English
日本語
한국어
简体中文
繁體中文
Italiano
español
Deutsch
Русский
As a lifelong reader, this is a tough question. Having read probably over a thousand books since I was seven, I have countless titles and characters that come to mind, ranging from badass female action characters to seductive male leads. But I'll just have to choose one. I'd probably go with Nancy Drew.
My earliest reading experiences involved religious stories. Then came textbooks, where I'd scan through short stories accompanied by guide questions. I thought they were so cool. Imagine getting to live in a whole new world with characters you've never even met before! Nancy Drew was one of those characters.
I can still remember one afternoon when I was twelve years old. I was sitting at the reading corner at the back of our classroom, tidying up the books and papers piled on the mini stands. I picked up a book and wiped its cover. My eyes settled on the illustration of three girls crowding around a chocolate-colored Labrador retriever puppy. It looked interesting, and the reader in me was itching to delve into it. Little did I know that I was about to discover an entirely new world.
I didn't really have a concept of mystery novels until I picked up a book titled The Puppy Problem. The story opened with eight-year-old Nancy Drew, who was thrilled to finally get her first dog—a friendly, chocolate-colored Labrador retriever named Chocolate Chip. However, trouble started when Hannah Gruen's freshly baked muffins mysteriously vanished from the kitchen. Everyone, including Hannah, initially suspected the mischievous little puppy. Of course, the twelve-year-old me thought the same.
What intrigued me, though, was how Nancy managed to solve the mystery. That experience made me realize that there were probably countless books out there just as interesting as this one, if not more. And boy, was I not disappointed!
I grew more in love with the English language every time I picked up a new book. When I got my first phone, I installed Wattpad and discovered even more stories. Then came the opportunity to explore international e-books, including The Hunger Games trilogy, Vampire Academy, Twilight, and many more! I scoured everything from children's books to mafia-themed stories. Oh, heaven! I had never felt so alive.
I didn't just learn a language; I explored worlds, met different characters, and experienced countless adventures. I bawled my eyes out when my favorite characters died and celebrated when the villains were defeated. Looking back, it was a roller-coaster ride I would never want to get off.
I met Nancy Drew again when I was in ninth grade. A classmate lent me a book titled The Ghost Dogs of Whispering Oaks. This time, Nancy Drew was older. She helped her friend Sally McDonald investigate the mysterious, ghostly howling of canines haunting her family's ancestral farm, Whispering Oaks.
To my deep regret, the book's cover is now torn. Nevertheless, encountering Nancy Drew for the second time reminded me of where my love for mysteries began. She was one of the characters who sparked my curiosity and encouraged me to seek out more books. And, in a way, she became part of the reason I grew into the reader I am today.
Comments (0)