Falling in Love

There is no mistaking a real book when one meets it. It is like falling in love.
-Christopher Morley

There is nothing like it...finding that perfect book that transports you, that makes you yearn for a place in time you have never been. I have had this happen to me many times over the years, and have fallen in love with the likes of Mr. Darcy, Mr. Rochester, with castles and animals and farmhouses and families so familiar to me, even after all these years. Any avid reader will tell you that a great book feels like falling in love!

My love affair with books began at a very young age. My grandmother was housebound, and would send me to the library for her every Saturday morning. I would come back with a huge bag of books and it still amazes me that she would be able to read all of them throughout the week.

I was fascinated by the rows and rows of books, and by the librarians who got to spend their entire day surrounded by these tomes, both old and new together, their scents mixing in such a delightful way! I am still mesmerized by rooms full of books, no matter where I find them. I have been known to spend far too much time looking over the bookshelves when a guest at a party. I have always found the characters in books far better company for me than being surrounded by people I hardly know during these awkward social situations. Books have been my salvation over the years, and if I could thank every great author, every charming character that soothed me during times of distress, I certainly would. They are as real to me as any friend, any human or canine companion, and surely just as true.

I am always mystified when people tell me "I hate to read!" It's blasphemy to me, but I have to admit, to each his own. I don't understand them and they don't understand me, and that's alright. I am just glad I'm not one of those poor misguided folks! I know the joy of rafting down the river with Huck Finn, of rambling on the moors with Heathcliff, and crying with Jane Eyre as her dear friend Helen passed away. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything and they are as real to me as my own wedding day, and as tangible as the days my precious children were born. I feel sad for those who do not know the joy of falling in love again and again through the joy of finding just the right book to curl up with. However, as I have said, to each his own. I have no comprehension of the joys of Nascar or the Super Bowl. Maybe the fans of these activities feel that I am deprived in some way, and maybe I am, but give me an old classic book (smooth worn leather cover preferred!) with a blanket under an old oak tree and I'll be just fine! Don't go worrying about me, you enjoy the game without me. I'll see you at home...