Favorite book when you were 12?

[DaSDGuy]

Read these when I was about 8 years old - The Lensman series.

Those are a series of science fiction novels by American author E. E. "Doc" Smith. It was a runner-up for the 1966 Hugo award for Best All-Time Series, losing to the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov.

 

[RoseRed]

And sometimes the changes they made to the movie.

Read Fatherland by Robert Harris, then saw the movie with Rutger Hauer. Totally different endings and paths to the end.

Blade Runner was like that too. Not the same story as Do Andriods Dream Of Electric Sheep.

Haven't read or seen those either.

 

[vraiblonde]

I've never read that one, nor have I seen the whole movie.

You'd like the book

 

[Grumpy]

I started reading a ton when I was 10, kept at it until the early 1990s when I discovered the internet. When I was 12, I was probably reading anything by Jack London, and the Mel Martin series of baseball books.

Forgot, had/read a bunch of the Tom Swift books also

 

[DogWhisperer]

Why 12? I read mostly school books and wasn't let back into the house until about 8pm most nights.

 

[jrt_ms1995]

I don't remember 12.

Weren't you already employed at Gilligan's Child Labor Hut then? Easy to see why you've suppressed the memory.

 

[stgislander]

Weren't you already employed at Gilligan's Child Labor Hut then? Easy to see why you've suppressed the memory.

I was the whipping boy.

 

[jrt_ms1995]

Blade Runner was like that too. Not the same story as Do Andriods Dream Of Electric Sheep.

So true.

 

[Blister]

Pretty sure mine was The Hobbit around that age.

 

[rio]

I was reading smut by Judy Blume, and still one of my all time favorite books and movies "The Outsiders" by SE Hinton.

 

[stgislander]

I was 12 in 1969. As I remember, this was my favorite.
I still have my copy, which was the 1964 hardback edition.
View attachment 174964

I didn't read the book, but back in the late 60's I had a Tarzan lunchbox.

 

[spr1975wshs]

Why 12? I read mostly school books and wasn't let back into the house until about 8pm most nights.

Idea from a thread to which I responded on Twitter.

 

[Ken King]

For me it was probably the Alden"s catalog, looking at stuff I knew I would never get.

 

[my-thyme]

......wasn't let back into the house until about 8pm most nights.

 

[SamSpade]

Read these when I was about 8 years old - The Lensman series.

Those are a series of science fiction novels by American author E. E. "Doc" Smith. It was a runner-up for the 1966 Hugo award for Best All-Time Series, losing to the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov.

And in retrospect, probably should have won. I've still only made it about halfway - and at this point, probably ought to rewind a book or two, because I've forgotten so much. Admittedly, I'd never heard of them until I'd read that J. Michael Straczynski drew inspiration for Babylon 5 from that series.

And you read them - at 8? Man.

 

[DaSDGuy]

And in retrospect, probably should have won. I've still only made it about halfway - and at this point, probably ought to rewind a book or two, because I've forgotten so much. Admittedly, I'd never heard of them until I'd read that J. Michael Straczynski drew inspiration for Babylon 5 from that series.

And you read them - at 8? Man.

My parents always encourage us to read. We actually had time limits each day so we would stay active outside, sorta like kids with good parents have nowadays with their electronics.

 

[SamSpade]

My parents always encourage us to read. We actually had time limits each day so we would stay active outside, sorta like kids with good parents have nowadays with their electronics.

You know what I just realized? My parents noticed that I liked Star Trek back in the late 60s and early 70s - and they chose a book by a writer of one of their episodes (Harlan Ellsison) - and a book by the only sci-fi writer they knew of, Ray Bradbury - and bought me those, for Christmas. By the time I entered college, I had over a hundred sci-fi books, subscriptions to Analog, F&SF and Locus newszine.

Sadly, somewhere in college, I stopped reading for enjoyment - and I still struggle to do that now. I suppose part of it is that if I DO read, I read history or commentary or technical material - because somehow, I've convinced myself that my need to be smarter and know more things is greater than the value of reading just to enjoy it. Same thing with music - arrived in college with dozens of records, tapes, eight tracks, a stereo system - and a penchant for buying albums JUST TO LISTEN TO THEM as though I were reading a book. Lost that somewhere.

 

[Gilligan]

I was addicted to the Tarzan series, all the John D. McDonald "Travis McGee" books, and anything/everything written by Louis L'Amour. Plus pretty much everything else I could get my hands on...I was a voracious reader then and still am now.

 

[CPUSA]

The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers series of books.
And there was this book of Greek Mythology that we had in the house

 

[Kyle]

The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers series of books.
And there was this book of Greek Mythology that we had in the house

I had forgotten the Musketeers.