Confessions and conversions of a bibliophile

Reading isn't something I do now and again. I have been reading for as long as I can remember. Once, when I was very young, I was with my parents at their friend's house reading comic books and the friend was worried that I'd be bored with the adult conversation. My dad laughed and said, "As long as she has something to read, she is happy." This is as true today as it was all those years ago.

Like most passionate readers I love everything about a book. The titles on a bookshelf, the cover art, the feeling of anticipation as one opens a book for the first time. The way it feels in the hands, turning the pages, the smell of the paper, reluctantly turning off the light at night when sleep makes reading "just one more chapter" difficult.

I have spent entire vacations reading, forcing myself to move around once in a while for fear of growing into the chair. I never go anywhere without something to read in my bag. When I travel, I always pack several books and magazines. A day without a newspaper is a major loss in my world.