I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.~ Groucho Marx

Since my childhood I have enjoyed books. Books take you places. Books add value to living. Some of my earliest memories of a book include being read to and also receiving them as a gift. I love the smell of an old book and I enjoy visiting book stores whether vintage or what is left of the modern book store. An afternoon in the Carnegie Public Library in my hometown was a treat. Walking down the isles of my favorite genres on those creaky wood floors is a treasured memory. I enjoyed the checkout process which included filling out the card and seeing who else had read the selected book. I always left with more than a couple books to enjoy. I also enjoyed the time in my school library perusing the books and selecting a required one and a pleasure one. Afternoons spent reading on my bed were a treat especially if it was too hot to play outside. Books provide opinions, knowledge, inspiration, insight, escape and enjoyment. Books take you places providing insight into other people and cultures. Books can be sheer entertainment and an escape.

Sharing the love of books with children is a gift. In this image Sara, at 18 months is experiencing the early relationship with a book using it as some quiet time and exploring the pages. Sara always found a lap to sit on for listening to a book in her early childhood. Grandpa's lap was the best lap in which to perch and enjoy the story being read by this favored voice.

What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.~ J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Peace.