friday. Once the film was over, my family would go into deep conversations about it and compare it to the book.

As I said before, I wanted to better connect with my family and sister and be a part of their conversations. So I read the Harry Potter book, and even to this day, when my family and I get together, we STILL have discussions about the movies and the books. So Harry Potter helped me be close to my family.

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Carrie by Stephen King was the first Stephen King book I ever read. Stephen King is my mom's and sister's favorite author, and I wanted to read his books to have something in common with them. I've tried to read other books before reading Carrie, but his books are long and very descriptive. So, it was hard to get through the books. So, Carrie was the first book by him I could read. This book made me a fan of Stephen King.

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The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty I read during a time in my life when I had questions about my parent's divorce. Even though they separated when I was very young, I still never had a good relationship with my dad, and my mom never had a good relationship with him. So as I was reading the book, I felt a connection with the little girl Regain from the story. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she did not have a good relationship with her dad. This was the first time I read a story about someone who had not grown up with a father figure like me.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky was a book I wanted to read for a long time, but my sister always advised me to wait, that this book was something I should read when I am older. Finally, when my sister went to college, she gave me her copy, mainly saying I was ready. So, I read this book within a few days, and I could feel my heart sinking with every word as I thought I knew the characters. When I was done reading the book, I cried not only because of the ending but also because I connected with Charlie, the main character.

After all, I felt isolated from everyone because I am dyslexic. And Charlie was left isolated from everyone because he felt things he could not express. Yes, both of us have amazing friends, but they would not know the daily struggle we deal with.

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The Shining by Stephen King was a book I read while homebound for six months after a horrible car accident I was in. I was driving to my boyfriend's house (husband now), and as I was going around a sharp corner, another car was going in the other direction, and I lost control of his vehicle. He hit my driver's side, and I broke my hip and dislocated my pelvic in the process. When I was released from the hospital and rehab, I could not leave the house for six months unless it was for a doctor's appointment.

During that time, I spent days reading books. And one of the books I read was The Shining by Stephen King. I loved the movie, directed by Stanley Kubrick, and I thought that cabin fever was something made up for the book and movie. Boy, was I wrong. Being stuck at home, with nothing to do and unable to leave the house, I started feeling cabin fever. And with the pain medications, I was on did not help at all.

The Shining was the first time I ever felt terror in my life while reading a book. I have high respect for this book, and still to this day when I re-read the book, I have to put it down and go outside the house to remind myself that I am not stuck like the Torrance family.

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The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

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The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

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I read the Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien when I was attending Rowan University college. This was the first time I would be away from home and be on my own. This is also my Uncle Bill's favorite book, and whenever a cousin (his niece or nephew) would go to college, he would give them this book saying, "its time to start your own journey."

So when I moved to Rowan and couldn't sleep, I decided to read the book and felt a connection with Bilbo Baggins. He left his home for a great adventure, learned some lessons, and met new people. After reading the book, I knew that going to college would be my grand adventure.

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43822015-joy-of-cookin2019 Edition Fully Revised and Updated Published November 12th 2019 by Scribner (first published 1931)

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The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer was an engagement gift my mother-in-law gave me when my husband and I had our engagement party. I'd been dating my husband for nine years before we got engaged, and my mother-in-law has always been a second mother to me.

We've been close since the first day I met her. During one of the times I was over at her house, she showed me her copy of this book, and she told me that. "When she was engaged to Will's father, this was something her mother-in-law gave her, and when her son get engaged, she will give a copy of the book to her soon to be daughter- in-law."

when I received this gift and used this cookbook for recipes, I felt closer to my mother-in-law and more accepted into the family. I would have to say that this book is personally my favorite book I will ever own.

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Pet Sematary by Stephen King was a book I read about a month after my cat King passed away. His death was traumatic for both my husband and me. One day, King was okay but didn't want to walk. My husband thought he sprained his leg from jumping, and I agreed. It was not until the following morning that King was lying on the floor and did not look good.

When I tried to pick him up, he would meow in pain and go limp in my arms. We rushed him to the vet only to find out that he had internal bleeding, and there was a 40% chance he would survive the surgery to find out what was wrong with him. However, even before the surgery, my husband and I would have to force-feed him steroids to stay alive, which would not guarantee he would survive. So, we decided to put him down. We could not make him suffer than he already was.

Reading this book made me think about King and realize I was not entirely over his death. I cried while reading the book, thinking about King and if my husband and I did the right thing. I know that bringing anything back from the dead goes against any moral thinking anyone has, but I think I would do it selfishly. This book helped me continue the grief I still hold in my heart over this loss. Even though know, it has been about three months since King passed away, I still miss him.