Being a Book Geek by Maria V. Snyder

Maria V. Snyder has gotten much recognition for her Poison Study series. Here is my favorite quote on Poison Study- it's from the Publisher's Weekly starred review: "The first in a series, this is one of those rare books that will keep readers dreaming long after they've read it." That pretty much sums up Poison Study for me. Maria is now working on her next series- the Glass series. Book one is coming out in late April and is entitled Storm Glass. And you'll never believe what book is being given away later today...

First off, I want to thank the Not-So-Closet-Geeks for inviting me to be a guest blogger for their Geek Week. Thanks so much!

Now time to confess….looks over shoulder….I’m a book geek! I’ll blame my older sister Karen for starting me down this path a long time ago. And no, I’m not telling you how long – a lady never tells her age J My mother probably shares the blame as she had the audacity to read to me every night, but when my sister learned to read (she’s four years older than me….sorry three and a half years older than me – funny how she lorded the four years over me all during childhood, but now she corrects me all the time!) – when my sister learned to read—I was annoyed and jealous and mad that she could read and I couldn’t.

Competition and peer pressure can be a good thing at times. Determined to learn to read, I quickly picked it up and was always a year ahead in reading at school. We didn’t own many books when I was growing up (although we made frequent trips to the library). In fact, I can remember (and I still have) the books in my modest childhood collection (my sister may claim some of these books were her’s first – tough – you snooze, you lose J )

My book geekiness started with Never Tease a Weasel, by Jean Conder Soule and grew to three with the addition of Swimmy and Frederick, both by Leo Lionni. Then an unexpected fountain of goodness came in the mail for a while. My mother signed me up for a beginner book club and I received books like The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, The Big Honey Hunt by Stanley and Janice Berenstain, Are You My Mother? and Go Dog Go (my favorite!) both by P.D. Eastman, and A Fly Went By, by Mike McClintock. I had to look up the author names, but I could probably recite the stories by heart. “So…The fly ran away in fear of the frog, who ran from the cat, who ran from the dog.” from, A Fly Went By.

Unfortunately the books stopped coming, but my love of books and reading continued. The Northeast Branch of the Philadelphia Library became my second home – good thing is was only four blocks away. The children’s section was in the ground floor – and you would think it would be dark, but high windows let in plenty of sunlight and it was fun to watch people from the knee down walking along the sidewalk.

My collection did increase in bits and pieces. A few Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books and some mysteries. My mother read mysteries so when I “graduated” from the children’s section, I automatically started reading Agatha Christie, Ed McBain, Robert B. Parker, Dick Francis, etc…

My future brother-in-law introduced me to the science fiction and fantasy genres when I was in college. (another point in my blame-my-sister defense – she married a fellow book geek J) I really started collecting books when I graduated college and was working. Basically, when I had money. I enjoy collecting every single Dick Francis book, and then I started trying to get signed books. And being a geek, I decided to try and have only first editions signed (which for Dick Francis some are nearly impossible to find – nearly – good thing the Internet came along and my husband—who is rather adept at ferreting out elusive editions J).

The need to collect books is addicting. I can’t pass a bookstore without stopping and my TBR pile is quite large. My husband crafted built-in bookshelves for my office, but it still wasn’t enough room (I had to perform a book triage and weed them out – I donated boxes and boxes to my local library for their annual book sale – I kept all my signed ones and favorites of course J ).

I don’t think I’ll ever convert to a digital reader – having a book in hand is, for me, all part of the reading experience. The smell of the print and the feel of the paper can’t be replicated.

And I wonder at this need to own a book, to see it on my shelf (and seeing my own books on the shelf is still an amazing thrill). My mother and sister, both big readers are quite content to borrow them from the library – they have no desire to fill up their houses with books (shocking!). And I have no problems in sharing my books – I think I’m a closet librarian. When a friend or family member’s looking for…something to read, I delight in picking out books for them to try (as long as they promise to return them J).

And I wonder at my son, who I read to every single night for over 10 years and who views reading as a….I can’t…so hard to type…..as a CHORE! Gasp! The Horror! Yet my daughter has picked up the addiction and already has shelves full of books (can you say no when your child wants you to buy a book?? Really? Well, I can’t J).

What makes a book lover versus a non-reader? Why do some feel the need to possess the pile of pages glued together versus borrowing from the library? I haven’t been able to figure it out. It’s a mystery! Speaking of mysteries….I hear Harlan Coben’s coming out with a new book….I’ll just check……………………

Curiosity question: Alright, booklovers. When did you discover your love for reading and how?