Books I Love

Since I was young, I have loved to read. I more than likely got it from my mom who got it from her mom, and Nicole got it from me. (Unfortunately, most of the males do NOT like to read.) Anyway, I would read books by the dozen, re-reading old books of mine when I didn't have any new books to read. Because I have read so much though, I have to admit I can't remember hardly any of the books I have read.

However, there are books that for some reason have always stuck in my mind, the #1 being:

I remember checking this out of the Sunnyside library when I was in junior high and I just loved this book. And I know I checked it out over and over again to read it. It was just a sweet romance between teenagers and made me always want to get a boy's ID bracelet to show we were going steady. Sadly it has been out of print forever and it goes for $1000 on Amazon, and I would love to have it, but not for that much. And I'm not the only one; I've seen message boards with women asking for this book too. I wish the publisher would reprint it, but until that happens (and I'm not holding my breath), I guess I'll just have to wish from afar for it.

Another book that I loved to read was:

It is set in California about a young girl (12ish which is about the age I read this) who finds a secret room filled with books and she loves sneaking away and going to this velvet-draped room to read and dream. Since I loved to read, this resonated with me and has always stayed in the back of my mind.

As my teenage years went by I know I still read a lot, but "being in love" and all that jazz, I don't remember much of what I read. There was Valley of the Dolls I know, and I enjoyed that, along with the movie. When Danielle Steel came along in the late 70s, I devoured all of her books, along with the V. C. Andrews series. My favorite and the one I remember the most of Steel's is

and it was very romantic and sad but then they find each other again through incredible odds and make you believe in love. (Yeah, sure.)

V.C. Andrews' book

was creepy and incestuous and made you distrust your own grandma and not want to eat powdered sugar donuts anymore. But I know I read that book more than once too.

Sometimes I wish I had made a running list of books that I have read just to see how many there were. Sometimes when I pick up a book I can start reading it and know right away I've read it before, while others I get a nagging feeling I have but just can't remember for sure.

The sad part is, now I hardly read at all, and not for lack of time or books, but just because I don't feel like it much any more. I do go to the library and pick out a huge stack of books, hoping that they'll make me want to read, and I might actually read a couple, but then the rest just sit there, getting renewed time after time, until I finally give in and take them back. It's been like that since we've lived here in Virginia and I don't know why.

But, at least I have read. I know how to read. And I remember the books that were important to me. And I'm not giving up reading. Who knows, maybe the stack of books I have now from the library with inspire me again. We'll see.

I still love books.