B is for Books ...
August 9, 2007 at 8:08 AM
by Ashleigh
To continue in the theme of childhood memories I bring you ... the library with it's belly full of books.
I learned to read very quickly as soon as I started school at 4. My mom was always reading so I suppose it was pretty normal for me to lose myself in books as soon as I could .
Mom had a membership at the town library which was really like a shrine for her - in place of any religion, the Church of Books.
Mom would stub her cigarette out as we approached the steps, her high heels clicking, and then we'd enter the library. It was very old-fashioned, with red ox-blood floors, library cards that had to be stamped and written out by hand, a bespectacled blue-rinsed old lady behind the counter and absolutely no noise, ever.
As we entered the library we'd face the desk and then on the far side of the desk on the left was the children's section. To the right was the adult section.
This section had a special sign written in bold on the wall 'Ashleigh is not allowed here until she is 10.'
Not really, but it felt like it at the time!
I read systematically through the children's section and finally got permission for the adults where I was allowed to read books like Jean Plaidy's historical romances. Later I discovered thrillers.
To say I was a voracious reader would be an understatement. I read all the time.
I was voracious in another way though. I had a habit of tearing off the margins of the pages, rolling them into balls and chewing them and then swallowing them! I'm surprised my insides survived that.
Gives a new meaning to the term 'devour a book'.
Right?
Comments
Oh, Jean Plaidy. I loved her, and read everything I could lay my hands on, including the books she wrote under the names Victoria Holt and Philippa Carr.
I'm enjoying this alphabet meme. I started my own last year but gave up after a few letters!
I liked the Kevin Cook dictionary very much, and so did my hubby.
The reading sounds familiar. I'm currently trying to put our book collection in librarything (add .com en www for the url), but haven't managed to get more in than our SF en Fantasy section, which is about a third of what we have. Thrillers are after Romans in the bookcases, so we can't compare those yet ;)
Going Postal!! My absolute favourite Terry Pratchett!
I also remember with what great anticipation I awaited the day I could move from the kids' section of the Walmer Library in PE to the adults section! My absolute favourite books as a child were Orlando books - the adventures of a cat. And then, of course, came Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys.
I remember sneaking my mom's copy of The Women's Room off the shelf at home when I was about 12 and MAN was she angry! Good times, good times.
August 10, 2007 2:29 PM