literary lore | where my lore started: the book tag

The other day I saw that one of my favorite booktubers—Cari of cari can read—had created this AMAZING tag, and I instantly knew I had to do it too! The “Where My Lore Started” book tag is all about your reading life growing up and how it made you the reader you are today—how fun does that sound?! So, now I’m hopping on the train to tackle this tag too—let’s dive right in!

where my lore started

what’s the first book you remember reading by yourself?

So, this is difficult because my family read to me from the time I was born, and so the books my family read to me and the books I read myself when I first started reading kind of blend together a bit. I remember loving books like Madeline, Eloise, and Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut both when my family read to me and when I first learned to read, though.

what character did you most identify with in elementary school?

Unfortunately, if I’m being 100% honest, as a child of the mid 1990s I definitely had an HP obsession and identified a lot with Luna Lovegood. Looking back, I’m glad the series gave me a sense of magic and belonging as a kid, but I hate who the author has become and I refuse to promote her anymore. I won’t be talking about her, because nowadays there are so many equally as good (if not better) Middle Grade fantasies written by much better people.

where or what was your safe space as a kid?

Not to be cliche, but it was definitely the library. Libraries were always my sanctuary, especially while my mom and I were homeless. As a matter of fact, I remember spending nearly every day at the library from the time school ended until closing during the years my mom and I were homeless. Doing so allowed my mom access to a quiet place with a computer so she could apply for a master’s program (which she eventually got into) while I listened to stories at the library’s story-time hour and also read on my own under the watchful eyes of the librarians. In this way the library was more than just a sanctuary for mom and me, it was the doorway to a better life, and I’ll always be so grateful to libraries and librarians and library volunteers for that exact reason.

how has your taste in books changed since childhood?

As a kid I greatly enjoyed pretty much all genres of fiction, but especially fantasy. So, for the most part, nothing has really changed, lol. As a kid I loved books and series like His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, the Inkworld trilogy by Cornelia Funke, and The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, and I think that’s probably where my fantasy obsession began, haha! What can I say—I’ve always had a BIG imagination!

did you feel inspired to read by your school and if yes, how did your upbringing encourage reading?

I was always close to my school librarians, so in that way I always was encouraged to read at school. They always encouraged me to read what I wanted and to really let myself and my imagination get swept away by reading. My schools also had DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time built into our classes, so that also encouraged me to read. I also went to Catholic school for elementary and middle school and Catholic elementary and middle schools separate “English” courses into two classes, one which focuses on vocabulary and grammar and one which focuses on literature and literary analysis. I think this is a really good strategy to reinforce the love of literature in kids and also make sure they get a good education about vocab and grammar as well. So, I suppose I was very lucky in that my schools encouraged reading in many different ways.

what book have you wanted to return to lately?

I think it’s safe to say that I’m always yearning to return to the world of His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, haha! I’ve yet to read The Book of Dust, though, so I suppose I’ve still got the opportunity, which is a nice thought!

what was your favorite or formative ya series?

If I’m remembering correctly, I read my first YA book when I was about thirteen and was in seventh grade. It was Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, which is a Balkan set, fairytale-like fantasy inspired by The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and I just ADORED it! I literally read that book over and over until it fell apart. I remember being so swept away by the fairytale atmosphere and setting and the enchanting story and romance. I have such fond memories of this book!

what is a book you had to read in school but you loved?

There are definitely a couple, haha! I was required to read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott in sixth grade and I just loved it so much! I even went on to read the sequels, Little Men and Jo’s Boys, completely of my own volition (and I enjoyed them too). I also enjoyed The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, which I read in my junior year of high school (when I was 17) and which was the first time I ever read a representation of poverty that felt authentic to my own experience. Last but not least, I read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte when I was about thirteen but later re-read it at eighteen in my senior year of high school because it was required reading, and I enjoyed it both times.

what was your weirdest favorite book?

I don’t think I’ve ever read any books that I’d consider particularly “weird”? Maybe a series like A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett could be considered a bit odd by some, but that series was also ridiculously popular when I was a kid, so I don’t think too many people would consider it really “out there”?? So, yeah, I can’t think of any “weird” books that I read…

if your 13 year old self could live in a fictional world which would it be, is it different from the world you’d choose now?

My thirteen year old self would probably choose the world of the Shadowhunters series by Cassandra Clare. When I was thirteen, I read my first Shadowhunters book (City of Bones) and let’s just say a new obsession was born, haha! Now that I’m older and have read many more books, it’s a bit harder to say, but I think I’ll go with the world of Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse, which is an Indigenous American inspired fantasy world (which just seems so freaking cool).

is there a newly released book you wish you had when you were younger?

Just like Cari, I too wish that I had access to Legendborn by Tracy Deonn when I was younger. As a Black American reader, when I was young I never saw any Black girls who were the heroes of fantasy novels. I think the experience of reading about a Black girl as a fantasy hero and reading about a world wherein Black American folk magic and experience is part of the magic system would’ve been quite special for my younger self.

spill the beans, friends!

Were you a big reader growing up? If so, what were your favorite books? If not, when and how did you get into reading?

Learn more the author of this post:

Lila @ Hardcover Haven

Lila is a 30 year old anthropology student and lover of literature who's been book blogging for an eternity. Her hobbies include reading, singing, writing, arts and crafts, and snuggling her two cats, Snoopy and Clementine.