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Macedonian was my first language. This was partially due to my parents having a packet of old Macedonian children's books that they would read to me before I went to bed. Although I don't know their exact names, they were all renditions of old fairytales, such as Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, etc, but in the Macedonian language.

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One of my earliest reading memories was the book Green Eggs and Ham. I had originally liked it being of the bright orange packaging as orange was one of my favorite colors as a kid. I remember I chose this one out of a stack of books in the library solely for this reason, and my parents would be forced to read it to me every single night until I eventually got tired of it. It began my love for rhymes from a young age.

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I remember I liked this page just because of the way my mom would read these lines: with a deep voice.

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The Elephant and Piggy books were some of my favorites to read alone just because of how simple the dialogue and words were. The plot was very simple for me to follow, even if I still didn't understand it fully. I still required some help from my mom but I mostly started to read by myself after the age of 6 or 7. I also remember that at such a young age, I was obsessed with my reading level being above the grade that I was in, so I took great pride in reading books that were above my reading level in hopes that I would progress more, which I eventually did

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Second Shift - Reading books that I could relate to

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Second Shift - Reading books that I could relate to

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The Junie B. Jones series was one of my favorite first novels. It was relatable in the sense that I was also an 8 year old girl going through elementary school, same as her. I always loved her bright and wacky outfits, which only prompted me to read the books even more. Everything about her demeanor I wanted to be more like, outspoken and spontaneous, to the point where I would start acting like that in class and at home so that I could relate to her more. I genuinely enjoyed these books so much, especially as a first "novel".

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This book started my love for genuine novels. Although it was the abridged versions that I would read, it tested how engaged I would stay throughout the plot and prepared me for reading longer novels. If someone asked me which book was your favorite as a child, it would be this one due to how many times I had read it and tried to milk it out of every word written. The main character being a young girl really made it relatable to me, but also the idea that she had a secret garden somewhere where she could be alone, made me envious. For the longest time, I would spend my days reading out in the grass behind our house, trying to create my own secret garden, even if it was in the open field.

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I really liked this quote due to how hopeful and spring-y it felt. I finished the book while reading in the grass during spring, so this quote stuck out to me.

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These abridged novels of classic stories had me on a CHOKEHOLD. I still have the collection sitting in the office of my house, at least 15 of them, 14 of which I have read thoroughly. I loved these novels for the fact that I felt as though I was reading the original novels, but less advanced, so I was able to understand the general story and plot line of the actual book. I also loved the illustrations in these books because it helped me visual what the setting looked like if I could not do so myself. These novels genuinely brought me joy to read everyday, to the point where I would take 2 or 3 to school and read them in sporadic times.

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Some more examples of these books: My personal favorite was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

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As I was transitioning into that awkward teen phase, books like this that I was able to empathize and relate to were very important. This book was in the format of a comic, so while it's not necessarily a novel, it helped me get through a lot of the awkward transition between life stages that I really appreciated. I also loved this book because of its simple graphics because of the cartoon phase that I had during this age.

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The first book I ever cried to. It was my favorite book for the longest of time. I was going through a rough friendship stage and the main character was battling with the loss of her best friend. Although it wasn't the same situation, it genuinely comforted me that I wasn't the only one whose life would dramatically change. After I read this book, I also experienced the loss of a friend that impacted me and how I lived my life, even as a middle schooler transitioning into their high school life. I want to reread this book because of how important it was to me.

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This quote resonated with me because of the friendship drama and sorrow I was going through during that time. I hated change, but as I grew older, I began to embrace it and say goodbye to more things that didn't bring me complete joy and happiness in life. I'm glad I was able to realize that sooner rather than later.

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My reading mentor growing up, was the local librarian that worked in the library near our house. Now shut down, the woman who used to work there would constantly give my mom suggestions on what I should be reading. This series was the first series she recommended and I fell in love. It started my love for greek mythology and anything fiction in general. She herself loved to read nonfiction as "an escape from our world", and that is exactly how I feel every time I read fantasy, even to those day.

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My biggest challenge when reading is reading series. An example of this challenge is the Harry Potter Series. I did not find them challenging because of the plot or words (because they were fairly simple), but being able to stay engaged for 7 books is very difficult for me. To this day, I struggle with reading long series because hearing about the same characters for multiple books in a row is hard for me to not only keep track, but to stay entertained. However, I pushed myself to eventually finish all 7, which prompted me into break from reading any fantasy for a while.

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My favorite thing about reading - the escape

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My favorite thing about reading - the escape

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As a child and even today, I am still riding on the fantasy and fiction train. Fiction books give me the ability to escape into a completely different world without having to worry about the one that we are living in. The idea that there is a whole other story, another plot, another set of characters in our hands, is very bizarre and crazy to me, but that's what I love about fiction. I wish these books are more incorporated into college reading than nonfiction, but I will likely try to read as much as I can when I am in college, just to try and find an escape from the current life that I have.

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Poem Titled: The Stars

The poem, made mostly from books that I read when I was younger, is for my younger self. That despite being described as voids of nothingness, they still have room for curiosity and wonder. As a child, I did not understand the importance of constantly asking, whether it was about a book, or a place that I had visited with my parents. Curiosity is one of the most important qualities a child can have, so one should never apologize if they find themselves being curious and spontaneous.

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Article on How to Fall Back in Love with Reading

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Article on How to Fall Back in Love with Reading

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This article highlights many different ways for readers to fall back in love with reading, a topic reflected in my reading autobiography. My experience with falling out of love with reading is one shared with many high schoolers and people my age. The education system has put a lot of pressure on students to read on a deadline, which has caused many of us to not enjoy reading, even outside of school. One of the useful tips is to lean into your smaller interests and read more about them. Another one is to reread the books that made you fall in love with reading before. Overall this article helped me recognize some ways for me to get back into the love that I used to have for reading.

https://www.vox.com/even-better/23269893/start-reading-ritual-books

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My reading goal is to read more often. A simple one, yet one that I haven't begun to follow yet. I used to be so obsessed with reading when I was younger, but the required reading in grade school took that love of reading away. Reading became a chore to me, and slowly I began to shy away from reading them and would feel as though a burden was placed on me every time I was told to read one. As I grew older, I realize the importance of reading and how significant it is to me specifically. I miss the feeling of curiousness when I would learn about character in the beginning of the book, and I miss the complete bliss or sadness of completing one. As I transition into my life from high school to college, I hope I will be able to implement this reading goal with more consistency and dedication.

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Comments appreciated!