I've decided that I love the library.

When I was a kid my parents and I went every 2 weeks. I would take out dozens and dozens of books of all different kinds. Mostly too old for me, I was always trying to challenge myself. Sometimes it worked. Most times it didn't. I was all over the place in the library, from Sci Fi to Fantasy to Biographies to Romance to Picture Books (hey, sometimes a picture book was what you needed when a kid). When I was 12 or 13 I discovered that I quite liked the author Harold Robbins and novelist Jackie Collins was soon to follow. I was always allowed to take out whatever I wanted. I cannot recall ever having my reading censored by my parents. I don't really remember ever liking classics, looking back I mostly read trashy, forgettable fiction.

My mother always took out Mysteries. Always. It was rare for her to take out a book of another genre. My Dad liked spy novels and computer magazines.

As I got older we went to the library less and less. I don't really remember why. My Dad was often working nights or evenings, My Mom was busy being involved with the Church, and I had a busy schedule with Ringette. I suppose all that together made for less library time and less family time.

As I got older it became something of a thing for me to OWN books. We never really had money so I spent a lot of time purchasing books at garage sales and used books stores. I loved being surrounded by books. I discovered a lot of authors between the ages of like 15 and 20. John Saul, Robin Cook, Carol Shields, Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Alice Munro, Di Brandt, Margaret Sweatman. University helped with that list as well. I took quite a few English classes and added more authors.

I often went to the library at the U of W, but it was different. It wasn't for leisure, it was for school and study. It was different. Libraries changed for me. They became, in a way, a place of work, not leisure. After I graduated from University I just kind of stopped going to libraries. I still had books (frigging a ton of them from buying them used--oh those used book sales were a curse. I'd come home with 15 or 20 books every time) and I still bought new ones.

After I had Andrew, I didn't read for a very long time. I think in his first 3 years I only read the final 2 books of the Harry Potter series. There is seriously no time to read when you have an infant or toddler. 

When I started back to work there was no time to read again.  There is definitely no time to read when you are a new Mom who has just returned back to to work and is trying to manage everything.

That's why I'm glad that this year I have been focussing on reading.  I've had a good mix too I think.  Some academic, some literature (sort of), some fluff, and some stuff for my job.  I love spending time at the library again.  I love wandering down in the stacks and randomly pulling out books to see what they're about and if they're interesting.  I love passing a rack of Fiction and deciding to give one of the books a chance.  I love bringing Andrew and letting him go wild with the books.  I love reading together.  I love that Andrew loves going to the library (even though it's because he gets to take out kids movies).  I love it all.

The only thing I don't love is the overdue fines.  I'm real bad at returning things on time.  I'm trying to look at the fines as my way of donating to the library.  :P  Husband doesn't see it that way though.