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A Love Of Books

Some people hate rainy days. I don’t, especially on a day off from work when it forces me to stay indoors. Those raindrops give me the perfect excuse to grab one of the dozen or so books I have wanted to read over the past few years and settle in for some page-turning time. Yes, years. The older I get the longer it takes me to finish a book as reading tends to encourage sleepy eyes.

That’s pretty sad for someone who enjoys reading almost if not more than writing. I appreciate a good story filled with twists and turns such as those in well-written mysteries. Or if feeling a bit blue I can pick up a light-hearted romance novel or one of the those fun stories that includes actual recipes.

My love of books and reading started before my first years of schooling. My brothers and sisters would play act “school” and books were part of the game. They would show me words and I probably memorized them more than actually sounding them out and reading them.

As I entered first grade, the love of books jumped up a few notches when the teacher passed out new textbooks for each of us. The feel and smell of those new work books in my hand was magical. Next came those hardback readers that held pictures and stories I can remember to this day. I couldn’t wait to learn to read and I was among the lucky ones who picked up the skill without a hitch.

In first grade — two classrooms totaling more than 70 kids at St. Michael School — we were paired up with classmates to help each other with our reading skills. Someone who could read well was to help the student who was having trouble. I think it worked pretty well because, at the age of 7, we weren’t competing. We all just wanted to be able to read.

Just about everyone in my family has seen the beauty and adventure in reading. The daily newspaper was part of our everyday reading. Our parents were generous, too, in stocking the tall, built-in bookshelf that is tucked into the front hall of our family home. Classics such as “Robinson Crusoe” and “Little Women” were there along with books about animals and birds, western novels, mysteries and other appealing titles.

One evening after school I was allowed to tag along with an older sister to the library when it was located on Market Street in Center Wheeling. I remember climbing a tall staircase only to see more books in one place than I could ever have imagined. It was a candyland for readers.

Since those early days, I have had my nose in a book whenever I can. I keep a book in the car, one next to the bed and another in the living room. I’m never without words.

Reading takes me on journeys I will never travel in real time. Diving into a book or settling in with the Sunday newspaper takes me — even if only temporarily — from the cares of the day. It entertains, it calms, it can make me laugh or serve up a dose of tears.

Stories, whether real or fictional, can brighten a rainy day with a single turn of the page.

Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.

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