How do I "read" a book...let me count the ways

It is the 21st Century and my access to literature has never been easier or more varied; however, I am still a product of the early second half of the 20th Century. And since reading from Robertson Davies' A Voice From the Attic, I declare myself as a member of the Clerisy.

I have the freedom to pick up a book, listen to a recording of a book on CD, or use an electronic reader or computer. I may purchase a book at a bookstore, in a supermarket or practically any other type of store, buy hard copies of books online and have them shipped to my home, or download a book on my electronic reader. I may borrow books from Nook owners.  A library card allows me access to paper copies of books, recorded books in various media, films, etc.  For those of us not living in third world countries, there is no excuse for not having access to books.  That little girl taking monthly walks to the Fairfield Branch of the Erie County Public Library system back in the early 1960s had no idea how her world would change.

I own thousands of books.  There...I've said it.  The first step in a 12 Step program, however, I have no desire to reform.  I know when my obsession with acquiring books began; it began when Kathy Stiffler got her first library card and was escorted to the library, one Saturday each month, by one or both of her older sisters.  The Fairfield Library was literally a religious experience: it was a former church.  Entering the library, I was confronted with the vast desk, centered in the building, with the women possessing the power to loan books to me.  (No male librarians at our branch...I was blessed with women of power).  Behind the desk, four steps up to another level, was the adult fiction.  I asked one of my sisters why those books were "up there;" her response, "that used to be the altar."  Wow...you wanted to whisper in awe.

I remember lugging home piles of picture books, but my true memories begin when I started to read the chapter books - the books without pictures.  I would give myself goals; I remember one year thinking I would read all the children's fiction in the order they were on the shelf - alphabetically by author's last name.  I did not make it through the A's.  Why?  Because I discovered Enid Blyton and was obsessed with these four British kids who vacationed every year with very little adult supervision.  I returned month after month trying to read all seven of the books; some of them never appeared on the shelf.  That was the beginning of my dream...when I had money, I'd buy my own books.  Yes, I read other books but never felt satisfied because of the missing Blyton books.

And so here I am...a half century later and always looking for ways to decorate with books.  And one more confession...I still prefer a hard cover book.  The larger size "trade" paperbacks are fine, and driving back and forth to work would be impossible without a book on CD, but oh the feel of a hard cover between my hands...there is nothing like it.  I have mixed feelings about my e-reader.  It is nice for reading in the dark because no light is necessary but not conducive to the annotating reader.  The traditional paperback is hard to keep open, and sometimes the print is cramped on the page.

Finally...what books am I reading right now?

• A Voice From the Attic by Robertson Davies
• 70% Acrylic 30% Wool by Viola Di Grado
• and listening to Sissy Spacek read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - one of my all time favorite novels that I return to whenever I need some comfort reading.  SPLENDID NARRATION!

And I'll be back soon because I know you are just dying to know what it means to be a member of the Clerisy.