Evolving Love of Books

Robin Snodgrass

    When I was a child, my mother read to me and my sister each day.  Mom has always been a great lover of books.  This love was instilled in us early in our lives.  I have very fond memories of my mother reading Bible stories, fairy tales and other children’s books to us at bedtime each night.   As I grew a bit older, my mother introduced me to the wonders of the library.  The town in which we lived at the time had a good sized library for adults and an equally impressive children’s library.  Each week, we would trek to the library and browse for hours deciding what adventures to check out and take home.  I never left the library without a stack of books filling my arms. 

    At the time, I read “Nancy Drew”, “The Hardy Boys”, and other books geared to young readers with inquisitive minds.  Later, I discovered Alfred Hitchcock and his “Three Investigators” detective books and was further hooked on solving mysteries.  These books led to my love of Agatha Christie’s wonderful books starring “Miss Marple” and “Hercule Poirot”.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's great literary creation "Sherlock Holmes" was without a doubt another favorite.

    From mystery and suspense, I graduated to a much larger universe with my introduction to the realms of science fiction and fantasy.  Amazing authors, such as Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein, C. S. Lewis and Maurice Sendak, sparked my imagination in new ways. Their books opened vistas as yet unexplored in my young mind.  Through these stories, I found myself journeying to the outer edges of the universe or to other dimension. Wandering through these other realms became my favorite pastime.  

    As a young teen, I discovered the words of Judy Blume.  Ms. Blume spoke for a generation of young women in her books, especially in her well known book “Hello God, It’s Me Margaret”.  Author S. E. Hinton introduced me to some amazing books showing a different perspective on life.  One such book, “The Outsiders”, is an incredible book detailing society’s class breakdown from a young man’s perspective.

    As I grew older my taste in fiction changed dramatically.  I discovered that I enjoyed being scared.  Stephen King, John Farris and Dean Koontz became my daily companions.  Scenes from their thrilling books still stick out in my memories and are triggered at odd moments in my life.  Years later, my love of this genre still lingers. 

     In my mid-teens, I discovered Harlequin romances.  These books opened up the world of romance to my young and impressionable mind.  I remember the name of my very first Harlequin book.  It was titled “Blue Jasmine” by Violet Winspear.  I can recall the girls in my class passing around the more risqué tomes with whispered comments about the “naughty” parts. 

    What I have continued to love most about romance is the happily ever after endings that are almost always guaranteed.  Romance is something that every teen girl seeks to experience.  Even as adults, we all want to find a great love that will last forever.  At seventeen, this type of romantic relationship seems like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. 

    I am now in my forties and still prefer my romances to have happily ever after endings.  I guess I am a traditionalist.  At some point, I want the hero and the heroine to realize that they belong together and that nothing else is as important.  However, I will admit that the happily ever after does not have to occur at the end of a single book.  I have discovered that I truly enjoy book series where it takes several stories for the entire courtship to develop and flourish. Yet, to me, the best books still end with that fairy-tale ending that I grew up with. 

    My love of books and reading is an ever-changing part of my life.  I am always searching for new and exciting books written by talented authors.  Luckily, the publishing world is constantly expanding and evolving.  New talent is always being discovered.  Readers now have books available to read on our computers from publishing houses and authors who were unknown just a decade ago.  Who knows what the future holds for readers who continue their love affair with the written word.  I sure am looking forward to finding out!