I am a bookworm.
My dad instilled at a young age on the importance of books. He always said a reader never lacked knowledge. He read - a lot. My mom would take a mesh sports bag (like football players use to carry their equipment) to our rinky-dink library and look through the books and pick out enough to pack the bag (usually 15-20). She would them take them home, he would choose the ones he would read and she would take the rest back. She did this at least once a week. So my dad would always have a book nearby and he was such a fast reader! The 10 or so books he would keep from the stock pile my mom chose for him - he would have done in a matter of days. The library soon knew us by name and would hold back or order books she thought Dad would enjoy.
I remember when my brother read the book "Pet Semetary" and told my dad that it was a good read. The next morning, Dad said - "You're right, it was a good read." He had read it in a couple of hours. He was a speed-reader (then again, the more you do something the better you become at it). He could look down the middle of a page and see the entire page. I can read at a pretty good pace but him reading was unreal.
So, yes books have always been a thing in our home. So when I had kids, I wanted so desperately for them to be readers. I bought them books and read to them and tried everything to get them to enjoy a good book. My son won't read unless it is required of him. This saddened me for some time. He doesn't want to READ?! The horror!
Then I came to the realization that he just isn't a reader and I am okay with that. My daughter, on the other hand, is. Thank you, Jesus. I don't know if I could bear the thought of them both not wanting to read. She has her own small library of books and it warms my heart when she asks for a Barnes and Nobles gift card for Christmas or her birthday.
However, I fear that books are on their way towards extinction. I see everyone with their phones out, reading. Or I see Ipads, Ipods, Nooks, Kindles, etc. in every one's hands as they download and read the latest top seller. I want to snap them in half. Okay, maybe not that extreme but come one!
I had someone ask me not that long ago if I would enjoy a Kindle or some type of electronic book. "It would be easier, you can take it everywhere and it takes up less space."
NO! I don't want one, thank you very much. I ENJOY books and hello - I can take them anywhere just like your little gadget you got there.
I enjoy the smell of books. I enjoy holding them in my hands, feeling the cover as the spine crackles when I open it. I enjoy the feel of the pages as I slowly turn to enjoy the anticipation of the next page. I always wanted a house with the large libraries you see in the movies - walls and walls of books, large leather chairs, a cherry desk with books strewn about, rich carpets, fireplace and expensive art of people I don't know.
That is probably never going to happen however, I have convinced Matt into letting me transform our current living room into a small library and I couldn't be more thrilled. It took compromise - I let him make the downstairs into a theater room, therefore I am making the upstairs into a library. It's coming along nicely and am excited as I continually add to my collection.
Books - ahhhh, my love for them supersedes many other loves. I always wonder if it is in the genetic make-up or if it was just a learned behavior taken from my dad and seeing him with a book. It was normal in our household where Iphones and Ipads are normal for this generation.
It's sad really. Books are slowly becoming a dying breed. When you can't find a book anywhere (like trying to find a cassette or a vinyl), come to my house. You will always find one here.
I grew up in a house with a library and have very fond memories of searching the shelves for books of interest. Many were very old with leather covers and wonderful illustrations with fine tissue paper covering each one. I would sit in the big leather chair and look through the books and read. I have many books that belonged to my parents and grandparents and I treasure them. Some have little notes and jottings in my grandfather's hand. They are precious to me. Before my children were even born, I started collecting children's books for them, many that I remembered reading when I was young (many of my childhood books were destroyed in a fire.) When we moved to the area, one of my dreams was to have a room in which I could re-create the library I grew up with. While I have a long way to go, it is taking shape. It is so rewarding to see my daughters looking through the shevles to find some treasure they want to peruse. There is nothing like a REAL book, holding it in your hands, the smell of all those books, old and new on the shelves, turning the pages, grasping history in your hands.
ReplyDelete