Ah, Books...

I have a bit of an obsession with books. Not just with reading them, but the physical make-up itself. It doesn't matter how many times I walk into a library or a bookstore, I always have the same quaint experience. First, it's the unmistakable smell - the indescribable, but clearly identifiable, combination of new and aged paper and leather with musky and woodsy notes. While the world outside is rumbling with conversation and laughter, engines and sirens, and any other noises that ring the facts of life into our ears, the library invites us into the quiet. A place where we can study, contemplate, organize, plan, or just simply take a trip with our imagination. If I'm having a rough week and the kids are a fuss, a trip to the library is just the thing we need. I'm always amazed how quickly they settle, studying page after page without a word.

It's interesting how my perception of books has changed over the years. As a young child, I watched my mother immerse herself in books quite often. I remember taking frequent trips to the local second-hand store where she would sift through unorganized mounds of books, picking out her selection carefully for just ten cents each. I would pick out my own selection, taking care to get the ones with the most interesting cover and illustrations. Then without a second thought, I would catch up with my sisters at the large box of used toys where the real treasures could be found. By early middle school, reading was more of tool for learning than an enjoyable pastime. From time to time, due to utter boredom, I read books from the Boxcar Children Mysteries series and The Baby-sitters Club by Apple Paperbacks, which I did enjoy. But watching Who's the Boss and Saved by the Bell was time much more well spent than time spent reading.

It wasn't until the summer before eighth grade that a book really sparked my excitement for reading. It started with another summertime trip with my mom to the second-hand store. In my mom's search for her summertime reads, she got my attention with a couple of teen romance books she ran upon. One of them, Megan the Klutz, by Alida Young, had a cover I'll never forget. An average girl in a mortifying situation, while a popular boy finally takes notice (pictured above). It was probably the first book that I couldn't put down until the end. That's also the summer I received my first real kiss. I believe it was that book, along with my first summer romance, that likely fueled my love for reading romance.

After cleaning out the second-hand store of their stock of teen romances, I convinced my mom to sign me up for a teen mail-order book club. I still remember the unexpected emotions that Don't Die, My Love pulled from my heart. That book, by Lurlene McDaniel, made me ball like a baby! It was the first time I realized how much a book could, not only entertain, but move its reader - even change them. It's a book I kept even to this day. Remember Liz and Jessica Wakefield? Yep, I belonged to the Sweet Valley High book club too. It's when I read my first historical romance. The Sweet Valley Saga: The Fowlers of Sweet Valley. I'm pretty sure I still have that book too.

Today, I have kids of my own, and I encourage them to read every day - fiction and non-fiction alike. I almost never say no to the purchase of a new book because I know it is money well spent. My love for reading is one of the reasons I began writing. As many books as there are available on the market today, I still believe there are even more stories to be told. There are books needed to educate, warn, promote, and stir emotions. They're needed to entertain, uplift, show empathy, give hope, or simply tell a story (fact or fiction). I believe books can be powerful and make a difference in people's lives. This is why books will continue to be written and why people will continue to read.

What sparked your love for reading? Has a book ever changed your life?