Living Outside The Lines: Got Books??

‘Today my love of both reading and writing allows me serve as an official book reviewer for a number of publishing houses.’ 

By, Becky J Miller

Tucked safely in our garage is a red storage bin with the label, “Growing up, RJC (Rebecca Jean Crumpton) to RJM (Rebecca Jean Miller).” Nestled within the dark corners of the container are cherished relics from my childhood; baby dolls, favorite dresses, cheerleading pom poms, photographs, trophies and books!!!

It seems I have always loved books. Little Golden Books first published in 1942 made up a large portion of my childhood library. Some of my favorite titles included, “The Poky Little Puppy,” “The Saggy Baggy Elephant,” “Scruffy the Tugboat,” “The Night Before Christmas,” and “The Three Little Kittens.”

My two most favorite books ever are “The Monster at the End of this Book,” and “Ferdinand the Bull.” Grover’s discovery that he is the monster in the book still makes me giggle, even today. And somehow Ferdinand’s unapologetic deviance from socially accepted norms for bulls spoke to me even at a very young age.

As childhood gave way to adolescence, and I outgrew childlike things, my taste in books shifted as well. Teen mystery solver extraordinaire, Nancy Drew along with the Hardy Boys and Bobbsey Twins begin to hold my interest. Later it was V.C. Andrews and her very twisted “Flowers in the Attic” series. I think the shock value of that series captivated my attention more than anything.

I thank my mother for the introduction to Ms. Drew, and for encouraging my love of reading. I distinctly remember walking into the kitchen one day, my mother handing me an open book and telling me to read aloud. She’d purchased a subscription to Nancy Drew books for me, and wanted to be sure my reading and comprehension levels were sufficient. I passed the test and anxiously awaited the arrival of each new book.

Some readers prefer a specific genre; I’m kind of all over the map. My poison of choice used to be historical type romance novels, but I quickly grew bored with them. I mean, a woman with her creamy, voluptuous you know what’s, can only faint and act helpless for so long. Eventually those characters begin to evoke a type of gag reflux. I definitely prefer fiction though and am not ashamed to admit I’ve read all of the books in both the “Twilight” and “Pretty Little Liars” series’.

Being a reader has served me well, although I did not understand the reading to writing connection until college. After reading several of my papers, my English Composition professor remarked, “It is obvious you’ve read a lot of books.” His encouragement boosted my confidence to the level that I opted to CLEP out of my second college English course.

Today my love of both reading and writing allows me serve as an official book reviewer for a number of publishing houses. In exchange for posting book reviews to Amazon.com, my blog, beckyjmiller.com and the publishing house website, I receive free books. What’s really fun is that I choose the books. The publisher sends emails offering books for review and I can request the book or not. Occasionally, when an insufficient number of reviewers have selected a book, the publisher sends a personal email requesting my participation. Those make me smile.

I love sharing a good book with a friend. I distribute all of the books I review to friends and family who I think will enjoy them. I particularly enjoyed sharing some selections with my grandmother. She appreciates stories of the Amish and I’ve reviewed several of those I could pass on.

Maybe you don’t consider yourself a reader, and to you I would say, nothing is stopping you from becoming one! Library membership is free. Books not only broaden your horizons and open your eyes to things unknown, reading makes you smarter!! I promise!!!

Until Next Time,

Becky J Miller ~ Warrior Princess

Becky J Miller is a contributor and is exclusive to SM Corridor News. You can read more of Becky’s columns in Lifestyle.