As a young fellow I had little interest in reading. When not in school my days were filled with exploring the bushland behind my home at Engadine, South of Sydney, NSW.
Mates and I would spend hours roaming around the bush to the West of Sierra Road and swimming in the river down in the gully.
I had watched the movies Zulu and Zulu Dawn on the television in my early years and had an instant fascination with them. One day I wandered into a book shop with my mother and saw the book Zulu by Cy Enfield on a bookshelf. I picked it up and began to flick through the pages. I was instantly hooked.
The second book I read was When The Lion Feeds by Wilber Smith. Set in South Africa during the time of the Zulu Wars. It was the first novel I read and I loved it.
Later I discovered the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell and became an instant fan.
I believe it is so important to discover books you can’t put down if you want to fall in love with reading. I was lucky to come across these books early in life which gave me the foundation to become a lover of reading.
I wonder what the first book you read and fell in love with was?
First book I read was The Fetterman Massacure. Can’t remember the author now but it was about a U.S. army cavalry patrol that was slaughtered by Indians. True story and very interesting
Crossing The Buffalo by Adrian Greaves, also about the Zulu Wars.
That’s a great book.
Flowers In The Attic. I loved it and it was the first book I really read from cover to cover.
I like this blog a lot, love reading where authors get their influences. My first books were A Night To Remember by Walter Lord, about the Titanic sinking and Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
I’ve read A Night To Remember, beautiful book.
I love Wilber Smith and Bernard Cornwell too. My first two books were Green Armour by Osmar White and The Devils Garden by Peter Pinney.
The Devils Triangle by Richard Winter, about the Bermuda Triangle.
Paradise by Brett Wright 🙂
Looking for Alibrandi when i was 17. I still love that book!
Needfull Things by Stephen King.
I loved the Baby Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High 😀
I know the bushland east of Engadine, I used to knock around there as a teenager too 🙂 For me the first books I loved were The Secret Seven, Loved Paradise and Ultimate Price Brett Wright.
As a kid I like Famous Five.
I’m ashamed to admit it but my first book was a fluffy romance novel that I can’t even remember now but I loved it haha.