Don’t ask me how I ended up with this book, I really couldn’t tell you. But, it was next in the pile so I picked it up and started reading. Before I knew it, I had reached the end. I do that. I have a hard time reading novels because once I become engaged, I have a hard time putting the book down. Even books that I am not all that fond of keep me up at night, probably because I am hoping that they will get better. That was certainly true of the book pictured above.
On the other hand, the book I finished last night, I couldn’t put down. I really just wanted to know how it all turned out. The story was very engaging and I seriously kept reading until way after 3 in the morning just so I knew what happened before I fell asleep.
I am much better with non-fiction. I do not stay up to all hours and I do not feel compelled to peek at the ending. So, I decided to take a break from novels just so that I get a decent nights sleep. Staying up to all hours is not helping me finish quilt tops and that is what needs to happen here tonight!
Reading is something that has always been a huge part of my summer. I remember as a child, curling up in a livingroom chair and reading Nancy Drew Mysteries or the Boxcar Children for hours. Then I would run to the library to return the books I read and take out another 4 books to start the process all over again. These days I still enjoy a good mystery and I can even be convinced to read a “beach” novel that does not take much concentration. My favorite books just happen to be memoir followed by some sort of non-fiction. This summer I have 3 “beach” reads selected to start with.
I started late, just last Wednesday or Thursday, but I finished my first book on Sunday. I have started my second book but it has been slow going since I have shop work to do most evenings. I haven’t forgotten my manifesto and I have been reading every day, but sometimes it is work related reading. When work is a quilt shop, the reading is all good! In fact, one of the books I am reading for work happens to be a book that I am thinking about using as a book club at the shop.
I am hoping to finish 10 books this summer and I am happy with my progress so far! Here’s to summer and the opportunity to read for enjoyment!
I remember visiting libraries since I was very young. I am not sure exactly how old I was the first time I visited a library, but I do remember that I was able to check out a Curious George book. We lived in Clifton then and heading to the library meant that my mother packed all three of us, myself, my brother and my sister in the car. No small feat, but my mother was and is a reader. She instilled a love of reading in me that still remains and I am grateful!
In 1966 we moved to the little town of Little Falls, a couple of miles down Route 46 from where we had lived in Clifton. I was 7 at the time and old enough to walk the two blocks to the public library on Warren Street. I loved that old library. While I was searching around the internet this evening I found the picture above and boy did it bring back memories. I remember having my library card, with the little metal plate on it. I remember walking up the stairs into the main door of the library and then walking down the stairs to the children's section.
Not long after we moved into town, the library was torn down to make room for a bigger building that could hold more books. Imagine, more books!
I remember coming into my own as a reader the summer between 4th and 5th grade. That was the summer of '68. I remember reading book, after book, after book. I remember the chart with all our names on it and adding a star each time I finished a book. I had lots of stars!
I read every Nancy Drew book I could get my hands on. I also read The Boxcar Children and a few of the Hardy Boys Mysteries. I remember sitting in one of the arm chairs in the livingroom and reading for hours. That was the year the From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was released and I devoured that book. Dreaming that I, too, would one day run away and hide in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I still read that novel aloud to my students.
The children's section of the library hasn't changed much since that time. Mark and I visited the library in Little Falls just two years ago and it all felt so familiar to me. I found this picture online tonight and I thought, yup, that's where I remember falling in love with Ned and solving the great mysteries of the world along side Nancy Drew.
The public library is such a cool place. A world of opportunities awaits inside its doors. The other evening, right after Mark and I left our book club meeting, I felt the need to go immediately to the library. It was so close!
It is at our public library that I explore new authors, re-visit old literary friends, borrow everything from books, to movies, to music and now, museum passes. I am so grateful for the gift that our library is and I am looking forward to finding new friends and treasures within its walls.
A few of the members of the writing group that Mark is involved in decided to start a Young Adult Book Club. Fortunately I was there during the initial discussion phase so I was included, but truly, the group is open to just about anyone who has an interest in YA literature!
The Fault in Our Stars was chosen as the first book. I promptly borrowed my niece's copy and set to reading it. I was so excited to be a part of a book club, I have never done that before.
This evening we met at Victorian Savories on the Boulevard in the Voorhees Town Center. Once we settled with the appropriate pastries and beverages we got to discussing!
As a teacher who promotes book discussions amongst her students I was very interested to see the way adults create connections for themselves. On more than one occasion someone mentioned another book that they had read, a movie they had seen, discussed a personal experience or hypothesized the author's reasoning for adding a specific piece of dialogue or choosing a particular location.
Tonight's experience gave me a tremendous amount of insight. Before September arrives I will be thinking about how to scaffold my little ones to have book discussions that are not only informative, but also engaging. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to share this evening with a very passionate group of readers! I was so inspired that I came home and finished the book I started just a yesterday, Three Times Lucky!
Next month we are reading, We Were Liars. I stopped by the library right away but all of their copies were checked out. Oh well, I have a few weeks!
