Gregory the Terrible Reader |

By Greg Meyer
July 24, 2015

As promised in my last blog, I completed The Return of the King earlier this week. The last three chapters were something special and brought the whole series full circle in a way most series can only dream of attaining. Most people I talk to can’t believe this was my first time reading through the series, considering its renown as a classic, beloved by millions. Why would a fantasy fan such as myself wait so long to get around to reading one of the greatest fantasy series ever written? Time for another confessional blog, though this time it’s a little less soul-baring.

The truth is back in my younger years I was a terrible reader. Oh, I could read, mind you, from a very early age. Just ask my Grandmother, and she’ll tell you the story. Back in grade school through middle school, I’d often check books out of the library and devour them. But once I reached eighth grade, I left public school for homeschooling and lost my daily access to a school library. Sure, I could go to my town’s public library and check out books, but I didn’t have a driver’s license and it was far enough that I didn’t want to walk there just to check out books. When I did go, I had too many choices to pick from but no guides to tell me what I should read.

Even when I had access to my school library, I made odd choices. I remember seeing books for Brian Jacques’ Redwall series, one of the most influential book series I’ve ever read but choosing not to read them because the books looked absolutely massive to my sixth-grade mind. I passed on longer tales in favor of short paperback novels, which weren’t bad selections, but it limited the worlds available for me to explore.

The curriculum for my schoolwork also didn’t help matters. The books for my required reading were all terrible, minus the excellent The Pilgrim’s Progress, so I had to find books on my own. This was before the days of Google or the Internet so all I had to go on were descriptions on the back of the book. So with nothing else to guide me, I read popular books like the Left Behind series and a ton of Frank Peretti, and while I don’t regret the Peretti books I read, I wish someone would’ve steered me in a different direction.

There were some people who tried to give me suggestions, books by C.S. Lewis, and even the Lord of the Rings series, but I became stubborn. No one was going to force me to read anything I didn’t want to read! I remember one of my teachers, Mrs. J, who once sat me down at my desk for causing trouble and handed me a paperback copy of A Wrinkle in Time.

“Read this, you’ll love it,” Mrs. J insisted, but rebellious teenager Greg would have nothing of it. There I sat, with the book open, but only pretending to read. I completely admit I acted stupidly at this moment, but that was my attitude at the time.

From scholastic.com. Note, I am not a goat.

My terrible choices eventually caught up to me in college when I met one of my best friends, Marcus. Marcus read a ton of books prior to college and had a wealth of stories he could recall and talk about. I distinctly remember being in the car with him one evening going to a church event, having him rattle off books he had read as a child, with me just shaking my head that I hadn’t read them. By the end of the car ride, I felt thoroughly embarrassed that I hadn’t made an effort to read a more diverse series of books when I had the chance.

In my sophomore year, I decided that I needed to change my habits. So over a series of a few months, I bought every book in the Chronicles of Narnia series and began reading them, in addition to the hefty course load of books I had already. By Christmas break of 2003, I finished The Last Battle and I could cross the Narnia series off my list of shame. I could’ve kicked myself! Why did I wait so long to read this awe-inspiring series?

Eventually, I decided that I wanted to pursue my childhood dream of writing books. But how does a writer grow in his craft besides writing? You read the best books you can get your grubby hands on and never stop! So down went the gaming controller, and off to Barnes and Noble I went, looking to fill my head with the worlds of other creators.

I went straight to reading the A Wrinkle in Time series during breaks at my janitorial job. Much like Narnia, this too was a special world that I came to love exploring, especially A Swiftly Tilting Planet. Then I moved to The Hobbit, though The Lord of the Rings would have to wait until 2013 when Marcus lent me his books. Despite my initial reluctance to read The Hobbit, like Bilbo I went on a rip-roaring adventure and I found myself travelling with the hobbit thief and his loads, err, I mean dwarf friends.

Then in 2010, after a recommendation by fellow Children of the Wells writer Tim, I jumped into Redwall and ended up reading all twenty-two books in the series. As great as the other books were, Redwall dug its claws into me, and I became an obsessed fan. There were so many places to explore in this woodland world Brian wrote that I still go back and reminisce about the many adventures that happened there.

Looking back, it’s easy for me to lament my past mistakes and kick myself for my foolishness. Sure, I wish I read most of these stories sooner than I did, but in some ways I think I read them at just the right time. Instead of reading these books because I had to for school, I read them because I want to enjoy the ride. I can read them with my adult mind, while still viewing the stories through childlike wonder.

It reminds me of what C.S. Lewis said before The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. As a teenager I had grown out of fairy tales, but now I’ve reached an age where I not only enjoy them again; I love them dearly. So go find a book you’ve heard so much about but never got a chance to reading. Pull up a chair, drink some tea or coffee, and let your mind wander on a path you’ve never ventured down before.

We’re never too old to go back and read a book we missed as a child. Those timeless pages aren’t going anywhere, and they will wait as long as it takes for us to come around and discover them. I’ve been wise to change my ways and find new worlds to discover that friends mention, smile, and travel back to with their mind’s eye.

I’m about to embark into the world of Perelandra, and I have no idea what to expect. Won’t you join me? Maybe not to Perelandra, but perhaps you would prefer Mossflower or The Wheel in Time? Don’t worry, as long as we have breath in our lungs and a willing imagination, there’s more adventures in store, and that’s a magical thing!