Book Lovers Anonymous

At the risk of showing my age, Dick and Jane is where my reading career began. Shortly thereafter my love affair with all things books blossomed, and when libraries entered the picture, well, lets just say that my life was complete. Being surrounded by all those books, free for the asking, is in my mind, one of life’s greatest pleasures.

A House of Books

Yes, libraries are my happy place. For me there is nothing like walking into that hushed atmosphere, wandering among shelves and shelves of books searching for the perfect one, then sitting in a quiet reading room enjoying your selection. It’s my idea of heaven….that is until the guy at the table next to you decides to have a conversation on his cell phone or open the cellophane wrapper on his granola bar. As you can see, I am very serious about my library reading experiences. In fact, not long ago, I suggested to my husband that perhaps in another life I was a librarian.

My obsession with books and libraries is well known in my family. Recently on a pre COVID trip to New York, my daughter was able to visit the holy grail of libraries, the New York Public Library. To say I was green with envy is an understatement, but she very thoughtfully returned with some gifts for me. One of them, I was surprised to see, pointed out that I have something in common with Albert Einstein. Who knew!

One of the most difficult issues during the COVID restrictions, has been my inability to spend time at the library. Seeing my angst over this, my wonderful husband went online and found a YouTube video tour of the New York Public Library for me. Its not quite the same, but desperate times call for desperate measures and I have watched it several times. I’ve also told my husband that when we are able to visit New York, the library, not Broadway will be at the top my list of things to do.

And my sisters don’t know this yet (well I guess they do now), but, when we are able to start travelling again, I am going to lobby for a change to our travel guidelines. In an attempt to introduce some much needed culture into our excursions, I propose that our itinerary will include a visit to at least one library during each Sisterhood trip. Not sure how far I will get on this one, but I’m determined.

It’s All in the Family

I am convinced that there is a genetic connection to my enthusiasm for reading. Before his passing our father would routinely read through three newspapers every morning. And proudly carrying on the family tradition, Big Sis also reads three newspapers every day while sipping her morning coffee. And let me tell you, woe be the person who calls and interrupts her morning newspaper reading…

I am not a huge newspaper reader, just the local daily for me, however recently my husband and I seem to have developed a penchant for magazines. One sign that perhaps we were going a little bit overboard on magazines occurred when our mailman was overheard commenting on how happy he would be if we did let a few of them lapse. We also like to discuss articles and books that we have both read. I am quite a fast reader, so I don’t always absorb all the minute details of what I read. My husband on the other hand reads more slowly and absorbs every last detail. Needless to say this makes for some interesting conversations. And because he reads slowly he does tend to get behind on all those magazines. It doesn’t seem to bother him, however, when he is reading something from six months ago.

That genetic connection continues with my children who both love to read. And when my favorite son-in-law was recently acknowledged by his local library as Reader of the Month it was one more piece of confirmation that he fits right in our family! I must admit to being just a teensy bit jealous of his award and am hopeful that our local library will take up my suggestion that they institute such an award and that I would be an ideal candidate.

Given that we are a family of readers, at my husband’s suggestion, we recently started a family book club. It has been great to hear each month about what other family members are reading and I’ve come away with great ideas for new books to read. But more importantly, it has turned into a great way to keep some semblance of togetherness when we haven’t been able see each other in person for such a long time. And it sure doesn’t hurt that it provides one more opportunity to connect with grandkids!

To “E” Or Not To “E”

I have purchased a lot of books in my time. Starting with Readers Digest Condensed Books in my teens and carrying on through my life to where they know me by name at Chapters, I now find that I’m having a few debates with my self about some book issues. The big one is whether I should stick with actual books or switch to an e-reader. I must confess that, when the Sisterhood travels I am a bit envious that Big Sis can pack a whole library in her purse on her e-reader, while I am fretting about my luggage being overweight because I have packed so many books. Despite this, in my mind there is nothing like the feel of an actual book. For me, the smell of the paper and the weight of the book in your hands as you turn the pages just can’t be beat. And as Big Sis points out, if you lose your e-reader you lose your whole library, which is something I’m not sure I could ever recover from. So for now, I’ll stick with the real thing.

All’s Well That Ends Well

By now you’re getting the idea that where books and reading are concerned I could go on and on. And I could, but I won’t. After all my years of reading good books and hanging out at the library, I’ve decided that there really is only one way to end this post and that is to say…

Read Any Good Books Lately?

We plan to publish a new post every Monday, so stay tuned for our next one entitled “You’re Never Too Young.”