We all have books with a special place in our hearts, for reasons more than the words written in them. Perhaps they changed the way we think about the world, are attached to happy memories or got us through a difficult time in our lives. In this new feature, I will be sharing my own ‘Stories Beyond Books’ and it would be wonderful if you could share yours too!
My first story is associated with a treasured book from my childhood: Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Book 1).
Synopsis: Wolf Brother is set in the Stone Age and follows the friendship of a young boy Torak with an abandoned wolf cub. United in their quest against evil, this unlikely duo must brave all the dangers of man and nature if they are to prevent the destruction of the world as they know it. Michelle Paver defies the boundaries of genre with this series; fantasy, action and historical fiction all intertwine to form a delightfully unique adventure story.
There’s a photograph in my family albums of me as a child sitting in a restaurant in Menorca, reading Wolf Brother with a hypnotised look and my tongue sticking out in concentration! Apparently, my parents used to let me take a book when we went for meals out on holiday, to keep me on my best behaviour. I remember it as one of the first completely immersive, imaginative experiences I had when reading – no matter how busy the restaurant or how loud the clientele, I was riveted.
I think I already enjoyed books by this point, but Wolf Brother seems to have marked a move into passion and addiction. Whenever I could, I would steal five more minutes to depart from reality and sink into this rich, indulgent fantasy world.
I became affectionately known by restaurant staff as ‘the book girl’, a new part of my identity that has never left since. It was also my first series addiction. I spent about five years constantly asking for the next instalment for birthday or Christmas presents – something else that hasn’t changed a bit!
Cover image courtesy of Goodreads.
What is your childhood Story Beyond Books? Please do let me know in the comments; I am looking forward to reading them!
Look out for Part 2 next week – Stories Beyond Books: Adolescence.
OffBeatBooks 
I spent hours in my local public library as a child. It was the highlight of the week. My favourite authors were Patricia Lynch and Irish author whose books were set in Ireland. The other author was Elinor Brent-Dyer the Chalet School series of books.
I am thoroughly enjoying your blog and look forward to receiving notification of your posts.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I just loved to read. When I was young, it was loads of series; The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Dana Girls, Trixie Belden, Judy Bolton and anything from the “Arrow Book Club,” a mail order resource at school. There were Patricia’s Secret, Runaway Alice, Readymade Family, Fifteen…so many. I continue to love the same sorts of books in many regards; there are mysteries and engaging stories about people on my TBR pile always.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I used to love series too, especially those by Enid Blyton – The Famous Five, The Secret Seven and Malory Towers. I agree with you that the books we read as children influence our adult tastes as well – I still enjoy mysteries and get addicted to series! 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you very much for the kind comment, I really do appreciate it and am so glad to hear you’re enjoying the posts. It’s lovely to hear that reading was such a big part of your childhood. I used to love my local library too – eventually, I cleared out the entire children’s section and had to move onto the YA books early with the librarians helping me to find ones that weren’t too inappropriate! It was definitely the source of lots of happy memories 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fellow library-haunter here! My mother used to threaten me with “I won’t take you to the library this week!” to make me behave. And I was a total Enid Blyton fiend too – I devoured everything of hers I could get my hands on. I loved The Babysitter’s Club, and The Saddle Club, as well. Really, though, I’d read anything I could get my hands on. My library had a ten books per card limit, so I forced my parents to get cards so that I could get thirty (no, I didn’t let them choose any for themselves – as well as being a huge reader, I was also very bossy! Hahahaha)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Haha, that’s so funny that they used the library to make you behave – how cute! Reading and libraries were such a treasured part of my childhood as well and I really hope it stays that way for future generations. I volunteered a couple of years ago at my local library’s ‘Summer Reading Challenge’ which encourages schoolchildren to keep reading over their summer holidays, by giving them prizes and incentives the more books they read. I think things like that are so important to create a joy for reading in children – it was such a lovely idea! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] here to read Stories Beyond Books Part 1: […]
LikeLike
[…] here to read Stories Beyond Books Part 1: […]
LikeLike
Great post. The first book I remember was ‘Five Go Adventuring Again’. After that I just kept reading more and more Enid Blyton. I wanted to collect all The Famous Five books but I never quite managed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I was also a massive fan of The Famous Five – those books represent all my childhood nostalgia! They were such wonderful adventure stories 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person