I'm an avid reader. I've read thousands of books. I've mentioned I struggle with dyslexia. I miss entire lines, switch letters around. Short paragraphs are easier to read than long paragraphs. Reading is a battle worth fighting.
As a child, my favorite books were every horse story I could find. It was my love for horse stories that helped me learn to read. I was usually in the top or second to the top reading group, though I slid as the years past and the reading grew more difficult, i.e., more words on the page.
Unfortunately, I had a teacher who forbid me to read any more horse stories. My parents supported her decision. She demanded I read something else. I obeyed, at first. It wasn't long before I stopped reading altogether. It was too painful... embarrassingly slow.
Throughout the rest of elementary school, middle school, and high school, I only read what was required, except one book, which I'll mention in an upcoming post. I did take a science fiction reading class for one of my English requirements. I wasn't able to complete all the reading, though I finished enough to be able to take the tests. I discovered skimming, but there wasn't much joy in reading. It was a necessary but unpleasant chore.
I was in college when I started reading again. I chose science fiction/fantasy. A story for another day.
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