“All the best stories in the world are but one story in reality -- the story of escape. It is the only thing which interests us all and at all times, how to escape.”

One of my best friends, Denise, gave me a wooden block that now sits on my bookshelf- it says "books fall open you fall in" There probably isn't a truer statement about me on the planet and well.... I have fallen in and deeply. See you all again when I come up for air!

 "I was born with a reading list I will never finish." -Maud Casey

"The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."- Dr. Seuss

"Make them laugh, make them cry, but most of all make them wait"- Charles Dickens (I am Thankful Day 2)

Ever since I was a very little girl I have loved books. The first "series" I ever read was The Little House on the Prairie. I was in the first grade and since that time I have read hundreds if not thousands of books. I remember reading the same books over and over; Arthur's Honey Bear, Beauty and the Beast and The Velveteen Rabbit, Frog and Toad are Friends, Just For You and A Bargain for Francis. I have bought and read all of these books to my children over the years and they still bring me the same joy they did when I was younger. I wish I could find the Beauty and the Beast book I had as a little girl. The pictures were so amazing and the beast turned into a beautiful unicorn at the end.

I will never forget the first time I read Charlotte's Web or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and once in the fourth grade my teacher spent a little time each day reading The Oregon Trail out loud to us. It was a very humbling emotional experience and it made a HUGE impact on me.

In Junior High I read as many Choose Your Own Adventure or Babysitter's Club books as I could get my hands on and I also developed a deep love for poetry. In High School I went through a Jack London phase, I would be sitting in the library curled up in one of their chairs bawling my eyes out. I also read That Was Then This is Now and The Outsiders every chance I got. I don't remember owning many books back then but I remember several of the books that I was assigned to read for English class and how I felt about them. I need to go back and read some of those again like Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities.

I love rummaging through piles of books at yard sales and used book stores. I love book fairs and Book of the Month Club, the library and Barnes and Noble.

I love being taken to new places and being shown new ideas. I love books that make me question things and search for answers. I love the whole gauntlet of emotions that often come when I am reading, the twists and turns and ups and downs. I love it when something so shocking happens that I have to slam the book shut and catch my breathe. I love reading out loud and being read too. I am extremely grateful for books and the significance they have had in my life.