I love a good reading questionnaire and am taking all these questions directly from this post written by Stephany (who got the idea from the hosts of Sarah’s Bookshelves).
1) Have you always been a reader? Do you have a distinct memory of when you truly fell in love with reading?
Yes! I honestly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a reader. Some of my earliest memories involve books—my parents reading picture books to me before bed, weekly library visits, and stretching out on the living room couch with a stack of new stories after supper.
I started reading on my own when I was fairly young, but there was one exception: The Bobbsey Twins. Each summer we spent almost a month at our rustic cottage—no electricity, no running water—and reading was one of the main forms of entertainment. My mom and I would sit on the beach while she read a few chapters aloud, always stopping at a cliffhanger. She’d “make me” go for a swim and then we’d come back and read more. A few times each summer we’d head to the tiny local library. I’d come back with an overstuffed bag of books (nothing has changed!), and spend hours reading in the hammock. I’m convinced this is why I have such affection for the sound of cicadas—they remind me of summer afternoons spent with my head buried in a book.
I think I truly fell in love with reading once I started choosing books for myself. I read through the entire Nancy Drew series at least three times. Our neighbour had the full set in her basement office, and I would call to ask if I could come over, grab the next five or six books, and return the previous batch. I’ll always have a soft spot for Nancy, Bess, and George.
I also devoured Sweet Valley High, and went through a phase of reading anything by Clive Cussler, Janet Evanovich, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, and Robin Cook. For many years, adventure and thrillers were my go-to genre. I also read plenty of Christian fiction, including a lot of Janette Oke.
2) Was there any time in your life when you were not reading as much?
During university and in the years following. I was reading constantly for my degree, and in the few English classes I managed to fit into my schedule, the assigned reading wasn’t my cup of tea (to this day, As I Lay Dying remains one of my most loathed books). By the time I graduated, I was burned out.
Then came babies and toddlers, and spare reading time was not exactly abundant.
3) What parts of your reading taste have changed dramatically over your reading life, and what has stayed consistent?
I still love adventure and thriller books—that part hasn’t changed. The biggest shift has been reading non-fiction.
I didn’t read any non-fiction as a kid or teen. But it’s actually what rejuvenated my reading life in my early 20s. And I can point to the exact book that did it: The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen. It was the first biography/memoir I’d picked up for fun, and I was instantly hooked by the genre.
4) How often do you talk about books in your day-to-day life?
A lot! No one in my immediate household is particularly interested in books, but many of my online friends are, and I love seeing what everyone is reading.
I also have several in-person friends who enjoy reading, and one particular librarian I adore chatting with because we overlap so much in our taste.
5) What is the primary reason you read?
At this point, I don’t feel like myself if I’m not reading regularly.
When I was younger, reading was purely for entertainment. When I was a bit older, reading was mostly to learn. I used to assume fiction = entertainment, non-fiction = learning, but that division doesn’t hold anymore. Fiction teaches me just as much—sometimes more. And non-fiction can be deeply entertaining. Both genres help me see the world through fresh eyes.
Now it’s your turn.
- Have you always been a reader?
- Have there been periods of your life where you didn’t read much?
- How have your reading preferences changed over the years?
- How often do you talk about books?
- What is the primary reason you read?
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Always a reader! I remember going to the library , 3 and 4 yrs old, and picking out Richard Scarry books. I even read during graduate school ( a lot of Regencies and Harlequins, but also mysteries and random stuff).
The past two years have been a reading slump. I check out a lot of books but v wind up rereading favorites if any.
I always loved mysteries – mom brought me up on Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh- but I used to read romances and popular fiction. Now I’m not so much into modern general fiction, but I’ll try more sci fi and fantasy. Also more non-fiction.
I rarely talk about books IRL. Only with my sister and a friend from work.
I love reading to enter a different world, to distract myself, to have a challenge to solve, to learn something new. It’s just what I do.
I feel like certain seasons of life call for re-reading. There is something extra comforting about a re-read.
I loved reading about your reading background! That cottage scene with your mum, the cliff-hangers, swims in between, cicadas… it sounds idyllic.
I also really liked how you describe the shift from reading purely for entertainment, to learning, to that richer mix where fiction and non-fiction both do both.
For me:
I’ve always been a reader too, my parents read to us and I devoured my school library.
I read far less between about 30 – 50, when work was most intense.
These days, I lean more toward non-fiction, though I’m currently reading fiction in French and loving it. I feel that I’m learning even more than during my grammar lessons.
Unfortunately, there’s no one that I know of in my immediate circle who loves books, but I do enjoy reading bookish blogs!
I read mostly in bed, before I go to sleep. It’s so relaxing!
Those summer afternoons spent reading were blissful.
What a great way to hone your French skills! I know they often say to watch soap operas to learn a language (as you’ll learn the most important words quickly); reading a novel seems like an equally great way.
This is so interesting to read. I used to love nonfiction but more recently I enjoy a good fiction too because I’ve shifted the mindset of learning to enjoying. 🙂 I love good memoirs!
A good memoir is my absolute favourite type of book.
I love this post, Elisabeth, especially the part about your mother reading to you on the beach. I have such lovely memories of our mother reading to us, cold winter evenings bundled under blankets. Anne of Green Gables. Charlotte’s Web. She would read until her throat hurt and we’d beg for just one more chapter. I fell in love with John Steinbeck in Jr. High when we read Of Mice and Men and went on to read everything he wrote. The first nonfiction book I read for pleasure was his Travels With Charlie. Reading has always been a huge part of my life 🙂
Awww. Love the mental picture of your mom reading to you for hours. I miss that stage of parenting; Indy still likes to be read to, but I fall out of the habit easily. Demerit to me!
What a fun questionnaire! You have been such a catalyst for more reading in my life, both by example and through recommendations. The fact that we have similar taste means that your 5-star reads are likely to be enjoyable for me as well!
Memoirs got me back into reading in adulthood after having 3 children. I’m still not as voracious as you but I go through stages. All my best reads this summer were recommended by you!
This is high praise, indeed. I’m so glad my recommendations have landed well and I’m so very glad our interests seem to overlap. It makes for great discussions and sharing of ideas <3
Same!!! I always loved reading. Going to the library was a part of my life as far back as I can remember. I LOVED Nancy Drew (and the Bobbsey Twins before that). Then I graduated to Agatha Christie, and I still love mysteries to this day. i had a lull in my reading life when my kids were little, and I also just don’t feel like myself if I’m not reading. I would say the biggest shift I’ve had is that I now enjoy sci fi and fantasy- two genres I never used to read.
I barely read anything when my kids were little (except picture books). My reading life has slowly been picking up, but this year has definitely been the biggest reading year for me since being a teen, thanks to all the great reader suggestions I’ve been getting!
I’ve also always been a reader AND I loved Bobbsey Twins and Sweet Valley High. I still have some of those books, I should read them again!
I’m trying to think if I talk about books. I don’t know if I do, actually. It’s such a big part of my life, so that seems weird, but I guess I just talk about books to certain people.
I don’t think things have shifted much for me, I have always preferred books about girls and women.
Bobbsey Twins and The Boxcar Children = childhood summers to me in all the best possible ways.
I am here for this post! Bonus points for people who have been to the Wolfville library!
– I’ve always been a reader, and I treasure the memories of walking to the library with my parents as a little ‘un.
– I went through a reading dry spell from my mid 20s to early 30s because that’s when I was busiest and I was traveling in the pre-Kindle, pre-Libby era.
– I’ve always been a sucker for a great story, so that hasn’t changed. When I was younger I trended more toward mysteries and was less likely to DNF.
– I talk about books 0% when I’m with civilians, and all of the time when I’m hanging with Cool Bloggers. It’s a stunning difference.
– I read to give my brain a rest and to dream. It’s magic.
Yes! Bonus points to you, Kae, SHU, and Kyria!!!
I am much more willing to DNF now; there are so many good books, so little time.
Civilians…hahahaha.
Interesting question – why do I read? I think it’s because I want to meet new people, become involved in their lives, spend time in their environments (physical, social, geographic, emotional), and of course, admire the way authors write/tell stories. And I worked to learn to print my name at age 5 in order to get my first library card. Libraries are the best – and I always seek them out when I’m travelling, sometimes for their public washrooms:)
Libraries ARE the best!
One of my favourite things about our local library is that everyone knows who I am (mostly) and when they see me walk through the door they immediately go to the holds shelf to get my current stack of books. It makes me happy every single time.
You and baby Belle! ❤️ I’ve always been a reader too. My mom read to me a lot and made sure I had lots of library time. I guess university was a time when I didn’t read much for pleasure – it was all about schoolwork. My reading preferences have definitely changed over the years. I used to love romances, and now I can barely tolerate them! I used to have no interest in mysteries, and now I love them. I read/listen to books for entertainment and enjoyment, and I try to avoid anything violent or sad. No wars or diseases please.
I have next to zero interest in romance, either.
Memoirs are my absolute favourite because you can get a mix of just about anything!!
I’ve always been a reader and would win the ‘how many books can you read’ contests at school every year. Back then, I loved things like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and then Agatha Christie books. Now, I have zero interest in mysteries. I didn’t read for pleasure during college, my working years, or when my kids were young, just because I didn’t have time. I was in a book club from 2000-2010, but it disbanded and though I tried two others, I just decided I wanted to read what I wanted and didn’t feel like it was worth my time to be in a book club, where people often got off topic. I strictly read for pleasure and relaxation now.
I have to admit I have little to no interest in being in a formal book club. I like to just…read and not think too hard about it 🙂
Well you know I love this kind of post since I’m a passionate reader! I have always been a reader. My love of reading was fostered by my parents and grandparents. They would buy me books and read books to me. Sadly, I did not have access to a public library when I was growing up because my town was too tiny to have a library. We would have had to drive 30 minutes to get a public library and that was just not happening. I would have read even more as a child had I had access to free books!
What’s changed the most about my reading is that I’m typically a hard pass on thrillers these days. I used to love a page turny thriller and now it just doesn’t work for me anymore. If there is something special about the thriller, I will read it – like “Wrong Place, Wrong Time.” But otherwise, I’m out on that genre. My tastes have also definitely shifted away from “fluffier” books to literary fiction as I’ve gotten older. That is why it was so easy for me to get rid of hundreds (!!!) of books before I moved in with Phil. Another change is that I used to buy so many books! But I think since my parents didn’t buy a ton of books for me as a child, the pendulum swung in the other direction when I had the funds to buy books. Then I really because a super library user and realized it was not a good way to spend money (for me) – especially since I very rarely reread books.
That is so sad about your distance from a library. I am trying hard to imagine Lisa without easy library access!!!
We very much see eye-to-eye on libraries and not buying a ton of books. At this stage, I mostly only buy books I have already read (and want to be able to re-read whenever the desire strikes), or books by people I know!
Always a reader, with many overlapping reasons with yours (of course. . . here we go again, twin daughters from separate parents and eras)
Stopped reading for fun in college and was overwhelmed by relief and gratitude when I rediscovered reading for pleasure.
Fiction only until as an adult, I acknowledged that I was allowing my brain to shrink and dissolve with all that escapist fiction. I even did a year-long fiction fast, after which I couldn’t stand fluffy formulaic fiction. During that year I learned something that should have been obvious: there is good non-fiction and boring or poorly written non-fiction, just like with novels. Well duh, why did I think all non-fiction was boring and never bother with it? So much is said in the first couple of chapters, and the rest seems like sawdust to fulfill a page count requirement from a publisher. So what? It isn’t required to read ever word or to finish every book! I am appalled that it took me so long to figure this out.
There are very few friends who read as much as I do, so I just squelch my book talk unless something fabulous brings to mind a reading friend who might enjoy a particular book.
I just reserved The Fish That Ate a Whale—thank you! Never heard of it before.
I’m chuckling at us being twins 🙂
“there is good non-fiction and boring or poorly written non-fiction” – yes, this realization is life-changing as a reader!
I DNF so many more books now. I sometimes feel a pang of guilt, but I put it down and eagerly pick up the next book in queue!
It has been YEARS (12+) since I read that book so it may not be anything special…but it was the first book I read in that genre and it really did open up this whole new world for me. Don’t feel bad if it’s not very good; I’m sure I would have very different thoughts after many years of reading non-fiction behind me now.
I’ve been reading as long as I can remember. The only time I wasn’t into reading was after my father died. In my grief, I could not pick up a book. After my mom died, I read a ton, so who knows, grief is different for all of us and not always the same from one loss to the next.
My husband was never much of a reader until he was in high school. I think he started reading music magazines, and went from there. He doesn’t read as much as I do, but he reads a LOT and loves going to bookstores. So your kids may (or may not) become readers some day.
I think I would really struggle to read in the wake of grief because I need to be able to pay attention; how interesting that you had different responses via reading. Grief really is a kaleidoscope of emotions and reactions.
I hope my kids LOVE reading some day. I wonder what the next generation will be like in terms of attention span, etc? It’s a whole generation that has never lived without the world at their fingertips, short news articles, endless scrolling.
This was a fun post!
I read a lot less when I was immersed in language and culture learning. But now that my brain isn’t so tired by the end of the day, I’ve been reading more.
I mostly read nonfiction, and love a good biography or memoir!
A good memoir is my absolute favourite!
I became a big reader once I started working as a teenager in the library. Coworkers would hand me books by authors like Sidney Sheldon, Danielle Steele and say, “you gotta read this!” I continued to work in libraries until I retired, and because of this I came across so many authors and topics I probably would not have known about. I read both fiction and nonfiction. I like some mysteries, Sue Grafton’s alphabet series was a favourite, but for fiction I mostly read literary fiction. I do not like romance or science fiction, although have read both on occasion.
One thing I do like to do is switch up the style of the book I am reading. If it’s set in China about a young girl, the next book needs to be a completely different setting – 2 brothers in rural Ontario for example. I can’t read the same story over and over again, as it just gets boring.
I am in a book club that meets monthly, but apart from that, I have one friend who I see once or twice a year and we share our favourite reads. One of the reasons I started reading several blogs was for the book recommendations.
Why do I read? For several reasons – to learn about a topic I am interested in, to relate to the situations and human emotions that characters in a book are experiencing, and to fill up time at airports, appointments etc.
I am not a writer and I love when an author can convey an emotion with few words. It’s so satisfying to feel seen. I wish I had that skill!
It is incredible with an author puts into words something I’ve thought many times in the past but been unable to articulate. It is a form of magic <3
I can not love that photo of you and baby Belle enough. IT IS PERFECTION!!
My reading habits have fluctuated over the years. I read a bit in elementary school (I loved the Book Fair!), then didn’t read much until I was in my early 20s, when I found Stephen King and Danielle Steele books. OMG, just typing that brings back memories; I was working as a hair stylist and would grab a book out of my bag in between clients!
Maybe you mentioned this before, but the cabin of your childhood, without electricity or running water? Wow—that is pretty incredible! And from the way you write about it, it wasn’t a big deal. You still had a great time. Can you write more about that in the future? Do your parents still have the same cabin now? I have questions!!
It was all we knew. It definitely deserves its own post…which will have to wait until the summer because it also deserves lots of pictures which are AT the cabin (now my parents most-of-the-year residence…but they’re in Nova Scotia close to me for the winter). Hold that thought and I will answer all those questions in due time. This will be a fun post to write!
Just read (and loved) Memorial Days, too!
It was a great memoir.
Seeing the world through fresh eyes — YES! This is a huge part of what I love about reading. I have always been a reader, too — my mom loves to tell the story about my Sunday school class when we were supposed to memorize Bible verses and the teacher would have the book open to the verse, not thinking that any of the kids could read, but sneaky me would just read off the verse and get 100% every week 😉 I used to keep a book or two stashed in our bathroom drawer and hide out there for HOURS, avoiding chores.
These days I get sucked into scrolling on my phone more than I like to admit, but I still read probably 5 books a month (mostly fiction) and usually have one audiobook on rotation. I really appreciate your book recaps and I think we have similar taste in books, although most of the trigger warnings don’t bother me in book form. Most recent good reads: God of the Woods (the hype is warranted!), Horse (I have Memorial Days on hold — loved her previous book), and What Kind of Paradise.
That Sunday School story is HILARIOUS (and so sweetly devious).
The phone scroll is so hard to resist and avoid. There is a lot that has to happen on our phones, it seems.
All three of those books were solid reads for me in 2025. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
I’ve always grown up reading – my earliest memories are of the university library where my mom was getting her M.Ed, lol
But a lot of the assigned reading for my English degree was … unfortunate. As I Lay Dying was truly miserable, and the only thing good that came out of that entire class (it was a short mini semester over summer at least!) was meeting Mr! 😀
Reading is one of the few things that will settle my mind and make things quieter in there, and I can tell when I haven’t been able to read – as can Mr, who will tell me to go read something, LOL! There’s just something about a story …
That’s so cool that you met your husband in an English class!!! And I am glad to know I am not the only one who hated As I Lay Dying.
Reading definitely helps calm my nervous system. Ironically, when I’m really anxious non-fiction works MUCH better for me than fiction. I just can’t concentrate enough to immerse in fiction if I’m upset for some reason.
Yay, I’m glad you answered these questions! They were fun for me to reflect on when I wrote my own post, and fun to read your answers. The nostalgic memory of reading during the summers – yessss. I have those same fond memories, too!
Summer reading as a kid was the BEST reading for me.
As an adult, I read a lot less in the summer…because my kids are off school. Oh the irony 😉
I loved the answer to the last question. I feel the same. I was an avid reader as a kid/teen (wouldn’t go anywhere without a book), then came college and I read mostly to learn… but now I LOVE fiction and non-fiction for different reasons. I go through phases with my reading and wish I would make more time for it sometimes. This year was particularly tough but I’ve been slowly getting back to reading these last few weeks.