I can't actually remember how young I was when I first discovered my love of reading. I'm certain it was while I was sitting on my mom's lap or snuggled up against her on the sofa while she read to me. My Mom was read to by her mom and I can attest her love of reading by the fact that Grandma has piles of books in her house too! I cannot remember a time when I didn't see my mom carrying some book around with her. Seriously, if you were to look inside her purse you'd find a wallet, tissues, some candies and a book. If she's got a book, she's set! I never need to worry about bringing books when I visit her....she's got her own little library that I can borrow from.
It was providential that she landed a job at the public library in our little town of Unity. And even luckier for me that I had my very first job as a librarian's assistant. What did that entail? Stamping books, finding book cards, reshelving books and dusting the books...yup...dusting.the.books. When all my work was done on a shift I was able to read. Yup, right again...I was able to read while working! What a treat! And read I did! I don't think there was a book in the junior/young adult section that I didn't get to. I loved the chance to drop into another place and time and walk through situations with the characters.
Now just because I enjoyed reading and still do, don't think that I'm some great literary genius enjoying books that are recommended by the uber bookish elite. Nope, not me. You'll never find me joining a book club to dissect a novel. I'm all about being entertained by the fluff of fictional novels. I'm sure much to Mr. Sego's dismay, his entertaining and engaging English classes never created a literary critic. He made the class come alive with how he'd read aloud portions of a book, giving each character their own voice...keep in mind this was in senior high....not the coolest thing to do, but I think we'd have a hard time finding anyone that didn't enjoy it! He made reading the classics interesting. So I may not have followed up on his challenges to dig deeper into a book, but I will always be grateful for him introducing me to one of my favorite books of all time...."To Kill A Mockingbird".
I have been looking forward to this time of the year for a while now. Things slow down a little bit photo-wise and I relish the time I get to read. My library card is wearing out! And Garth will often mock me about the stack of books on my side of the bed and why I need to add to it when it's already a couple feet high.
I'm excited to sit down with these latest editions to my pile and get lost in some stories. If you've got a book to recommend, leave a comment and I"ll give it a shot, just don't expect me to dissect it!
