I was around 7 years old when I first learned to read. I wasn’t exactly the quickest learner — my classmates in the first grade were long into reading more complex sentences before I could even string two words together. But my late grandma was patient, she taught me to read diligently. It wasn’t long before I fell in love with reading.

As embarrassing as it is for me to admit, I got addicted to the Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley series. Love Stories. Nancy Drew. Christopher Pike. A few classics like Tess of the D’Urbervilles, The Little Prince, When Worlds Collide, The Joy Luck Club, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and my all-time favorite: To Kill a Mockingbird.

I probably amassed quite a collection of books back then, but lost most when we moved. I didn’t read much when I started working (at a call center for 6 months, then eventually to having my own home business), until I got hooked on Harry Potter. I probably bought only a few other books besides that series for the past five years, but the need to keep sane from the all the work deadlines lured me back to reading. I was starting to amass another book collection when my husband Marc finally got fed up seeing my books everywhere, and got me my own book cabinet 🙂

Reading hasn’t only helped me relax more (I’m less cranky!), but even Marc had to admit it does help with my work. Entering a totally different world through words exercises my imagination — an activity vital to a creative job like mine. I always start with a blank canvass for a website, and it doesn’t take me as long as before to create something. Reading excises my brain, imagination, and creativity.

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I read mostly adventure, fantasy and science fiction books — kids’ books. What can I say? They’re fun.

Currently, I’ve been hooked on Rick Riordan’s series — I just love his light and funny writing, his modern adaptation of ancient mythology. Just finished the first two books in Brandon Mull’s Beyonders trilogy (can’t wait for the third!). Next series up would probably be Fableheaven and Artemis Fowl — something to pass the wait time for Rick Riordan’s Mark of Athena coming this October.

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Does this mean I’m becoming a book addict? Marc will probably say so. He had already threatened to “de-worm” me of my now-very-awake book worm once or twice, but not much. After all, the book worm does help in getting work stuff done 😛