Love Affair

I have been an avid reader all my life, since I first learned to read at age five, and fell in love with the printed page. We did not have many books in our home, so I read what was available: magazines, newspapers and the books at school.

At the small rural school we attended, the number of books was limited. I went through them all, and when I had done so, I re-read some of them again and again. There were two books in particular that I recall: one I read 11 times, and the other 13! Many of the other books I read more than once, but I apparently didn’t keep count, though the number wasn't as great as those mentioned above.

When I began high school, the library was larger, and I started work on that. In English class, we had to read and make a book report, up to a certain number of points per year. In the first few weeks, I devoured as many books as possible, making a report on each one. One day I realized I had accumulated 80 points in short order, way over the required number. I thought, “Whoa! You have to stop reporting, or you will run out of new books for reports in later classes."

As the years went by, access to larger libraries and book stores became available. I might go in a book store looking for a specific book, and carry out an arm load of books. It was like that commercial about not being able to eat just one chip. I couldn’t go in a book store and come out with just one book. So I decided to limit my visits to book stores.

The cost of living being what it is today, and within the limits of my income, I now get most of my reading material from the library. Also, I have no space to keep many books in my current living arrangements.

Another problem was that, when I read a book, I became totally absorbed in it, and didn’t want to put it down until I finished reading it. So I didn’t read a lot of books when my children were young. I thought they were a greater priority for my attention, and I enjoyed spending time with them. Most of my reading material at that time, was newspapers and magazine short stories and articles, which could be read and put down in a short period of time, without neglecting the greater focus, my children. There you have it; after all these years, I’m confessing to a love affair - with books. One my husband couldn’t object to as long as he had sufficient attention also.