Growing up in Lumberton and being a resident of Robeson County, I remember my classmates talking about their adventures at the library.
They shared stories of checking out wondrous books and attending exciting programs. Though my family would come downtown to the plaza to visit stores, shops, Jones Department Store, the DMV or events like the Christmas parade, I never realized the library was just across the street. In my mind, the library seemed like this faraway, magical place, and yet it had always been so very close.
Reading for us wasn’t a household thing. It wasn’t mandatory or pushed. Any reading I did was at school in school books, under the supervision of my teachers or the school librarian. Before working at the library, I had read only four books just for the pleasure of reading. In my first year working here, I met and surpassed my goal of reading 25 books.
Reading has opened a new dimension, a new chapter, an awakening in me. I really enjoy nonfiction and biographies. I take to these two areas most because they tell personal accounts of actual events; what someone has gone through, done or not done, good or bad, their story and how they did or didn’t make it through, overcoming triumphs, defeats and or heartbreaks.
The library has shown me, after all these years, that I am a reader.
Now, as I am in the beginning of my second year at the library, I have a new goal of reading 30 books or more in a year. I have chosen to read from The Great American Reads 100 most loved novels and authors like Harper Lee, Maya Angelou and many, many more.
What’s your reading goal for this year? Take it from me, it’s never too late to get started.
