When I was growing up, in a small town in Kansas, Saturdays were the days I looked forward to.
My mom would take me with her to the beauty parlor, I would venture across the street to the library.
As you would walk into the two story old brick building, the smell of history would waft up as the door would swoosh open and closed. A faint smell of mold or mildew, mixed in with the other mysterious smells were like a comfortable pair of shoes I would slip into.
The librarian, Miss Jane Blades, always welcomed each and every patron with a "Good Morning" and when she seen it was me, she would just smile. When I was the younger girl, 2nd or 3rd grade, she would have books picked out for me based on the level she knew I could read. As I got older she had projects for me to do, in case I got bored, or too loud, but mainly it was to make me feel special.
The two story building, made of brick, was like my castle. Tucked in the wooden shelves, were my cruise or plane ticket just waiting for me to pick up. From "See Spot Run" to the eventual Harlequin Romance novels, to memoirs, to the mysteries, anything she could steer my direction too.
I remember the one time I had watched a miniseries with my dad on television. To her surprise and delight I asked her if she could get the book. I remember when she put the book in my hands I would be transported to different times of our American history. My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers Parks which was the basis for the miniseries "Backstairs at the White House" made me think I was given a huge Encyclopedia. Now this wasn't the typical reading material for a seventh grader and I know she had her doubts if I could manage it all. To her surprise and delight, I handed the book back in on time and had included for her a book report.
As the time has gone by, my reading taste's have changed over the years. gone from the perfect romance books to the literary fiction or women's fiction from books by Agatha Christie to the likes of Harlan Coben, Karin Slaughter, B.A. Paris. For my lighter days a cozy mystery by Leighann Dobbs or Janet Evanovich.
Please remember the reviews to follow are just based on my impressions and my opinions.
Love it Twinks! She sounds like an awesome librarian!!
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ReplyDeleteThis a great story! Isn't it funny how some of us are just called to books? I used to love the library as a child, I can remember my mother taking me. I was never lucky enough to have a librarian like this though. These days I have a friend who is a librarian and she is encouraging me to go back and get a degree in Library Science because she knows my love of books and how much I read. Anything and Everything!! Thank you so much for sharing this glimpse of your life.
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