My reading started with malayalam books like Poompatta, Balarama, Amar Chitra Katha, Ambili Ammavan(the malayalam version of Chandamama), etc. I don’t really know when I started reading them, but as long as I can remember, I have been reading and enjoying these books. And I have still got a collection of all these books at home, and I enjoy digging through them when I have free time at home. But sadly, the Poompattas and Balaramas that come out now are not even comparable to the old ones.
Then maybe in my 3rd or 4th standard, I was introduced to Enid Blyton, and I am still thankful to my auntie who gave me my first Enid Blyton. I started with Secret Seven and proceeded to the Famous Five series, Mystery Stories, . I still feel transported to my childhood when I read her school stories like Mallory Towers, St. Claires, etc. But stories like Naughty Amelia Jane, that I enjoyed so much as a kid, do not appeal that much to me now. May be I have grown too old for them. It’s really sad, but true. You do outgrow some books, however much you don’t want to.
Oh, and I forgot to write about one of my favorites. Archie comics. I still remember how I used to sit in the last bench in the classroom and read Archie comics hiding it beneath the desk, and die trying to control my laughter lest the teacher should call me and ask me to explain. That is one book I still haven’t outgrown.
Then I stared reading Nancy Drew, Hardy boys, Three Investigators, etc. I used to really adore Nancy Drew books, but I think I have outgrown them also now.
Some time in between, I got really Classics-crazy, and I used to read only classics during that period. My favorites are Jane Austen, Louisa Alcott and Alexander Dumas. And my favorite books are Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Little Women, Three Musketeers, .
My other favorite books of childhood are Little Princess(I don’t remember the author, but it is a truly magical book I really enjoyed as a child, I recommend it as a gift to any young girl who loves reading), A Basket of Flowers, Alice in Wonderland,
Now I am on to books like Perry Mason(Erle Stanley Gardner)(I am really crazy about Perry Mason books, I buy every one I can get my hand on), Ken Follett(a dependable author, you can trust and buy his books), Sidney Sheldon(gripping, masala, good for a one-time read), Arthur Hailey(very informative, a lot of research has gone into his books), etc.
But I though I still enjoy reading, I miss my childhood reading, and I wish I could enjoy those children’s books even now, as much as I enjoyed them then.