Who is the Bookish Booky?

I'll start with a story. It was the first day of 12th grade, and after 3 years of convincing everyone that I could handle Advance Placement English, I finally made it. Many of my friends were already in GT and AP classes, and this year I was going to have a few classes with them. 

My English teacher was a man I've walked past before in the hallways. He was tall, silent and intimidating, and I didn't know what kind of teacher he was going to be. When he smiled and introduced himself, I was relieved that at least he was personable. He handed out worksheets, the obligatory, "who are you?" and "what did you read this summer?" worksheet that I've seen before. I dutifully filled it out, and wrote two books down for what I read that summer: Stargirl and The Nanny Diaries. I put my pen down and looked up, expecting to find others that did the same.

They did not. Several seconds went by and I watched the students, my friends included, continue to list books on their paper. My stomach dropped; that awful moment when you know you did something wrong, but aren't sure what yet. After a few heart pounding moments, my English teacher piped up again, putting bags on the table in the front of the classroom. He proceeded to show what books he read: thick books, thin books, hardbacks, paperbacks. He showed which books he liked the best, and around me, students also commented on those books, stating if they liked it or not.

My stomach sank. Already I was in over my head and the expectations were way different than what I was used too. Why didn't I read more? What the fuck was I doing over the summer, and the summers before that?

I always liked to read. My mom brought me books and took me to the book store, and I read in the summer and during holiday breaks. But clearly, if I was going to play ball with the "smart kids," I needed to make adjustments and quickly. 

Senior year English was tough for me. We read books and were expected to read the entire book, even when only a few paragraphs were reviewed in that class. I got a 3 in AP English Literature, and I was proud of it.

I didn't start consistently reading until I moved out after college. Without cable to distract me, I read during the lull between dinner and bedtime. Even now, it's a habit to read before falling asleep. I mostly read science fiction and fantasy novels, but I do enjoy historical fiction, mystery, thrillers and Young Adult.

Even though I am a book lover, I don't own many books. I used to drop serious money on books from Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and then moved to used books from book fairs and second hand stores. I horded them with the aspiration of owning my own personal library... until I had to move. Several times. When my husband and I moved into our house, we donating several boxes of books but we still had so many! Finally, I took a sharp look of what I was holding onto, and really, if I was ever going to reread it again.

95% of the time, no. I wasn't going to reread it again. My husband and I got rid of 90% of our books, and now I mostly go to the library for books. It's free, and I get a weekly walk out of it.

Please leave comments about books to read, or series to watch... or even if you found a neat bookstore for me to check out. I love used books, new books, ebooks and all in between. Please subscribe and follow me for piping out reviews and updates on my blog and life!