My fortress of solitude

 “In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are

 absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books 

through your skin, without even opening them.” 

-Mark Twain

What is it about a library? It makes me feel at peace. I could walk the aisles all day reading titles and flipping through pages, just trying to find something that interest me.  I take deep breaths and breath in the smell of history, fantasy stories, love novels, and biographies.
Whatever it is, it makes me happy going into ours.  I think I am one of the rare ones that browses the books, most people these days go there to browse the Internet.This was "Our Internet". 
I remember having to sit going through encyclopedias to do a research paper, and sitting for hours taking notes.

My mom was not a book worm like me, I get it from my dad. I remember I had to do a term paper in 10th grade, and mom drove me to the library, I guess she thought I would just check a book out on the subject and we could go...  After my browsing for an hour she started getting testy with me..I saw her sitting in a chair tapping her feet and mouthing " hurry up" to me.   I got a "C" on that paper...  Thanks Mom !  

I like our library here, there is a room called "The Carolinian Room" and inside is a large meeting table with 4 shelves of books, they are the known history of families who settled in the area. Some are a first edition print , others are the only print ( like with our family) and no one is allowed to check them out. But you can sit there all day, reading through them, taking notes etc.... 

I am thankful the boys have inherited my love of books, they like spending time in the kids section and read just about as much as I do. Summers are the best, some days we sit at the tables reading and trying to decides what is a good book and what is not...  I guess it is whatever peaks their interest for that day...  I think about something funny little ND once said to me after leaving the library he said "Mom, I feel so much smarter after being in there" . He is always full of humor...  

Senior bought us a really nice bookcase,.  I am inheriting some of dads books and buy so many on my own that I needed one. I never get tired of them. Books are an adventure, waiting for you to open them up and jump in to the story they tell..  They are like an old friend...they are always there for you offering wisdom to their reader.

-JUGM