I have always loved libraries.

I just found out about a great organization, Fill the Shelves, which was started by some writers from the kindle boards. The link to the post is here:  http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,128031.0.html

The group was formed to send books to needy libraries in the US that don't have funds to keep their shelves stocked. The libraries have made wish lists on Amazon of books that can be purchased and sent to them. There's also a link on the site for librarians to apply for their school.

I'm going to be doing whatever I can to help out, buying books when I have funds, and helping to spread the word so others can do the same.

I have a special love for books and libraries. The first book I ever owned was given to me by my first grade teacher from her own small classroom collection when she retired. It was a book of poems, and included Old King Cole. A merry old soul was he!

The first book I ever checked out of a library was a picture book about horses, when I was in the second grade in High Point, NC. I still remember the way my mind boggled at the thought of being able to take home any book I wanted.

I haunted the shelves of every school library, every public library I could reach, reading in a variety of genres as well as non-fiction. 

When I was about fourteen, I sat down and made a list of every book -- title and author -- I'd read to that point. I had well over 2,000 before I ran out of room in the small notebook I used. Since I couldn't go outside much (I don't sweat like other people, and can get dangerously overheated), it wasn't unusual for me to read two books a day during the summer.

I was such a devoted library patron that I even got a library card when I was in USAF basic training. I managed to read three or four books during that short period. Every where I've ever lived, I've had a library card, and visited often.

Libraries have filled my mind with knowledge throughout the years. Books took me places I could never have dreamed of going, showed me people I would never had been able to meet.

There have been many times in my life when I felt hopeless, unsure if there was any point to living. That was hard to write. But I found new books, and they helped me get through the tough times. I became the person I am because of libraries and the books I had access to through them.

I may have mentioned before that I think being a writer is the most wonderful job in the world. I think being a librarian must be the second-most wonderful job.

If you can relate to this post, maybe you can help this organization. Even if you just spread the word, it will make a difference to a child.

Well, Gentle Readers, there you have it, my little soul baring post for the month. Take care and read, read, read.