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J.R.R. Tolkien
My first memory of reading is elementary school. I have no recollection of specific school books. I was heavily influenced by my older brother who loved to read. He introduced me to "The Hobbit" and I tried very hard to keep up. We did not make it to "The Lord of the Rings" until I was out of college! -
Judy Blume
As I grew older and interested in books my brother was not, I began reading independently. I loved Judy Blume books. My friends and I read them over and over and discussed our favorite lines and characters. I remember enjoying "Are you their god? It's me Margaret", "Superfudge" and "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing". -
Marvel
In high school, most of my reading was required for school. The only leisurely reading I can recall was again influenced by my brother. He shared his Marvel comic collection with me. I particularly remember reading and enjoying the X-Men series. -
Harper Lee
Although some classics were required reading in high school, I did not began acquiring an appreciation for classics until college. The book "To Kill A Mockingbird " was not required reading but discussion was centered around the book. When I finally read it, I loved it and it inspired me to read more classics. -
David Sedaris
David Sedaris and summer vacations as a first year teacher officially reignited my interest in reading. The book "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris was left in the pocket in front of my seat on an airplane. It was so good I finished it before I landed flying from JFK to McCarran. -
Khaled Hosseini, Dave Eggers, Jeffrey Eugenides, Stieg Larsson, etc.
Today, thanks to my brother and David Sedaris, I read regularly. I always read several books over the summer as well as at least one novel over winter break. Some of my favorite novels over the last decade are: "The Kite Runner", "Zeitoun", "Middlesex", "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Series", "Gone Girl" and yes I read the Twilight books.