Friday Book Blogger Hop - June 25, 2011

Darn that Blogger and it's supposed "scheduled" posts!  As you can see, this is going up a day late!  But .. better late than never!

It's that time again!  Time for the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Jennifer over at Crazy for Books!

What is it?  Well, it's a way for bloggers and readers to find each other.  You write a little post about the subject of the week and link it up.  THEN (and this is the important part), you hit a few of the other linked up blogs (take your time; you can spread it throughout the weekend), visit, comment, follow if you like what you see, and make new friends.

Each week, to encourage participation, we get to answer a different question.  This week's question is:

 "When did you realize reading was your passion and a truly important part of your life?"

I can't remember a time when I DIDN'T read.  Like my son, I started reading on my own long before I hit the rooms of elementary school.  I remember reading the backs of cereal boxes and the newspaper when I didn't have a book in front of me.  I have a vague recollection of my mom being surprised to find me with a book and taking me for IQ testing, according to which I should be a card-carrying member of MENSA.  I had a chaotic childhood, with not a lot of friends, so books were my company.  When I grew up and had my own children, my house was THAT house .. the one (long before the Internet was readily accessible or understandable to most users) where kids came to find books they could use to help with their school projects.  When I started this blog, it was initially supposed to be a knitting blog (therefore the name), but I reviewed some of my own books, then actually decided to see about requesting books for review, and now ... well, books are more a part of my life than ever.  They surprise me in my mailbox, and call to me from every store that I walk into, and my children (almost all grown up now) and grandchildren all get Christmas book boxes filled with the books I've picked up for them through the previous year, so the love of reading continues to run in the family.

What about you?  When did you acquire your own love of reading?  If you have your own Hop post, please feel free to leave a link in the comments; I'd love to visit!