Back in the day when I was young I’m not a kid anymore…
I remember when I was really, really young, I loved those Read Along books, you know, the ones that started off like this: “you will know when it’s time to turn the page when you hear the chimes ring like this… ♪ ♫ring ♪ ♫” (Ok, this may be before your time...)
Luckily, my love of reading never died. In my early years, I
read a lot of Beverly Cleary books, wanting to keep up with Ramona’s angst and
Judy Blume’s Superfudge’s shenanigans. Then later on, I moved onto Christopher Pike as I approached the “tween” stage. Keeping with the drama/ horror genre, I
began reading Dean Koontz and Stephen King.
I remember when I was really, really young, I loved those Read Along books, you know, the ones that started off like this: “you will know when it’s time to turn the page when you hear the chimes ring like this… ♪ ♫ring ♪ ♫” (Ok, this may be before your time...)
I had the best memory. After a dozen or so times of “reading
along” with the cassette tape, I began to recite the book. One time, my aunt
was staying over with us and she thought I was already reading at 3 years old!
Luckily, my love of reading never died. In my early years, I
read a lot of Beverly Cleary books, wanting to keep up with Ramona’s angst and
Judy Blume’s Superfudge’s shenanigans. Then later on, I moved onto Christopher Pike as I approached the “tween” stage. Keeping with the drama/ horror genre, I
began reading Dean Koontz and Stephen King.
As an adult, I ran out of “favorite” authors. Since I’ve
never had a favorite book, I didn’t even have a “go to” response when someone
asked me about it a few weeks ago. Now, I at least have realized I like
stories. Whether they are non-fiction or fiction, they must move at a steady pace
and have good character development.
Since finishing school and settling back down in the “real
world”, I’ve been able to do a much better job of finding time to enjoy a good
book. Part of this stemmed from not having a TV (much less cable) and taking my
time getting the internet up and running. There are a few independent book
stores around here, and being Santa Barbara, there is no Barnes & Noble
within 30 miles.
 |
| Santa Barbara Public Library |
Truth be told, as much as I love books, all the moving back
and forth across the country has discouraged me from buying too many. After
all, those are the heaviest boxes to lift! Thus, I have been a frequent visitor
of the Santa Barbara Public Library. This system is ridiculous in that it
covers over 60 miles. Luckily there are 3 branches relatively close to where I
live and work.
I feel like libraries are considered old relics in these
e-reader days and even more so after Borders closed its doors. Admittedly, I
rarely went to the public library when I lived in San Diego, but it was one of the
first places I became acquainted with when I moved to Boston (and subsequently
Santa Barbara).
To my delight/ surprise, I found out you could also borrow DVDs
in addition to books. They may not have the latest season, but they have the
earlier ones, so if there was a time to catch up on a show you were meaning to
watch, they have a somewhat decent selection to choose from. And on top of
that, they are slowly but surely adopting to the e-reader craze and have
offerings for them too! (I still haven’t decided which one I want, so I still
go for the old school version with paper and ink.)
In any case, I'll be kickin' it old school at the libraries for as long as there is one around. Hmm.... perhaps I fit in to this retiree neighborhood better than I thought. (shudder!)
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