by Cynthia F. (frazerc)
I loved books but I had trouble reading in school. They wanted me to do the whole “cat, bat, rat” thing when we were reading Swiss Family Robinson at home.
“The fat cat ate the rat” just didn’t stand up against shipwrecks and pirates. Kind of like being forced to take Home Economics in 7th grade and they wanted to teach me to make cinnamon toast – when I was helping cook dinner every night. After awhile they figured out the lessons were annoying me…
Besides checking books out of the libraries [both school and public] I spent my $.25 allowance on comic books. They were 10 cents in that day [yeah, really showing my age there] so I could buy two comic books and some penny candy each week. Then they went to 12 cents – less candy but still two books. Then they went to 15 cents and my dad introduced me to thrift stores. I could get books for a dime [and sometimes he paid for them, a real win-win situation!] So over time I accumulated all the Louisa May Alcott books, the Anne of Green Gables books, and so many more wonderful [and re-readable] stories that dad had to build me more bookcases.
Both my parents read to me when I was little but Dad kept on with me as I discovered Andre Norton and Heinlein‘s juveniles, reading many of the same books so we could discuss them.
Since he had to do ‘dad’ things like earning a living and cutting the grass I read a lot more than he did, but we read Zane Grey and Edgar Rice Burroughs and Ernie Pyle and mysteries galore.
Mom would offer reading suggestions but was too busy doing ‘mom’ things to read much beyond the sales in the newspaper. [My grandmother lived with us and needed extra care so her time was limited.] But I told her about them and she listened in while Dad and I talked and she sewed.
So – do I love books? A definite yes. I grew up surrounded by them and people who read them. [But I sure wish I had kept the comic books, they’d have been worth a mint!]
Note from Blog Coord. Click on any cover image here to go to the book information page. At the time of publishing this blog, all the books referenced had copies available to order except Here is Your War by Ernie Pyle.
