The other night I took my little sisters to the library with me and it was so good to be there. It had just been such a long time since I'd been at the library and once I was there, my heart rested.
The library has always been so special to me. I used to go there and spend so much time reading the backs of books and sometimes opening to the middle and reading a paragraph just for fun. I used to get giant piles of books to read and, while attempting to walk out to the car, I would always drop some off of my stack. Back before the interwebs were as distracting to me as they are now, I could read a book a day. My life was full.
I'm not quite sure what happened and why I don't read so much now. I think I maybe just got busy and then slowly forgot how incredible reading is. I used to look down on people who said, "I just don't have time to read" because, duh, make time and you'll have time! And then I became one of those people. I still believe that if you make time, you'll have time, but it seems like during the school year there is no time to make.
But then I came home for the summer and, you guys, it's wonderful. Books. Reading. Words. I love it all.
I am so happy that I have this whole summer to read. I'm going to relish every minute and every page and every word and every sentence and then school is going to start again and I'm going to try to read more but it isn't going to work.
But it's okay. Because college has a library. I don't think a lot of people agree with me on this, but I love the Clemson University library. I know it holds a lot of blood and sweat and tears and panic and last-minute cramming and bad coffee and late-night hysteria, but I love it.
Like everyone else, I do study in there and do homework in there and drink bad coffee in there (although I've heard Java City's coffee is better than Harcombe's) and try to physically insert the knowledge into my brain (unsuccessful. Every time.) and cry in there occasionally. But come on, it's a library. It holds so much knowledge. Being in there calms me...until I get really focused on homework and I forget where I am and start to panic way a lot. But I love it most of the time.
However, back to reading. I love getting a big tower of books to read and the feeling in my heart when I walk out and just my excitement to read all of them as soon as I possibly can because I so much just love stories. I love love them. I feel like I overuse the word "love" but nothing else describes my feelings so I'm just going to stick with it.
When I was at the library the other night, I got to help my sisters pick out books. They're both perfectly competent and can pick out their own books, but I kind of made them let me help them. It was so fun thinking about the books I liked when I was their age and I took way too long to help but no shame. I introduced Grace to Janette Oke, who I loved when I was in middle school, and every time I saw a familiar title I just got more and more excited and I may have not been very quiet. And then when I helped Sallie, I got to go back to the children's section. It was smaller than I remember it being, but I kept on seeing all of these books that I had completely forgotten existed! I loaded those girls up with good books to read.
Being back in the children's section made me a little sad because I knew I didn't belong there. I'm too tall and the reading level is (apparently) too short for me. But there were so many good stories and good memories of reading those stories over and over and over. I was never one of those little girls who was obsessed with horses, but there was this one book called Riding Freedom that I read so so many times, and I read every book by Sharon Creech at least six times.
In short: I like to read. A lot. When I was younger I used to read instead of doing my homework because, why not? Reading is so much more interesting than homework. And it's good for you. Most kids got grounded when they were in trouble, but when I was in trouble, my parents took my books away from me.
Reading is so good for you though. I am telling you right now. Do it.
I love writing, and I want to be a better writer, and you know what I realized yesterday? Your writing is only as good as what you read. It's kind of like "you are what you eat." I like literature, but also I have a secret fondness for teen novels...and not the award-winning teen novels. The ones about summer romances. I mean I guess it's not so secret now that it's on the internet, but I love those, and they are not really literature. So if I want to be able to write things of actual substance with a less predictable plotline, I should probably read a variety of different books, by different authors, from different time periods and of different genres.
Reading has had such an impact on my life. I was the best reader in my 1st grade class (not to brag or anything...also I promise I've had other accomplishments since then) and I spent all of my childhood reading. Especially at boring grown-up parties.
I was thinking recently and realized that I've learned so many life lessons from reading so much. I really think reading sped up my moral development somewhat. I want to share some of those life lessons so these are the main things I learned from some of my most favorite books:
A Lantern in Her Hand by Louise Aldrich - you may not get the chance to fulfill every childhood dream you have, and that's sad, but all hope is not lost! Your children can achieve those dreams and it is awesome to watch them be successful and realize your own dreams.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - don't take your money for granted and don't be a brat and don't be a floozy because it's not cool and will make your life sad and awful. Also the South will rise again!
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - be confident in yourself, even if you think you're being haunted by the dead wife of your new husband who is 15+ years older than you.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - the relationship between a father and his daughter is absolutely irreplaceable and so important. Also you are capable of more than you know.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - no matter the changes in your life, no matter how dull or exciting or traumatic, the tree outside of your window grows at a steady rate and one day, you'll realize that both of you are all grown up. (the tree outside of my window is metaphorical, because I don't even have a window in my room, but in the book there's a real tree)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett - you don't have to be rich to be classy. You can be a princess without having any material possessions because a true princess is a daughter of the King.
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - ask questions about things. Love people. Be content with yourself (if you're not, you might accidentally die your hair green) because yourself is awesome and adorable.
And that, my dear friends, is why I love words.
Love,
Lauralicious
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