One of the treasures I learned to value very early in my life was a good book. I was fascinated with books before I learned how to read. When my older brother started school he came home and read his books to me. Books were readily accessible in our family household as our parents controlled access to the one and only television. Picture books fueled my imagination and when I started school reading naturally became my favorite subject.
As I entered my pre-teen and teenage years, my love of books did not diminish. I was a student who loved the time spent in the library. I read the classics, fiction, mythology, religion, autobiographies – whatever caught my interest. In the summer, I walked 1-2 miles in the middle of hot Houston days to go to the bookmobile that came bi-weekly to my neighborhood. All of my friends thought I was crazy reading so much while school was out.
I visited many beautiful places in the world, learned about other cultures, and plotted my life’s path all from books. I even raided my single aunt’s hidden collection of sexy romance novels and imagined the qualities of the lovers I wanted in my life. I must admit few lived up to those qualities and that is probably why I am single now.
Books have been my constant companion on business trips, road trips, and vacations giving me delight as I relaxed on beautiful beaches or sat in a solarium on cruise ships while traveling to some foreign port. The Kindle has made my relationship with books easier as I can carry my entire library with me now and keep my suitcase under 50 lbs.
When I think of life without books I recall an old Twilight Zone TV episode where a man truly loved books. All he wanted to do was read but at the expense of failing to do all else to the chagrin of his nagging wife. Then one day the world came to an end via an earthquake and he was the only person left. After he got over the shock, he realized he now had all the time to read. So, he went to the library. Just as he was settling in to read there was another tremor which caused his glasses to fall to the floor breaking into pieces. I could totally identify with the anguish that covered his face at that moment.
My definition of a good book is one that enhances knowledge, experience, compassion, belief, and faith which makes it one of the best things in life.
QUESTION(S)
Do you love a good book?
What is your definition of a good book?
Reblogged this on carollibrary.