Love Affair with Books

When I was growing up, I was very shy and not so keen on meeting new people. I liked keeping to myself, usually just reading or writing in a corner. To an outside observer, I may have looked like a very lonely kid, but the truth is I was at my happiest when I was all by myself, with only my thoughts and musings to keep me company. It was during those peaceful moments of "aloneness" when I can let my imagination soar, dream and plan my life ahead, figure out what I want to do with my time here on earth.

My favorite haunt back then was the library at my old school. It was situated at the fifth level of an old building on the school grounds, and that building didn't have an elevator. You would have to be a very determined student to brave the five flights of stairs up to the library, and this is exactly why it's one of my favorite places in the whole campus--it's usually deserted. Only a handful of students can be found up there on any given day. I used to pretend that I owned the place, and I prowled the aisles of books like a boss. I spent most of my free time in high school and college up there, combing the shelves and hunting for interesting reads.

The thing is, my mother didn't approve of me reading fiction. Whenever she caught me with a novel in hand at home, she would click her tongue and comment that I'm just filling my head with make-believe stories. The only kinds of books she approved of were my school textbooks. But fiction is one of my first loves, so I had to find a way to continue my love affair with literature without upsetting my mother. Aside from turning the school library into my second home, I also learned to sneak rented books into the house behind her back. At night, I would pretend to be asleep until my whole family went to bed. As soon as all the lights in the house were out, I would turn on my flashlight and read in bed throughout the night. It's not surprising that I developed poor eyesight later on in life, and now I have to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses all the time. But I have no regrets even if  had to sacrifice my 20-20 vision due to reading in poor lighting conditions. Back then I thought it was so cool of me, being a rebellious little devil and defying my mother's orders under her own roof. I devoured all the thick tomes of American and English literature, Penguin Paperback Classics and Reader's Digest issues that I checked out from the library. I also rented Archie's comics, Sweet Valley High series, Babysitters' Club, Fear Street and Goosebumps horror novels, and Love Stories series from the local bestseller's book store. I had to scrimp and save my meager lunch money to afford the book rental, but it was all worth the trouble.

Looking back now, I realized that most of the interesting books I have read as a young girl were either borrowed from the library, rented, or lent to me by my college best friend who had such an extensive collection of books at her house. I couldn't even afford to buy my own copy of the Harry Potter books that I adored as a teenager so I just borrowed from my classmates. That is why as soon I started earning my own money after college, I also began building my book collection. As of today, I'm the proud momma of a modest bookshelf overflowing with all the books that I love. Since I'm no longer a child, my mother can no longer dictate to me what I can and cannot read. So I make it a point to purchase at least one new book every payday. Someday, I'm going to build a house with a large library in it, and I'd spend countless rainy Sunday mornings there, cooped up in a window seat with a book in one hand and a steaming mug of coffee in the other.

From Google Images

"In books I have traveled, not only to other worlds, but into my own."