It is bizarre for librarians not to love books and reading. Pity the community the library serves if it has in its midst, a librarian who does not READ at all.
Micaella Gonzales of the Filipinas Heritage Library shares her passion for books and the written word. This love triangle, books, librarian and reading, is an exciting romance that is much explored and yet, something that the world will never tire of ruminating. Yes, even in this age of e-reading, a librarian's genuine love for books and reading remains.
*ilovebooks* - my password for all social networking sites I have, once upon a time, heard about, become interested in, and am currently, actively, connected to. NO, I have not changed my password as of the moment you are reading this. So go ahead, try your hacking skills.
I love books, plainly and simply said. The gift was passed on to me by (yes, you guessed it right) my mother who is a book-lover herself. She used to give me children’s books after children’s books which, fortunately, I managed not to wreck. I was careful with my books – a librarian in the making eh?
Turning point.
First year high school, I was given an 800+ page book to read.
Title: The Stand / Author: Stephen King
Stephen King is called the “Master of Horror”. He is known for thick-paged books laden with intricately depicted out of the world tales. He will make you experience the extraordinary in a vivid and rich story telling.
And I, Micaella, am a humble servant of the “Master of Horror”.
I am not going to say I don’t know why I love his books. This, I think, is all BS because there is always a reason why you love someone/something.
Horror – some hate it while others love it. I love it. The thrill and the suspense just make the story more intense and exciting. My love for horror transcends books, movies, and mere story telling with others. I do get scared after such an encounter with the scary. I am no “brave heart”. Lights remain on in the room. Lesser solo moments going to creepy places because, boy, my mind would imagine anything It could to scare myself!
Past midnight (when almost everyone else is sleeping, except for the others like me who enjoy the solitude of the hours between 12am to 4am), is my favorite reading time. That is when I zone in, no interruptions, no “commercial breaks”, except for the vocabulary breaks when I check my pocket dictionary to get to know a word for future use.
Mama has a pretty good collection of Stephen King books, aside from the hundreds she also owns. I remember her bringing me to book sales which I used to hate as a kid because of the long time it usually took her to browse the store’s collection. I never thought I would grow up to be just like her, a sucker for book sales. In college, one of my favorite spots in UP was the AS Walk where book stalls stood (not sure if they are still there).
My quiet place and my reward place, those are books stores to me. A weird habit I had in college was passing by the book stalls at the AS Walk before a report or exam in class if the room is just nearby. Surprisingly, the nerves dissipate. And when it feels like I have done something worth giving a reward, a book is top of the list.
So, ever since graduating from elementary and from children’s books filled with awe-inspiring pictures and from big lettered paperbacks, my fascination in life has taken on, not a different road, but a different ride on the road. My love for books was kindred by children’s books (I still very much enjoy them) and it continuously grows, unfaltering. That is love, is it not?
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