My whole life, I've been a reader. As a kid I read everything in sight including several thick dictionaries and even the encyclopedia. When magazines were delivered at home, I devoured them. I had a library card when I was 4 even though the "legal" age was 5. The librarian knew I could read and she made an exception for me.
At 3 I taught myself to read by circling words I knew in a Life Magazine. My dad had already given me permission to write in the magazine, as long as I did not make a mess of it. I started very methodically--I circled all the words that I knew. Please don't ask me how I knew a word, but when I saw a word that was "mine" I circled it. My goal was to circle all the words in an article--then the magazine. If any of those old Life Magazines are still around, there would be pages of words circled in blue ink. Those were MY words.
Fast forward many years and my "discovery" of books on tape. Since I have always found it hard to read in a moving vehicle, reading in the car or truck, has never been an option. But, one day, a student of mine gave me a tape of the first volume of the Harry Potter series. WOW! I could listen to a book while driving or riding in a vehicle. What a treat. Soon we had lots of books on tape--they evolved to books on CD--and those have evolved to books on my phone. I love listening to stories.
I have many favorite authors and storytellers who can read to me to my heart's content. The man who read the Harry Potter books, Jim Dale, captured each character with a different voice and outlook, that makes simple reading of a book so much more enjoyable. Since Jim Dale, I've heard many fantastic readers. Lorelei King, Huge Fraser and Walt Guidell are just three who come to mind--but there are more.
If you have a few minutes, download the free app for your phone from the public library and start borrowing books on tape (as they are still called). If you want to own some books, use an app like Chirp. You can also download Audible, available from Amazon (it might be available from other sources too). If the book is on "tape" you can hear books from any genre and age. I find it completely enjoyable and I hope you do too. Remember, we're all in this together.
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