“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life.” ~Sidney Sheldon (1917-2007; American writer)
I love libraries, especially the library in my hometown because without that library I doubt I would have ever been able to realize my dream to become a writer. A writer needs to read and a budding writer needs to read a lot. We didn’t have shelves of books at home. We didn’t get a lot of magazines. We did get the newspaper, but I needed books that told stories. Books to feed my imagination and to let words and how they could be used to tell stories to sink down into my mind. Fortunately for me and for my future as a writer, I had a mother willing to take my sisters and me to the library every week to get books to read.
My mother liked to read too. My dad liked to read as well, but was often too busy working on the farm to have much reading time. However, years after he died, I found a little notebook from when he was a kid where he kept a list of books he read. My grandparents liked to read. My grandfather was even an early book of the month club member and received small red books of stories in the mail. He liked science fiction. My grandmother once told me that the evenings when they sat reading together were among her happiest memories.
I’m glad I come from a family who knew the fun and magic of stories. I’m happy that has passed down to my children and grandchildren who also appreciate books and like to read. They all make use of their libraries and a few use those libraries in a more modern way by downloading ebooks and audio books through Libby, an online library app. I’ve been doing some audio books that way and Monday when I had beans and tomatoes out of the garden to can and freeze, I listened to an entire book from start to finish. Audio books are increasing my reading time. Now I can have three different kinds of books going at the same time. An ebook on my Kindle, an audio book through the library, and a print book beside my reading chair. Oh, and that book I’m writing too.
The picture above is part of a beautiful window at the Paul Sawyier Public Library in Frankfort, Kentucky where I will be part of an author and reader event called The Gathering of Authors. We, the authors, gather so that readers can come talk to us and perhaps decide to take some of our books home to read. I’ve been part of nearly all these fun gatherings. I missed one when I was on vacation and they had to cancel during the pandemic. Here’s a picture taken at the 2015 Gathering of Authors where a couple of my granddaughters came with me to enjoy the book atmosphere.
They love helping me sell books. I think my new release that year must have been The Innocent, my Shaker book that has a thread of mystery and a dog character that helps with that mystery and the romance.
I plan to be at the Gathering of Authors again this Saturday, August 26th, along with other Kentucky authors. I hope if you are in the area, you will come by to say hello and check out all the books. You can check out the books and authors here. I’ll have my new book, In the Shadow of the River.
My Library Tour Continues
Then next week on Wednesday, August 30th, I am visiting the Rowan County Public Library in Morehead, KY to be part of their Writers’ Workshop. The event is open to the public whether you always attend their workshops or not. In September on the 21st, I’ll be doing a book talk at the Henderson County Public Library in Henderson, Kentucky. Then I’ll rush home to be part of a book fest at the Madison County Public Library in Richmond, KY on Saturday, September 23rd.
I seem to be having a library tour this year and loving it because as I said, I love libraries. Libraries fed my need for stories and filled my head with words. My public library and the library at my high school gave me the opportunity to pick books off shelves and read and read some more. Without them, I would have been starved for books. Without them, I’m not sure I would have ever been able to write that first novel much less the dozens of books I’ve written through the years.
Libraries opened up the wonder of the written word to me. Libraries were where I went to research my stories. Libraries are among my favorite places to talk about my books and to meet readers. I’d love to meet you at a library someday.
Did you love going to the library or maybe visiting the bookmobile when you were a kid? Do you still use your library?
I just send out a newsletter with a new giveaway chance. If you think you are on my newsletter list, check your emails and look in your Spam folder if you don’t see it in your inbox. If you didn’t get one and would like to, just let me know and I’ll forward one to you. Also, An Appalachian Summer, will be on ebook sale for $3.99 on more week. Grab it now if you would like to head to the Appalachian Mountains in Eastern Kentucky to share Piper’s Appalachian summer with the Frontier Nursing Service in the 1930’s.
Comments 14
I love the library. One of my cherished memories from childhood was going to the public library. Upon entering the library, the smell of the books and seeing all those wonderful books always gave me a warm and happy feeling.
Author
I know what you mean, Terri. The library was always a place that seemed to welcome me and promise me good things.
My first library experiences were at my elementary school. I loved getting to read books there every week. In the summer when I was older the bookmobile would come by my house once a month and I would get several books to read until they returned. Later on after I got married and moved across the state, I sought out the library in my nearest town. I was an off and on reader for several years while working and raising my son. Now with my computer and all the ways to read books on it, I don’t go to the library very often, but I’m reading more than I ever did with more time after my retirement.
Author
We didn’t have a library at my elementary school, but the book mobile came to the school on a regular basis, Connie. I remember getting to climb up in it to pick out a book.
I’m like you in that I don’t make visits to the library the way I used to because of my ever expanding TBR pile of books and because of being able to borrow books electonically. But I do like walking into a library and entering the world of books and reading.
I love libraries and have gotten many of your books from there to read. I also own a few. My children both love to read and we used to go to story hour every week.
I did not receive your newsletter though I thought I was signed up for them. I would love to receive it.
Hopefully one day you will come to the library in Bowling Green!!
Author
I’m so glad your library has my books for their readers and for you, Pamela. I appreciate you also keeping a few of my books on your own shelves. 🙂 I’ll forward a newsletter to you. It may have gone into your spam folder, but I’ll double check to see if your email address is on the list. And coming to Bowling Green would be fun. Maybe if I get to come to the Southern Kentucky Book Fest next year, you will be free to enjoy the event. I don’t think they’ve set a date for the event next year yet.
Love libraries ! I retired from our local library 4 years ago with 21 years of service. I enjoyed my work there and learned so much about all kinds of books and people!! We have a new ,larger building now, but my most fond memories are of the old library and the many good times there with all of my co-workers and friends . Books are such great friends , especially a new one !
Author
I owe a lot to the lady, Ann McWilliams, who was the librarian when I first started writing. She was so helpful. So encouraging. I loved going in to the library and seeing her. At that time, the library didn’t have as many employees as our library has now and she was often working the check-out desk. I admired her dedication to books and readers. I’m sure you were the same to the people who came to your library.
Books are great friends, but then so are librarians, Nancy.
Ohhh, I dearly love libraries! My grandmother was a librarian in an elementary school, so I was introduced to the joys of libraries at a young age. I was a library assistant in high school and later, after my kids started school I worked at our public library. I took my kids to the library every week for Story Hour, and then later to the summer reading programs. My middle son hid from me more than once in the stacks, hoping he could spend the night in the library!
My Mamaw had two favorite sayings…”you can never be bored as long as you have a book” and “if you ever need to find an answer to a question, ask a librarian.”
I hope to see you this Saturday, Ann and maybe meet some others from this group. 🙂
Author
What a great treat as a child to be able to spend time in a library with your grandmother, Lavon.
I used to take my kids to story hour too. The other mothers would sit around talking during that hour, but I was always back in the stacks looking at books.
I smiled at you saying your son hid in the stacks hoping to get to spend the night in the library. That’s so fun and he’s my mind of kid. I just wanted to carry all the books home with me!
It would be great to see you Saturday and some of the others who join the conversation here, but I think some of them live too far away to show up. That’s the great thing about the internet. You can be miles away in other states or even in other countries and still feel like next door neighbors.
When I was a child I was sick so much of the time. I missed school nine weeks in a row when I was in 2nd grade. I missed so much school as a young child.
Back then there was no tutoring, homework sent home or any catch up time.
I hated reading because I had such a hard time with words.
I never even knew there was a small library in my hometown. I only had our school library. I never used it unless I had to.
I did, however, get a college degree and, the amazing thing is that I worked my way through college by typing cards for the card catalog in the library there.
I still never read for pleasure. Just wasn’t interested. No one in my family read for pleasure and they never read to me.
After I married my very well read sweetheart and later was carrying our first child I decided that I needed to read. I started with Children’s classics so that I could read them to her. I fell in love with books and read in all of my free time.
I read to Emily from the day we brought her home and by the time her was three she was reading books by herself. We certainly kept them busy at our library in Greenwood, IN..
As time went by (7.5 years later) our Rebekah was born. I tried the same thing with her. She was like the Energizer Bunny! She had no time for sitting still for me to read to her. She would look at the pictures (but not for long). Like me, she did not read anything she didn’t have to .
However, like her sister and me, she now loves to read. I guess she and I needed to grow up first to discover the love for books and libraries.
One of my greatest joys was taking my grandjoys to every event that took place had our wonderful library here in Scott County, KY. My oldest will graduate from college this December; two of them are Sophomores in college; the other two are sophomores in high school and they all are readers
THANK YOU LIBRARIES!
Author
Thank you so much for sharing your story of becoming a reader, Sharon. I enjoyed reading about you and your family of readers. It’s neat that you started reading the children’s classics first. I enjoy books written for young people. Back when I was writing for youngsters, I used to tell my older reading friends that they could be young at heart and read my stories.
My daughter was something like you and your second daughter. She wasn’t much of a reader when she was a young girl, but then she discovered reading. Right now she listens to more audio books than paper books. She listens while she’s doing kitchen and garden or yard chores. I lagged about following her example, but now I’ve jumped into the audio book world to increase my reading time. It also helps me see how narrators make a story come to life since I’ve been narrating some of my stories that didn’t get an audio contract through my publishers. Most of my books have been done by professional readers, but I’ve enjoyed narrating those that didn’t get that professional contract. I especially enjoyed reading for audio my Hollyhill books. Right now I’m editing my narration of the last of my Hidden Springs mysteries.
I’ve always loved libraries. I worked in the library in junior high and high school. The good old days when you had to sign a card inside the book. 😊
It’s important that we support our local libraries to keep books available to everyone. I do read through Libby and Amazon for Kindle. But nothing beats the feel and smell of a true book.
Author
I signed a lot of cards like that, Janette. We didn’t worry about privacy as much back then, I suppose. In fact it was sort of handy to be able to pull the card out of the envelop or sleeve in the book to see if maybe you’d already read this or that book. You’d know if you had signed your name on the card. You also knew who else had read the book and in a little town like mine, it was usually people you knew and were friends with. I agree that nothing beats holding a book and absorbing a story through words coming to life in your imagination.