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Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to muse about one of several “bookish” questions… or, you can just ramble on about anything you like that pertains to books! You can join in by clicking the graphic above. Go ahead–it’s fun!
Here’s my Musing Mondays ramble for this week:
I was lucky to grow up in a town with a good library. My parents started taking me there regularly when I was 3 or 4, and that started a habit that I’ve had ever since. Back then the town library was a stone building between a church and the YMCA. I thought it was huge back then, but it was really probably the size of an average two-story house. Adult books upstairs, kids books downstairs. I still remember being really intrigued by those long poles that held the newspapers–do libraries even still have those?
When I got older—starting in about the 5th grade–I can vividly remember riding my bike downtown to the library on weekends with one of my good friends who was also a reader. This was back in the days when our parents didn’t even blink at the thought of two pre-teen girls (without helmets!) riding their bikes alone across busy streets to the middle of town—they just said they’d see us when we got back.
We’d go to the library first and check out as many books as we could fit into our bike baskets. Then we’d stop by this great little candy store where you could buy candy by the piece. I think I usually bought chocolate licorice and maybe some other little chocolate candies of some sort. We’d then ride our bikes back to my house and either sit out in the backyard or in my bedroom and eat the candy and read our books. We wouldn’t talk too much—we’d just read. When it was time for her to go home we’d talk about what we’d read and maybe make plans to trade books in a few days. We did this more times than I can count.
That library eventually expanded, and then finally moved to a brand new building—probably at least 25 years ago. There are also two other separate branches that have since opened. The main branch is large and gorgeous and it’s truly a big part of the community. It has huge windows that look out over the river and big comfy chairs that just beg you to sit in them and get lost in a book. The kids section is colorful and the librarians are kind. I go there sometimes when I’m visiting my parents. I’m not sure if any kids ride their bikes there anymore, and it’s not near a candy store—but I still remember how it felt to come home with books, candy, and a friend and have the whole afternoon stretched out in front of us—with nothing to do but read.
How about you? Do you have any childhood library memories? Please share!
October 28, 2013 at 7:40 am
That sounds like a lovely childhood. I remember having that with my Mum. On looooong summer afternoons, when it was too hot to do anything else, Mum and I would sit with our books with large pots of iced yoghurt and just read. At the end, we too would talk about what we’d been reading (although, I think she censored most of the stuff that she’d been reading to tell me!), such good fun!
http://cupandchaucer.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/musing-mondays-october-28/
October 28, 2013 at 11:39 am
It’s so powerful for kids to see their parents or other adults in their lives who enjoy reading–how great that you have memories of that! (Plus–the yoghurt!)
October 28, 2013 at 8:34 am
I didn’t go to the library as a child, but I take my son there all the time…hopefully he will have some good memories! ~Deanna
October 28, 2013 at 11:37 am
Yes–hopefully you’re passing on the “library habit” to him!
October 28, 2013 at 12:04 pm
I’m going to save my memories for another Monday’s musing! What a great prompt. And I love your musing.
October 28, 2013 at 6:15 pm
Thank you–I’ll look forward to yours next week!
October 28, 2013 at 1:13 pm
What lovely memories. My mother used to leave me in the library before I’d even started school while she went shopping! Different times, I remember going round the boxes of pre-school books and piling up my finds on a chair. When we moved I used to go every Saturday to the library and pick books and then often walk home reading them because I couldn’t wait to get home!
October 28, 2013 at 6:19 pm
Those were such different days–can you imagine a parent leaving a preschooler alone in a public place like that today? But it does prove the point that libraries have often been viewed as safe havens–by adults and by kids.
October 29, 2013 at 1:00 am
Very true, I took both of mine when they were little and it was one of the first places they went to without me but at 10 not per-school!
October 28, 2013 at 3:42 pm
I lived in a small town with a really small library that was only open two afternoons a week. I still managed to find books to read and I was there at least one of the afternoons it was open each week. Here is my MM
October 28, 2013 at 6:19 pm
I’m sure that there were many weeks when you were counting the days until your library would be open again!
October 28, 2013 at 5:56 pm
The first book I ever checked out was “Harold and his Purple Crayon.” How on earth have I remembered that?
October 28, 2013 at 6:16 pm
WOW–that is seriously impressive! You’ve got me beat on that one–I have no idea what my first library book was.
October 28, 2013 at 6:47 pm
I am now reading Grisham’s book The Racketeer, from the library. All the other hundreds (1,000’s?) of books in between are lost to the ether. “Harold” stuck in my mind because I’d finished reading it while I was in the library but still had to check it out for the week. It annoyed me that I couldn’t choose another book.
October 29, 2013 at 7:11 am
As a teen I can remember my mum taking us to the library. More often than not I’d come away with a painting / print (do they even loan these anymore? I actually remember that more than borrowing books. Here’s my musing: http://daystarz.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/musing-mondays-13/
October 29, 2013 at 8:25 am
I do remember being able to borrow paintings from the library! I also remember “The Picture Lady” coming around to our classrooms with paintings and teaching us about them.
October 29, 2013 at 9:03 am
Well captured! I still remember the joy of going to the library as a child. Then I moved to book stores and felt joy. I need to go back to the library.
October 29, 2013 at 6:58 pm
Libraries do give you “book joy” without removing joy from your wallet!
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July 8, 2014 at 8:25 am
We would go to the library every week when I was a child. Unfortunately it was far so my mom had to drive us. It is a tradition I have continued with my own children whom I now see walking to the library to get a new stash when they have finished reading what they have.