Helen

I come from a long line of book lovers.  My father’s mother was the librarian in the small town of Milford, Utah.  As a result she and her husband were permitted to live in a room at the library.  My father, their oldest, was born in the library and he has been passing down his love of books to his children all through his life.  I can remember as a child going to used book stores with him.  We had so many books around the house that nearly every room had book shelves. 

From second grade until the end of my sophomore year in high school, all four of the girls in my family shared the same room.  We had 2 bunk beds, a couple of dressers, a five foot wide bookcase, and a couch in our room and still dad found room for 6 more bookshelves.  Sharon and I, the two oldest daughters slept on the two top bunks and Jo Ann and Holly, the bottom.  Above both of the top bunks, Dad had built 3 book shelves.  Unlike my friends, there was no room on the walls for posters of pop stars of the day.  During the 1971, 7.2 earthquake in the San Fernando Valley, I was covered in books as they were shaken from the shelves around 6 am.  This was a very creative way to get books into your system.  Sharon is an avid reader and used to stay up late at night and read with a flashlight under her covers.  I wasn’t as interested in reading growing up and confess I did more picture looking than actual reading.  I enjoyed the touch and feel of books and loyally protected my older sister anytime dad and mom asked about her late hours engrossed in a novel.

My mother’s father was an avid reader.  He was a farmer by trade, a chicken rancher, but he would arise at o’ dark thirty before he began his chores and study at his antique roll top desk.  He had lost part of three fingers in an accident but I still remember how he would caress a book with his weathered hands.  Mother took us to the library every two weeks to get new books.  It was a fun outing and I usually checked out the 10 book limit.  And because of her love of books and love for dad she was very agreeable about all the book shelves all over the house and the funds tweaked out of a very tight budget for book purchases.

When I was in high school and college I began to do a lot of reading and that is when all the exposure to books growing up bore fruit.  I love to read and my personal library consists of a bunch of bookcases filled with books I have collected over the years, another with my juvenile library and books always laying around in most rooms of my home.  I have a stack of books that I want to read that never seems to be exhausted.  It is like a well of water, no matter how many times you drink from it, there is always more water waiting to drink in.  I much prefer to purchase books rather than check them out of the library.  Three years ago a branch of the Davis County Library was built within walking distance so I have become a regular there, especially enjoying the novel section.  If it is non-fiction, I choose as often as I think my budget will allow to order it off the Internet or buy at a local bookstore so I can underline and save for future perusing. 

One of my favorite outings is browsing through a bookstore.  There are several new bookstores that I drop in from time to time but I also love a used bookstore. These are places that I can easily lose track of time.  I often surf Internet sites with books for sale but in the end it is so much more rewarding to have the live experience of holding a book in your hands and leafing through the pages to get a sense for the content. 

When my children were growing up, I spent many years reading to them while they were eating their breakfast.  It was a time we had together before school when they were all together and busy eating.  I would often, especially when they were younger, read stories to them at bedtime but never limited story reading to any certain time time of day.  Just like the tradition my mother set when I was growing up, I took my children to the library, encouraged them read and love books and they now have book collections of their own.  And now I am taking my grandchildren to the library when they are visiting.

I have enjoyed writing and was required to do a lot of it in college.  Over the years I have written essays and kept a journal plus done some policy writing in my profession.  And I have the desire to write my own book.  I have some thoughts knocking around in my head and several outlines in pencil but no manuscript yet.  A book authored by yours truly is in my future, I can feel it.