Memories of Books
As I look back over my long history as a reader, memories flood in regarding specific books and book-related events. A few stand out:
- The Scholastic book catalog that used to arrive periodically in my elementary school classroom.My parents were extremely supportive of my reading, and would let me choose as many as I liked. And oh, the day my books arrived! Heaven!
- A Mother Goose story book I discovered in the library when I was in sixth grade. Although it was far too "young" for me, I loved it, particularly a story about a young woman who killed her sister. The body turned into bones, which someone made into a harp, which then sang of the sister's perfidy. It was actually rather morbid.
- OK, I've got to admit it. My folks were "rubbish pickers." They loved to find really cool stuff in other peoples' trash (don't tell them I told you). One of the best finds in the world was a complete hardback set of Beverly Gray mysteries (she was kind of like a college-age Nancy Drew). I wish I still had them, as they'd likely be worth a lot of money now.
- Taking a Bible in to school to read, and being told to take it home again as it wasn't "appropriate" for the classroom. (I still can't believe that happened.)
- Reading The Adventures of Robin Hood (over and over and over again), and dressing up like one of the Merry Men for weeks on end.
- Learning about opera from a series of library books that not only told the story of the opera, but had the musical themes notated. They were easy enough that I could play them on the piano.I fell in love with The Magic Flute and Carmen long before I ever saw an opera staged.
- Discovering Shakespeare in story synopses in my grandmother's set of The Book of Knowledge (something else I wish we still owned). I can still see the sketches of Lady Macbeth descending a staircase by candlelight, and the two princes in the tower from Richard III.
- Reading Jane Eyre with a flashlight under the covers late into the night. (Well, it felt late to me at the time!)
- My first "dirty book." My poor dad brought home A Stranger in the Mirror by Sidney Sheldon for me without apparently knowing what it was about.It had been languishing in his office's Lost & Found for months, and he thought I might like it. I think I was in junior high at the time, and was shocked – and fascinated. I did not, by the way, tell the folks what I was reading.
- Reading Stephen King's Salem's Lot, and then having to sleep with the lights on for a week.
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I loved reading Little Women and thought Jo was just the best. Maybe at that time we all got a lesson in feminism from her. I often wonder if she was the real start of the feminist movement.
Reading my first "grown-up" book in the 6th grade -- a copy of Stephen King's Cujo that I found in my mom's room. I took it to school and my teacher asked me if my parents knew what I was reading, but she never said anything to them. Talk about losing your innocence from a book!
And I also fondly remember the Scholastic orders -- I'm like a junkie buying books from them for my own kids now. I get as excited as they do when the books finally appear!
My parents were also trash-pickers, and I never knew what they might bring home. In the '70's, recycling was all the rage and I can remember picking through someone else's castoffs and dragging them home.
My parents never censored my reading. I can remember the librarian at the local public library calling my parents to see if it were okay for me to check out books from the adult section. My parents didn't have a problem with it.
I remember reading the "Little Maid of .....", and I remember my fifth grade teacher reading "21 Balloons" and "Johnny Tremain" to us.
Money was tight and I was usually only allowed one book from the Scholastic orders. I remember poring over the flyer for days, trying to pick just the right one.
I loved those books.
"If I wrote on that blog, I'd put my memories of walking up Buckeye Road to the Harvey Rice Library with you and Kelly. You participated in some of the activities there and then we'd sit at one of the little tables and set Kelly on the table in her baby carrier while I read to you. We even have a picture of that. You were a little over two and Kelly was a new baby."
Guess she wasn't upset about that "rubbish picking" crack. :)
I'm amazed at how many readers out there remember the Scholastic Book Catalog, and thrilled that it's still out there, indoctrinating the next generation.
it rolled abound to the neighborhood!