How Did My Love of Books Begin?

A Childhood Full of Books and Stories 📚✨

I sometimes get asked where my love for stories began. The truth is, it was sparked at home, thanks to my parents.

My father worked as an electrician at a local oil refinery, and my mother—a laboratory technician who later became an author herself, writing several non-fiction books about the Finnish Civil War of 1918—both played a big role in shaping my love for books.

My mother always encouraged me to go to the library. I still remember when we moved to a new suburb when I was six years old. There wasn’t a library nearby, but that didn’t stop me. A library bus arrived in the neighborhood, and to a small girl like me, it felt like stepping into a magical wonderland. It was filled with shelves of books waiting to be discovered, each one holding a new adventure. I would totter home with such a pile of books that I could barely see over them!

At home, reading was a family affair. My father always brought a book to the dinner table, and so did I. Even my brother joined in, though his choice leaned more toward comics. It was that constant presence of books and stories that made me fall in love with storytelling. Before long, I started writing stories of my own, and that passion has stayed with me ever since.

Even now, I still read while eating my lunch at home (and sometimes at work too)—though these days, it’s often ebooks on my phone. Some habits, it seems, never fade.... With the time I spend writing, editing, and marketing my books, it’s often the only quiet moment I have to immerse myself in someone else’s story.

Looking back, I realize how much those early moments shaped the stories I write today. Bringing a book to the dinner table or visiting a library bus, sparked a lifelong love for stories.

I’d love to hear from you—what first inspired your love for reading? Was it a family tradition, a favorite book, or maybe even a library bus of your own?

A reader lives a thousand lives!

Leena

P.S. Speaking of stories, if you haven’t yet checked out Nephilim Quest or my other series, you can find them here. I’m editing the final book of the series (The Book of the Dead) every day.