Books

Books and I have a history. It all  started when I was really little. My first favorite memory of childhood was my Mom sitting me up on her lap and reading to me. It was our special time and it fueled a love for books that I carry in my heart today.
I don't really like the idea of reading a book on a computer. I want to hold the book, smell it and turn the pages.
As I grew so did my love for reading. Books took me to faraway places where I lived in a castle in England or roamed the open range of the old west, sleeping out under the stars with my horse tethered nearby. I was Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird and my eyes were opened up to racism and prejudice, things I had not experienced in my little town in Maine.
Some of my favorite books were Nancy Drew. I loved that girl detective, loved her so much I lied to some of my classmates and told them my mother was going to buy me a  Nancy Drew book every week.
When I was in the eighth grade I read Valley of the Dolls, one of my mother's books. I took it to school and had it sitting out on my desk, my teacher indignantly asked, "Does your mother know you're reading this book?" To which I replied, "Yes, this is her book."
By the time I reached high school books surrounded me. I always had a book handy to read. One of my tricks when I had been younger was to take a flashlight, hide under the covers with my book and read. If I heard my mother's footsteps I would quickly turn the flashlight out, she was none the wiser.
I devoured books, Herman Hesse, Richard Brautigan, Walt Whitman . I also read books on history,  a passion of mine that I still love.
Books still thrill me, there is something about a well written book that is like no other. A good writer paints pictures in your mind. A book I am currently reading is Dark Lover, a biography about Rudolph Valentino. Emily Leider is such a good writer I was transported to Italy in the year of 1895, I am currently in New York City where Rudolph is working as a dancer to earn a living. He is breaking into the acting business as I write this.

I just ordered a book called Just Kids, a memoir by Patti Smith. When that book comes in the mail, I will be that little kid in school who couldn't wait till the end of the day to get the books that I had ordered from the book flyer, only this time there's nobody to stop me from tearing that package open.