What books did you read as a child, and what did you feel?

[Happy Writing Marathon 5th Topic]
Please write about an experience from your childhood where you were moved by reading a book.

"What books did you read as a child, and what did you feel?"

The excitement and longing I found in books as a child

When I was a child, the act of reading books was
like magic that expanded my world.

Mysterious, a little funny, and
things that could never happen in reality felt as if they were happening right before my eyes.
I certainly had experiences like that.

Reading the books at hand over and over

Before I started elementary school, my daily routine was to repeatedly read the "books at hand," such as those on the bookshelves at home, at relatives' houses, or at kindergarten.
I still remember well

Little Black Sambo

Guri and Gura

Cuore

Greek Mythology

Among them, "Little Black Sambo" was a shock.
The development where the tigers run around and turn into butter!?

"There's no way that could happen! 💦"

I thought, but at the same time,

"It would be fun if it did, I want to eat pancakes"

I remember my imagination running wild and not being able to stop.

Perhaps the real thrill of reading in childhood was being able to go back and forth between "that's impossible" and "but I wish it were true."

The boys of mythology who made my heart race

I also became obsessed with Greek mythology.
Among them, what attracted me were not the gods, but the boys.

Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection on the water's surface and turned into a narcissus flower by the water's edge.
Adonis, who was loved by Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty.

Many beautiful boys who didn't exist around me appeared,
and just imagining their figures made my heart race.

In the stories, I felt that the boys were somehow closer to me than the adults, yet they also felt like distant beings.

The wonderland called the library

When I became an elementary school student, the stage for my reading shifted to the "library."
The bookshelves lining the room, the smell of paper, the silence.

I remember rushing to the library during recess,
looking at this shelf and that shelf, searching for new encounters.

When I reached the upper grades, I became obsessed with mystery novels.

• Conan Doyle
• Agatha Christie

Incidents occurring at hotels while traveling, interacting with the guests.
My heart was drawn to the settings of such stories.

Longing for the lifestyles in the stories

Through reading, I also began to long for the "lifestyles" of the characters.

• Having a familiar inn
• Encounters and conversations at hotels
• Choosing a career path based on "who I want to be"

These were all distant worlds to me as a child, but
I feel that the feeling of "I want to live like this someday" led to my later career choices and curiosity about travel.

The dream of "wanting to read in the original language"

When I was in junior high school, I encountered a scene in a work where a character said,
"I want to be able to read it in the original language,"
and I was strongly drawn to those words.

"How cool it must be to read books in a foreign language."

The feeling at that time became the driving force for me to study foreign languages.

Even after I later became involved in translation and interpretation work, and even after I switched to becoming a musician,
I continue to learn today, wanting to be able to use the languages I sing in my daily life.

The shock of just one scene, from a work I can't even remember the title of.
But I think the emotion that stirred my heart back then has remained within me ever since.

My encounter with romance novels

Then, toward the end of middle school,
I encountered Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'.

Perhaps it was the first 'romance novel' I read as a work of literature.
Darcy's change of heart was simply shocking,
and every time I read it, I made new discoveries, so I read it over and over again.

I later chose this work as the theme for my university graduation thesis.
It is truly the book that can be called the origin of my love for romance novels.

And, how it connects to the present

Today, I incorporate travel into my daily life.
I fly back and forth to Naha for airline mileage runs and enjoy hotel status runs.
Before I knew it, I found 'favorite lodgings' and 'conversations with staff' to be comforting,
and I realized that I was seeking experiences that went beyond just staying somewhere.

The 'travel styles' and 'people I admired' that I encountered in books during my childhood.
I feel that they weren't just distant dreams, but that by reading about them, they gradually connected to my reality.

A prompt that became a catalyst for self-reflection

By participating in the Happy Writing Marathon, I have been able to gradually unearth emotions and landscapes I had long forgotten.
Having themes thrown at me from 'outside' myself is also a great stimulus as a writer.

If you are interested, why not join me and write?
Ken Honda's accountI recommend participating after reading the related articles 📚✨

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