Book Worm

I love to read. I usually have 3-4 books going at any one time: a fiction novel or memoir, something for personal/professional development, and a book on history/current events. It’s safe to say that I have an addiction to books. As addictions go, there are worse in the world. This one doesn’t involve needles and my brain gets a great work-out. The hard part is finding shelving space for my collection.

This addiction is genetic, I inherited it from my mom. By the time I was walking, I already had an impressive library of Dr. Seuss, Frog and Toad, and Beatrice Potter stories. My mom read to me every night before bed when I was young. I have always had a library of books to access, be it my own or my mom’s. When I was a toddler, my mom invested in a series of fairy tale books that came with cassette tapes. Anytime I wanted to hear a story, I could just pop a cassette in my brown Fischer Price tape player and push play. The tape dinged when it was time to turn the page. I was never without a way to hear a good story from that day forward.

In second grade my teacher, Ms. Taylor, introduced me to a book about Helen Keller and I became obsessed. I read everything I could find about her. Later, Abraham Lincoln was my reading fixation. Eventually, I was introduced to Madeline L’Engle and Luis Lowery and read as many of their books as I could find.

In junior high, I was into R.L. Stein, Christopher Pike, and the Gymnasts series. I borrowed my mom’s copy of Rosemary’s Baby when I was 14. I read it in just a few days…in the very old house I grew up in…after dark. It was (and still is) the scariest book I had read, but it was my first step into adult fiction…and what a step!

My freshman and sophomore years of high school, I was deep into reading Star Trek books. I read on the school bus and any moment I could get between classes. The books provided a shield from the rejection I experienced those first two years of high school. I was a fat, smart kid who wore glasses and hand-me-downs, which made me an easy target for bullies. I discovered that as long as I had my nose in a book, people mostly left me alone.

I read some in college, but not as much as in K-12. Most of my time reading in college involved textbooks, but I always found time to read the latest edition in the Harry Potter series. I picked up reading for pleasure again after grad school. A friend of mine turned me onto Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, and books by Ann Patchett.  I have had a book in progress ever since.

Books are my friends and teachers. They provide me transportation to places I can’t experience on a daily basis. They are also far cheaper than a plane ticket and don’t require any vacation days to visit. They teach me about the world and help me connect more to myself. I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by readers, so I am always able to find a new good book to read. There is truth to the saying, “So many books. So little time.” I doubt I will ever be able to finish my reading list.  It grows larger by the day.

I want to share some of my favorite books here. The first Wednesday of each month I will post a review for a book I enjoyed. My hope is that I will provide you with another good story to add to your reading list.

May you never reach the end of that list.