Ode To The Library
It’s National Library Week!
In honor of this, I dug out a blog I wrote for Harlequin about 5 years ago. My husband says I remember books like most people remember old friends. In a way, I guess that’s true. I remember where I was when I read some of my favorite novels. I remember books that I had to stay up all night to finish, and books that were so emotional that I started crying while reading.
Do you happen to have any book memories like that? Or, perhaps you have a fond library memory? If so, I’d love to hear about the books or your library! Tomorrow, we’ll continue on with Mary’s interview and the Ray of Light Giveaway.
And don’t forget, the Kindle and Nook editions of Daybreak are still on sale for $1.99!
Thanks for stopping be~ blessings, shelley
Every so often I rediscover the public library. We have a number of small branch libraries near us. I have four to choose from within a thirty minute drive, since we’re in the middle of two counties. Like many of you, my books of choice are rarely in our libraries-at least not right away. I seem to usually get my books from the bookstore or amazon.com. However, every now and then I get in the habit of reading something new-and that’s where the libraries come in.
Does your town have a good library? The best one I ever lived near was in Mesa, Arizona. Right after I graduated college, I took a one-year contract to teach fifth grade and moved to Mesa, sight unseen. Looking back, that year was certainly a transition one for me. I had just gotten engaged, but my fiancée was living in Dallas. I didn’t know anyone. In addition, my dad helped me pick out my apartment-which, unfortunately, took exactly half my month’s paycheck. So, I had no friends, no boyfriend, no family, little money, and taught a darling group of rough-around-the-edges ten year olds. When I wasn’t grading papers or developing lesson plans, I hung out at that Mesa Library. What a place that was-they had a whole section of romances! Plus, there were places everywhere to sit and read and look at magazines. It became the highlight of my Saturday morning routine.
I know exactly where my love of the library came from-my mom. When we first moved to Houston, our suburb only had a very small library in a single-wide trailer. They switched out the books on a pretty regular basis, so entering those stacks was like Christmas-almost all new books every month! My first favorite book was The Little Match Girl. I still remember the drawings of that poor little girl, selling matches in the cold! I think the librarian made sure that book was one of the few that never ventured far from the trailer. I checked it out as often as possible.
When I was in middle school, the trailer was replaced by a beautiful big, stone building! By the time high school came around, it was the perfect place to do all our research and study. Well, pretend to study. There’s nothing quite like sitting across a rectangular table with a boy you like…all while pretending to research honey bees or the Alamo. That library also had the most delicious sets of Harlequins and regencies by Barbara Cartland. I still recall how grown up I felt checking out those regency romances for the first time.
In our libraries in Cincinnati, you can now get Internet access, check out CDs and even get whole seasons of television shows. All for free! My son, a high school senior, just went to ‘study’ at the library for the first time the other day. I later found out there just ‘happened’ to be five or six of his friends there, too. Maybe going to the library isn’t a thing of the past, after all.
So, what am I reading now? A whole series of mysteries by Margaret Maron. I picked one up because there were twelve of her books-series reading bliss! I’m anxious to stop by there this afternoon and see what else they have that’s new.
What about y’all? Anyone still go to the library? Have a favorite library book? And what about your kids? Have they discovered the wonders of old books, stacks of novels, and the giddy feeling of still having to whisper to have a conversation?
