Read or die.

Shout out to only and favorite follower CJ. Hi and thanks CJ!

Anyways.

I guess I'll talk about another aspect of my personality, a part that figures prominintly in my life- reading. I absolutely love to read. Many of the people my age despise reading; that's what too much school does for you- they think of books and they think of hard work and boring and homework. Alternatively, I think of books and I think of happiness and learning and knowledge and inspiration.

Reading is such an important part of my life. My parents read to me ever since I was very young, and I have been reading since I was very young. Actually, when I was in first grade, I read the Lord of the Rings (by myself). Books and reading are such a great way to learn; no studying, no homework, just learning through experience. The more you read, the better you write. And you learn information through reading, especially if you read nonfic or historical fic. I do well in school mainly because I have plenty of background information on Social Studies, art, Language Arts...

As far as types of books, I love fantasy. I have always loved fantasy. My favorite authors are Tamora Pierce, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and Esther Friesner.

Tamora Pierce wrote books like Alanna: The First Adventure, The Woman Who Rode Like A Man, Lioness Rampant, Trickster's Choice, etc. She is probably my favorite. I absolutely love everything by her. Her characters, especially the protagonists (courageous, independent heroines) are really inspirational, and the writing style is fantastic.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy, obviously. These are one of the first books I can actually remember reading, and I still love them years later. Whenever I'm feeling down, I just read a chapter of the Return of the King and I feel much better. I always carry my worn, dirty, written on, covered in stickers copy whenever I travel. I have the One Ring Poem and the Hobbit's Walking Song both memorized. And Tom Bombadil and Legolas are amazing.

J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter FTW.

Esther Freisner wrote Nobody's Princess, Nobody's Prize, and Sphinx's Princess, all historical fiction novels. The first two are written about Helen of Troy, and the last one is written about Nefertiti. I absolutely loved them both. Helen of Troy AND Nefertiti are always thought of as rather uninteresting, not very admirable people, but these books really put the characters in a whole new light. All three books are written in first person. Of the two on Helen of Troy, Nobody's Princess comes first.

Read the books. Support the authors. Support literature. Read to someone, even an adult. I read to my parents all the time. I enjoyed The Book Thief so much, I'm reading it to my mom now.

Read.