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Midnight Writer

(23,204 posts)

55. Reading. I was a total bookworm.

Sat Dec 14, 2024, 09:20 AM

Dec 14

I could read before I started school (thanks, older siblings who were patient enough to sit with me, read aloud, and show me the words so I could follow along) and I would read anything.

I read the classics, the Bible, the complete plays of Shakespeare, loads of science fiction and fantasy, comic books, magazines, newspapers, manuals, catalogs. I would go to the public library and spend the whole day there, often picking books at random and reading them. I would read through a set of encyclopedias from A to Z.

Now I am an old codger, retired and single, with plenty of time, and I still can't read enough. I spend probably 66% of my waking hours reading. I think of it as "input" and it is pretty much a compulsive behavior. I can't get enough, and there is so much more out there.

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debm55 yellowdogintexas

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What was something you were really , really into as a kid. Anything-toy, book. song, TV show,, pet.games [View all] debm55 Dec 13 OP

Dogs (still are)... My parents wouldn't get us a "non-working" doggy so my youngest memories were outside hlthe2b Dec 13 #1

Thank you hlthe2b. debm55 Dec 13 #2

Parlor tricks and novelties... anciano Dec 13 #3

That's neat. Thank you anciano. Do you still do any? debm55 Dec 13 #5

Not anymore, but it was a fun hobby! anciano Dec 13 #7

Thank you anciano, debm55 Dec 13 #10

For me, it was my bicycle. Mr.Bill Dec 13 #4

Thank you Mr. Bill. I loved riding all over on my bike. It got me out of the house. Racing, doing tricks. , just riding debm55 Dec 13 #11

And let's face it. Mr.Bill Dec 13 #12

I agree with you, Mr. Bill. Looking back we did some wild things on our bikes. debm55 Dec 13 #17

science fiction of all kinds Eugene Dec 13 #6

Thank you very much Eugene, Are you still into Science Fiction? debm55 Dec 13 #30

My cats -- still am ailsagirl Dec 13 #8

Thank you ailsagirl. They are a passion that we just cut ourselves from debm55 Dec 13 #31

Baseball Tarzanrock Dec 13 #9

Me, too. rsdsharp Dec 13 #13

Good One ProfessorGAC Dec 13 #20

Thank you Tarzanrock, Same here. debm55 Dec 13 #32

Drawing. Diamond_Dog Dec 13 #14

thank you Diamond _Dog, I loved all kinds of arts and Crafts. My first degree was a Teaching degree in Art Ed, debm55 Dec 13 #34

Do you ever post pictures of things you've created, Deb? Diamond_Dog Dec 13 #38

We tried but my old computer couldn.t do it. I got a new computer the other day, The other was very slow and old. I 'll debm55 Dec 14 #56

Music oberle Dec 13 #15

Thank you very much, oberle. I love organ music at Christmas and at Church. Do you play at Sunday services? debm55 Dec 13 #35

School not included! CozyMystery Dec 13 #16

Wow, CozyMystery, you had a lot you were interested in. You had a great time growing up, debm55 Dec 13 #36

Reading and playing/watching football. LoisB Dec 13 #18

Thank you LoisB, loved reading books and living in Pittsburgh you couldn,t avoid watching the Steelers. debm55 Dec 13 #37

Barbies! Mad_Dem_X Dec 13 #19

Mad_Dem _X, you deboxed your's. I had tons of Barbies and clothing I would ask for from Santa and my Birthday. I also debm55 Dec 13 #39

I have three full bags of Barbies I'm going to give away Mad_Dem_X Dec 14 #65

I probably shouldn't be enabling my Barbie addiction Niagara Dec 14 #71

My bike. Basso8vb Dec 13 #21

Thank you very much, Basso8vb, Excellent collection, debm55 Dec 14 #73

Avalon Hill Bookcase Games JoseBalow Dec 13 #22

I like the game Acquire Cartoonist Dec 13 #42

I'm not familiar with either of those games JoseBalow Dec 13 #45

Acquire and Feudal Cartoonist Dec 14 #47

Not a fan of Monopoly, but I'm an avid chess player JoseBalow Dec 14 #49

Wow, Thank you very much , JoseBalow. Looks very interesting. debm55 Dec 14 #74

Reading Encyclopedias and phone books. At home, at various libraries, the homes of friends and relatives. Solly Mack Dec 13 #23

Wow, Solly Mack. You loved to read. Thank you very much. debm55 Dec 14 #75

Summer, 1977. I became a lifelong Star Wars fan. Aristus Dec 13 #24

Thank you very much Aristus. Enjoy. debm55 Dec 14 #76

Space. Archae Dec 13 #25

Have you ever been to a NASA Center? BOSSHOG Dec 13 #27

Afraid not, but I have been to the Smithsonian Air And Space museum. Archae Dec 13 #33

Thank you Archae. At one time I wanted to be an astronaut. But they didn't take girls. Did you ever want to be an debm55 Dec 14 #77

Yeah, but then I developed a fear of heights. Archae Dec 14 #78

Same here. Took me until I was 50 to get on a plane. They gave me kid wings pin. HAHAHAHAHHHA debm55 Dec 14 #84

Dancing to Motown Music in the 60s in the basement BOSSHOG Dec 13 #26

Thank you very much BOSSHOG, I had two cousins and the three of us would sing and dance to the Motown girl groups. debm55 Dec 14 #80

Pop beads deRien Dec 13 #28

Thank you deRien. Great debm55 Dec 14 #87

I loved Barbies too. Dulcinea Dec 13 #29

Thank you Dulcinea. I read those also, They are different then the series. debm55 Dec 14 #89

horses Kali Dec 13 #40

Thank you Kali. I was interested in horses too. Collected horse figures and read books on horses. Never had one or rode debm55 Dec 14 #91

Given a chance I would draw a princess or at least applegrove Dec 13 #41

So very sorry applegrove. Every child's art is a piece of art, PS your hair soulds like it was Beautiful. debm55 Dec 14 #92

Cartoons Cartoonist Dec 13 #43

Thank you very much Cartoonist. Do you draw cartoons? debm55 Dec 14 #93

Fire and rockets. hunter Dec 13 #44

Yes, it could have. Glad you made it.We would miss you. debm55 Dec 14 #88

Fast Pitch Softball. I pitched till I blew a disc in my back at age 36. Ziggysmom Dec 13 #46

Thank you Ziggysmom. What team to you folks cheer for? debm55 Dec 14 #85

Playing the piano KitFox Dec 14 #48

thank you very much, KitFox, You do play a variety of instruments. That is wonderful and thank you for your kind words. debm55 Dec 14 #70

Bicycle, cats, languages, rocks and shells, and reading wnylib Dec 14 #50

Wow, wnylib, What a wonder and varied childhood you had. I two learned some words in Italian and Slovak, from friends. debm55 Dec 14 #69

Nancy Drew was too tame for me. I got a Trixie Belden wnylib Dec 14 #82

That's neat about your family history. I don't recall the Belden series, if I did I would have liked it like you. debm55 Dec 14 #86

Here's a description of the series and characters. wnylib Dec 14 #99

Thank you whylib debm55 Dec 14 #100

Dinosaurs! I had a collection of little plastic ones. Ocelot II Dec 14 #51

Thank you Ocelot II I had a collection of horses. by my bed. Horse books from the Library. But my first love was Barbie debm55 Dec 14 #68

Nancy Drew books. The town library saved each new one for me. Paper Roses Dec 14 #52

Thank you Paper Roses. Walking and biking were the way to get around. We would go to the Carnegie Library in my steel debm55 Dec 14 #66

My sister still has her full collection of Nancy Drew mysteries. k55f5r Dec 14 #106

Wow that is amazing. Thank you, debm55 Dec 14 #108

Baseball and Table Hockey The Madcap Dec 14 #53

Thank you The Madcap. Loved my Pirates here in Pittsburgh. Watched them in person going back to Forbes Field. I kept my debm55 Dec 14 #64

Ours was the rod-type game.. Bobby Orr Hockey. Bruins vs Black Hawks. The Madcap Dec 14 #72

I remember that game. The had soccer based on the rods. debm55 Dec 14 #83

We loved Creepy Critters and the little bake ovens. lark Dec 14 #54

Thank you very much ,lark. Sounds like you had a very fun childhood debm55 Dec 14 #62

Reading. I was a total bookworm. Midnight Writer Dec 14 #55

How wonderful, Thank you Midnight Writer debm55 Dec 14 #59

Baseball. It's pretty much all I did. SKKY Dec 14 #57

Thank you very much, SKKY debm55 Dec 14 #58

Commercial Slot-car racing justaprogressive Dec 14 #60

Thank you justaprogressive. We had one near our home. I either went to fast around the curves or to slow. I enjoyed it. debm55 Dec 14 #61

Playing kickball. I wish soccer had been a thing back then. nt Phoenix61 Dec 14 #63

Thank you Phoenix61, I agree with kickball. Loved playing it. Hated dodgeball. debm55 Dec 14 #67

Comic books of all kinds, but especially Archie, Wonder Woman, Jrose Dec 14 #79

Thank you very much. Love your choice of comic books, Remember they were 12 cents each. Really liked Mad Magazine.You debm55 Dec 14 #81

The jungle book XanaDUer2 Dec 14 #90

Thank you very much XanaDUer2 debm55 Dec 14 #95

Loved my Barbies but Alliepoo Dec 14 #94

My school used to order from Troll and Arrow. and Scholastic. A Lot of choices. I'll have to look for the old copies at debm55 Dec 14 #97

Unlimited hydroplanes: real ones and kids homemade ones. FuzzyRabbit Dec 14 #96

That's cool , Thank you FuzzyRabbit. debm55 Dec 14 #98

Sci-Fi. Specifically Star Trek. OldBaldy1701E Dec 14 #101

Thank you OldBaldy1701E. I had some Matchbox cars. I enjoyed the ramps you could buy for them. It was fun debm55 Dec 14 #103

The Little House on the Prairie series of books. Lunabell Dec 14 #102

Thank you Lunabell. I liked them too, I watched the TV series. But it was different then the books. debm55 Dec 14 #104

Zorro. He makes the sign of the Z. k55f5r Dec 14 #105

Thank you very much k55f5r. You sound like you were very dashing in it. debm55 Dec 14 #107

Like Solly Mack.... Different Drummer Dec 14 #109

Thank you Different Drummer. I collected baseball cards too. they had this sheet of hard as rock bubble come. I played a debm55 Dec 14 #110

Transformers sakabatou Dec 14 #111

Thank you sakabatou. I remember when the boys brought them into school to play with during indoor recess. I was the debm55 Dec 14 #112

I think the only toy I brought from home was a Hot Wheels car sakabatou Dec 15 #114

Thank you, sakabatou. Hot wheels I remember. debm55 Dec 15 #117

"Was"? Am. Rigpa108 Dec 15 #113

Wow, Thank you Rigpa 108 debm55 Dec 15 #118

My parents' record player and records. LudwigPastorius Dec 15 #115

No you are not. You are a person who likes different things. That doesn't make you a nerd. I find your list interesting. debm55 Dec 15 #119

Almost everything I loved as a kid I still love, and pursue. But I'd I guess I'd say... electric_blue68 Dec 15 #116

electric_blue68 I got a magazine last week with all kinds of Marble Runs. The first one I bought for my class was at debm55 Dec 15 #120

Another encyclopedia reader! I even read my mom's 1937 World Books yellowdogintexas Dec 15 #121

Thank you for your wonderful post, yellowdogintexas. debm55 Dec 15 #122