Reading and Writing Wednesday - When Your Tastes Change

I remember my first library. 

It was in Jackson, Tennessee and you had to climb what seemed like a million, huge steps to get to the heavy doors. Once inside, it was cool and dim. Enormous columns circled the open lobby area. The children's books were over to one side. 

I cried inside when we went back for a visit and I found they had built a modern library and closed the old one. It just wasn't the same.

Then when we lived in Duncanville, I would ride my bike the couple of miles to the library. 

It started out as basically a storage room in the same little building with the police department and city offices. Then they got more space and thus, more books. My bike basket would be loaded down with books I had checked out. (Note - this was the late 60's. A kid could ride their bike at 9 years old across town without issues.)

Quickly going through the limited 'children's books', I was allowed to graduate to 'adult' books.

I plowed through the Bronte sisters and all the gothic novels the library had and that I was allowed to read. Then it was onto Georgette Heyer and all her Regency romances and early Harlequin romances. 

Yep, Harlequin Romances back in the day started out with all the females were the daughter of a doctor, lawyer or pastor and were doing missionary work. They finally kissed on their wedding day.

Anyway...

I graduated with the years to less gothic reading. Mysteries (Agatha Christie) were in the mix. I read Danielle Steele's early books and cried at the ending of each book. They even got my non-reading roommate at the time to read.

I was in my early 20's and was in Walden Books at my local mall looking for something to read. A complete stranger recommended Anne McCaffrey's The Ship Who Sang. She said it was a 'different' romance.

I bought the book and was hooked! 

Then I was reading anything McCaffrey wrote and started leaving the romances behind and reading more fantasy and sci-fi. 

Now I didn't give up romances entirely. 

Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz was (as still is) someone who I followed. Lots of Nora Roberts. But most of their books have a bit of magic/fantasy in them.

Now...

Give me my Laurell K. Hamilton, Jim Butcher, Brandon Sanderson, Anne Bishop, Patricia Briggs and others!

Give me my magic, vampires, shape shifters and other worlds!

Looking back over the years (ok, decades) it is interesting to see how my reading tastes have changed. I liken it to going from a Mocha Frappuccino to buying Caramel Frappuccino all the time (and now I'm hooked on Vanilla Bean with strawberry puree). I'm not giving up Frappuccinos, I just switched my favorite flavor.