My mother always read to me, and she made sure to choose stories that I would like: fairy princesses, castles, magic, and happy endings. To me, literature has always been something that I go to for solace or in my spare time. I come to literature expecting to be entertained, not to be unsettled at the end. I think this says that I am a romantic at heart, and very optimistic.
My expectations come from all of my happy memories of reading: in bed, under the covers with my mom sitting on my bean bag reading aloud, or the whole family sitting in the living room taking turns reading stories (we were a bit like the Little House on the Prairie family that way).
As I got older, I realized that I was the only person in any of my classes that actually read the assigned books. I was horrified (and still am) that my friends bragged about their parents buying them Cliffs Notes. I wanted to read, wanted to be the first to finish the book, and was bitter when everyone else got the same grades when they didnt read at all. I guess that is still part of my personality, that I get mad when others reap the benefits of no work. I really wrestle with giving people notes when they never came to class to take notes themselves. My sense of fairness is very cut and dry, and I am not forgiving to those who have violated my trust, or even the trust of characters that I like in the book I am reading.
Normally I am a very giving person, easy-going and affable. I am a strong believer in spending time with family. Im a bit old-fashioned, I want a white picket fence and a boy and a girl (whose names are already picked out). Im a hopeless romantic, and have been planning my wedding since I was nine (and it is definitely not imminent).
My family has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor. Im not a big fan of slapstick comedy, but Ive always liked satires and spoofs. The Princess Bride is the culmination of everything I love in a book: romantic, smart, funny, entertaining, and a bit sarcastic. And of course, better than the movie.