Early on, I committed to participating in the 2012 Multicultural Reading Challenge with Truly Bookish, which requires participants to read YA books written by authors or containing characters of color. I know this sounds strange but I had no idea where to start or how to find these books. I'm super serious. It got me thinking about the types of books I read and why.
My librar(ies) shaped the reading habits I have now. I read too fast for parents to keep up with my habits so I depended on libraries for books. Thinking back, I think that is why I'm familiar with certain authors over others. It is also the reason why I read romance and mystery novels. My library was full of them. I'm also pretty sure that I read mostly books by New York Times bestselling authors because that is what my library mostly bought. Those authors became my comfort reads. Though, I had to give up Danielle Steel. I just couldn't take the hardship and heartbreak (but that's a different story).
I didn't find myself reading books by people of color or about people of color. My library simply didn't have many. We had interlibrary loans but I wasn't familiar with these authors to even request them. Would I sound old if I said that my family didn't have internet back then or that google didn't exist? Yes? Okay nevermind. I'm thinking now that I missed out a bit. My library so completely shaped my reading habits but I was only impacted by the books I was exposed to. I'm certainly not complaining but I can see how this would be difficult for authors who have put in so much work to write amazing books, but can't be found on the shelves of libraries for whatever reasons. I'm not sure how libraries choose which books to invest in but I'm sure it has complex considerations.
As I've gotten older, I've certainly branched out in terms of the books that I try. However, my love for reading and the types of books I read was shaped by the available options at my local library. I wish now that my library had more diverse options.
I know now that some people didn't use their library growing up (that's crazy to me!) and reading habits have been shaped by other things. My husband is a reluctant reader, and I think it is movies that shaped his reading habits more than anything. He is more likely to read a book if it has been made into a movie and he is interested in the movie (i.e. The Hunger Games).
What has shaped your reading habits?
