Astonishment of Words

Life with Books

My parents relished a variety of books that arrived from "The Book of the Month Club." When the brown package appeared in our mail box, I'd rip it open for a peek at the cover.  I fluttered the pages to absorb the scent, then launched into the words to discover adventures. Our library held the oldest, latest, and the best.

During childhood, my father read to me before bedtime each evening. He would ask me to close my eyes and imagine the sounds, scents and sights as he read. Of course I'd peek. The squiggles of words attracted me even more than the fairies, dragons and creatures illustrated in the childrens' books.

Now I collect my library in a Kindle. I miss the scents of books but the squiggles that bounce the lines still attract me the most.

Write about your childhood experiences with the magic of a book. Have you moved into the e-book age?