The Nose in a Book Generation

I guess it comes as no surprise that I love to read.I started early.Miss Woronoski's Grade One class. Milk River Elementary School.Milk River, Alberta.I had the first seat, first row on the left. Next to the windows.And sitting on the cupboard beside me, my very. First. Book. Ever.The Cat in the Hat. By Dr. Seuss.I loved that book.Though I highly disapproved of Mr. Cat's antics.If you haven't read this classic, you just have to know: he was very disobedient.And made a HUGE mess.My little six-year-old heart nearly failed me.I could just see my Mom's reaction.Let's just say fur would be flying and leave it at that.It took me days to read it through the first time.I’m sure my gasps of shock and awe were notable throughout the entire room.And my thirty-plus schoolmates.Moving forward two years.For my eighth birthday, I received the amazing new invention, Lego.But that has nothing to do with this story.Ahem . . .I also received a book.Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase.And the world of ‘chapter books’ suddenly exploded in my life.In a totally non-violent, un-dynomitish way.Like the Cat in the Hat had two years before, it took me days to read it through the first time.And it changed my life.Suddenly I wanted to READ.I saved my allowance and the next time we went to the city, made my very first purchase of a book.Nancy Drew: The Ghost of Blackwood Hall. 
Chosen from among the vast selection because it had ‘ghost’ in the title.Yeah. It was pretty much a no-brainer.And it cost a whopping 49 cents.From that day forward, I was perpetually nose-deep in a book.Every waking minute.And stolen from a lot of my ‘should-be-sleeping’ ones.Because of me, Mom had to coin new phrases. “Diane! Get your nose out of that book and come and set the table!” “Diane! Put the book down and finish the vacuuming!”Or the ever popular, “Diane, it’s four in the morning! Go! To! SLEEP!”Yeah. It was a problem.Why am I telling you all this?Because my eldest grandson has discovered my hoard of Nancy Drew (and Hardy Boys, but that is a whole other story). He is at present working his way through the lot.Gramma is so proud.