You know the person in your life who knows their digits by heart? Driver's license, bank account, combination of their locker from middle school, whatever. I'm not one of those people. However, I am the person who knows her library card number by heart. It is the number that has taken me in very unexpected directions. Authors or genres I NEVER thought I'd read, a craft project that caught my eye, a room painting project that I just had to try. All of these were gifted to me through my library card.
My reading addiction is such that, even with the library card, my house was filling up with books and I had to do something - other than be a sad episode on Hoarders. In steps my Kindle. I love, love, love, my kindle. I can finish a book at midnight and have another ready to rock at 12:05. I've downloaded books on the New Jersey Turnpike, on the side of a mountain in Colorado and by the shore here in NC. The convenience can not be beat and I now have added a Kindle Fire.
Today I had to go to the library to pick up a book and it felt as if I had run into an old lover at the supermarket. I felt guilty and awkward, until I got inside and took a deep breath. I was supposed to pick up a book on hold and head out, 1.5 hours later I finally left. Me and the old love have become friends again.
Walking down isles with your head tilted sideways so you can read the spines is not convenient. Pulling book after book off the shelf so you can take a closer look is not convenient. It's time consuming, absorbing and tactile and that's why I love it so much. I'm embarrassed to say that I forgot how much I love it. You can get lost in a library or bookstore in a way that you can never get lost in an e-reader. It's warm and comforting and you're not the least bit tempted to download and then get on to other things. The only thing you want to do is wander and let the books work their magic.
I still know my card number by heart and I won't forget to enjoy the wonder it provides.
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