Thursday, August 16, 2012

My Books~

Sound: SILENCE [I'm thinking Simon & Garfunkel. anyone else?]

Anyways, I'm scouring the internet because that's all I do in the evenings because let's face it, I'm not the most social person around and since my roommate hasn't arrived yet, I'm just super bored and hey, look! My computer needs company!

So I was just scouring another blog- but of course much more professional than my own- when I came across one of her posts about her favorite movie, You've Got Mail. Now my own mom is a big Meg Ryan fan and really, anyone from the 80-90's should be a Tom Hanks fan. I grew up watching a few films like that [so therefore I may blame the parental units on my hopeless romantic nature].



There were a few carefully chosen quotes from the film and really, Nora Ephron did a spectacular job in all of it. Kathleen Kelly, Meg Ryan's character, owned a cute little bookshop. Which I often fantasized about having my own one day but thanks to the stupid nook, ipads, and so on, that just might not work out.

Moving on, one of my favorite quotes posted would definitely have to be: When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.

And that got me to thinking, obviously.

To any who know me, and you all do, I love my books. I adore books. I breathe books. I used to carry at least one around constantly, if not too. Most of my purses that I have ever bought, I've tried to make sure that they will at least fit a paperback book. (All the purses I have now do fit one, if not two. And a notebook. And a water bottle. )

The books of one's childhood! Granted, at first I didn't enjoy reading. I was an active kid [wow, that's kind of hard to believe, huh?]. I wanted to hang out with the boys, I ran and chased the balls and everything. I wasn't necessarily great at any of them [I blame my height and bad vision and complete lack of competition which grew with time], but once upon a time in public school I was sort of popular.

But then I started reading with a vengeance! I remember this book about a kangaroo in Australia; I don't know where it went from there. I'm sure there was a dramatic trial before it arrived home safely to return to it's mother's pouch and it lived happily ever after.



I read a lot of books at night. After a certain time, bedroom lights had to go out- but we'd get a night light out in the hallway. So if my parents weren't nearby, I'd crawl out and read some more. They weren't challenging books or anything- there were these 'Alice' series, where she opened her great big Bible and watched the events happen, and it was all poems. I used to think that was so clever! Then I read the Clifford series, and the Magic School Bus oh and of course, Dr. Seuss. I read about Amelia Bedelia and oh of course, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! Anyone read those? I read them again when I was 17, I loved them so much as a kid! So funny...
With time, I moved onto the easy chapter books. I read Andrew Clements, Junie B books, I read about fairies, and Roald Dahl... Harry Potter, and then that's when I really just attacked the library.



I don't know. It just got me to thinking about my childhood and how innocent things were then. My parents never came outside and trusted we'd behave and not get kidnapped [granted they still don't do that for my brothers]. I would play with the kids on the block [well, the boys, since I didn't have too many girl friends and none of them seemed to live on my street or at least had time to play], and I'd watch Disney movies on occasion.

So there was some drama now and then, but that's how growing up is. I still got to stay home when I was sick and my mom would make chocolate chip cookies and I could dump in the flour and watch the puff cloud rise up. I had to come in when the sun came down and then I played with my barbies and complained about dinner because I didn't like meat in my meat sauce. I got to be a kid, society wasn't forcing me to grow up back then.



Now, kids whine because their parents take away their freaking ipod. It's just so weird! I dreamed of being a princess to have adventures and ride horses and make animals speak to me [because princesses had magical powers]. Kids now dream of being rich enough to have a yacht or something, I don't know. I don't really talk to kids of this day and age. They sort of scare me.

But I like the books I read as a kid, like 'Goodnight Moon' and my favorite, 'I Love You To The Moon And Back.' Kids don't hear things like that anymore. They don't get to enjoy the simple poetic art of children's stories... Sad thought.


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