Preview

Personal Narrative: My Fall In Love With Shiver

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
648 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Personal Narrative: My Fall In Love With Shiver
Palms slick with sweat. Heart racing with anticipation and fear. It seems I have waited my entire life for this moment. Five more people left in line before me. Four now. Three, and then two, and finally, one. No turning back now. As I step up to the table, I wonder how I tell Maggie Stiefvater, a stranger, that she changed my life when I was only in fifth grade.

The stories within books have always intrigued me, but inevitably, books would sit unread on my shelves, accumulating dust. My reluctance to actually read books was so bad that my parents had to bribe me to get me to complete school reading hours. I remember during Winter break in fourth grade, my parents had to tell me that if I read one chapter I could watch Van Helsing.

Anyone
…show more content…
The main character, Grace, was an only child like me, and it almost felt like I had found a sibling. Grace’s love story was so alluring that I fell in love with her falling in love. I felt like I was right there with her, inhaling the scents of a candy shop and reading poetry from used books in a homey loft above a used …show more content…
I begged my parents for as many books as I could get my hands on, and that not only led to me becoming a better writer, but also to me finding a home within writing. Writing has always been there for me. Writing was what held me together through my parent’s almost divorce and my Aunt committing suicide. Just like Grace, “[I] made [my] home in between the pages of books.”

After Shiver, I discovered books that held deeper meaning, and learning about the lives of other people through literature has shaped me as a person. The main reason I want to be a journalist because I want the public to be aware of what is going on in their world. I’ve become aware of the injustices in the world through literature, and I want to spread that awareness. I cannot wait to experience intricate campus libraries and the innumerable stories they hold. I know that whatever college campus I end up on, I will continue to value reading for all the knowledge and experience it has brought me. By the way, the best way to tell an author all of this is by blurting it out through tears and then immediately asking about her

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “We don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason.” (Unknown). In Holly Goldberg Sloan’s acclaimed debut novel, I’ll Be There, destiny plays out just like that. When Emily Bell, an average 17 year old girl living in a quaint neighborhood, meets Sam Border, an impoverished but good-looking teenager with an abusive criminal father and a sickly brother, Riddle, meet, they sense something instantly; not love, but a deep connection. But just as they finally overcame the complex tangle of teenage relationships and Emily’s family accepts Sam and Riddle in, Sam’s father’s dark secret causes everything to shatter, with even the mere chance of Sam’s survival hanging on edge. As Sam struggles to find and save Riddle and Emily struggles to navigate the waters of high school peer pressures and rivalry, they learn that the most amazing thing in the world is to know that someone is there for you. Their perspectives they see the story from help them develop alongside…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When I was in elementary school they made us read. My mom told me that when she used to try and read to me at night I was always busy trying to read another book. I was a person who loved to read.…

    • 255 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Reading is my life. It’s my escape from the world around me. I love getting lost in a story about monsters and myths, or a Cinderella gone wrong. If I didn’t draw as much as I did, I’d probably be the anti-social bookworm in the back, like in all those cliche teenage love stories. It’s actually quite surprising to see how many people dislike books, there’s nothing wrong with a little reading every once and awhile. But who am I to judge? I wasn’t a very big reader myself until maybe two years ago. Of course, that leads to the first reason why I enjoy reading so much.…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Experiencing and comprehending what each book tells me leaves somewhat of a mark on who I am. Through every word I gain some knowledge or concept that will help further my academic or social sides. Reading a nonfiction book, usually a biography or historical reveals to me what it takes to become a great person, what I need to prepare for in the future, learning to avoid the same mistakes that countless others have already made, and just gives me more knowledge on the topic. These lessons were also learned from the book Night, by Elie Wiesel. Diving into the history of the Holocaust uncovered some questions that I had and in turn made me more interested in the event altogether. I already had delved into the Holocaust by watching movies and reading some books on it, but by reading a real experience of it, it made me put myself in his position and it seemed like I was seeing it through his eyes.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I used to love reading. In kinder and first, my nose was stuck in a Magic Tree House book. Third, fourth, and fifth grade I basically lived at Hogwarts (in my rightfully sorted house, of course, I am a proud Hufflepuff). And in middle school, I discovered THE tween series of my generation, Maximum Ride. Reading was exciting, and even though I had done it for years every time I picked up a book it felt so novel. I was your ordinary bookworm until seventh grade when the joint power of Ms. Green’s teaching and James Patterson’s writing broke my will to read.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout my childhood I would avoid books as much as possible simply because I never enjoyed reading like others did. When I did read, it would be because I discovered a really good series. Other than that I wouldn’t read because I never grew up with being read to, so I didn’t find it enjoyable.…

    • 1185 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I don’t think I had 100% read a real book all by myself at this time, needless to say, this terrified me. The book I chose to read was the Maze Runner by James Dashner. As I began I was hesitant, but I quickly got into the book and finally understood the saying ‘I couldn’t put the book down’. It was action packed and filled with words I knew and understood. Reading this book gave me a new found confidence in reading and in myself that I had never experienced before. After the Maze Runner I began reading more and more. I started to enjoy reading, which is a stark difference from my former refusal…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Although there is much I can’t recall from my early days of reading, there are some momentous flashbacks. When I was beginning elementary school my parents were very eager to introduce me to doing a great deal of reading, they wanted me to enjoy reading for a while and they succeeded. We lived within walking distance of the public library which allowed us to frequently visit the library to read and check out books. I always remembered the vast shelves of books that seemed like they never had an end. In addition to reading at the library we checked books out to bring home to read, this allowed me to read as much as I wanted to. Correspondent to the amount of reading I did, the more I enjoyed it and improved at reading.…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The majority of my life has been smooth-sailing. For most of my life, I was told not to meddle in other people’s affairs and to not think too much about what others say. As a result, I would say that I have faced very little struggles. In the article “Nerd Alert: Reading is Good For Your Health,” the author Jen Christensen describes aspects of reading that may be beneficial towards our emotional and mental health, including how to face those struggles that I never had. Instead, I read books for the sake of reading. Occasionally, I would read a book that would especially resonate with me, and then I would feel that I have reached into the soul of another person, rather than just bland words on a page. Sometimes, I forget that the authors are human beings as well, and they may as well have the same struggles as me. Often times, I wonder about the people behind the books, and how much of themselves they poured into their books. Books, instead of consoling me about my own problems, made me more aware of other people and expand my worldview.…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The first books I ever started reading were Winnie the Pooh and Dr Suess books. When I was young my parents were really good about getting me started with reading different books and for a long time I loved reading, as long as it was books I got to choose and enjoyed reading myself. Once I got further along in school and they started mandating what books we had to read I got to the point where I didn’t find reading enjoyable any longer. I didn’t like most of the books my teachers were picking for us to read so I felt like I had to force myself to read them and it caused me to even stop reading books outside of school…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    I used to love reading when there wasn't a lot of pressure or strict deadlines involved. I also liked being able to choose what I read, whenever I wanted to read it. Early on in elementary school I was free to choose whatever I pleased, and that caused me to become interested in some series of books. Soon enough the relaxing fun turned into stressful reading with deadlines, which turned my attitude about reading upside down. I tend to have a negative attitude towards old literature that is difficult to read because it feels like it turns reading into a mind taxing challenge. I prefer to be able to comprehend something the first time I read it, and for the text to be in the normal language that is used in our modern times. That being said, I have a positive attitude about reading things that I am interested in knowing more about. For example, I thoroughly enjoy reading articles about college, engineering, or technology. Anytime I receive some kind of college pamphlet in the mail or come across an interesting article about some upcoming device, I will almost immediately stop everything to read about it. I also appreciate action-packed novels set in post-apocalyptic scenarios where characters must overcome some form of supreme control such as The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner. In my opinion, anything that I enjoy learning about or that is exciting to me is worth…

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    My Literacy Journey

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages

    My reading becomes more various in today’s life. Of course, I still like reading the books that I am interested in. However, I am trying to focus more on reading the books that can inspire me. To me, reading a good book or even a short story will make me more motivated on my works. Recently, I am tended to read more materials about my major.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Literacy Narrative

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The newness of reading had worn off by junior high. My leisure reading had decreased significantly due to sports and increase in textbook reading assignments made by our teachers. The textbook reading assignments changed how I felt about reading. When in elementary school, reading was learning, but what we were reading were nothing more than stories made up by a publishing company. There was usually a lesson learned at the end of the story. Textbooks didn’t have that same story like nature. They were full of facts and what seemed like complex analogies and theories. Reading was not fun anymore.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Literacy Narrative

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In a way, my taste for books have gone astray since grade school. I had a passion to read. Then it became hard to find books that motivated me to keep reading. As a child reading was fun and easy, now it is tedious and boring. I cannot find a book that interests me as much as they did when I was younger.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As my mind wonders and contemplates on how to officially end my academic journey, I came across this quote that best summarizes an overwhelming experience that I’ve just gone through. This annotation task, although strenous and time consuming, has become an opened door of opportunity for me to start my quest with the wonderful world of children’s literature. I am still astounded by after effect of the books I read. Reflecting on what C.S. Lewis wrote in his dedication for the book The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, "Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again", I feel so privileged that despite of difficulties, I manage to hop into an adventure with the wonderful world of books and been to different places that no one has ever been and meet great people that only few has met. No wonder that euphoria, not a heavy heart, preoccupies my thoughts as I’m about to end an academic reading experience. There is more wonders to explore, more heroic characters to befriend with, more emotions to linger and there is no reason for me to stop. This is just the beginning.…

    • 1211 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays