Thursday, February 25, 2010

Wiling Away for Hours

Don’t you just love it when you get new books……
I love books. I love to read...again.
I went for years without reading a book…I totally lost interest in reading. What’s up with that? So I have found that love again. As I was saying…I love it when I get new books. I buy them used from the thrift stores, Good Will stores, second hand places and as I mentioned in a previous post~ at Thriftbooks.com.
My order came in the other day…right in the middle of me trying to struggle through a not-so-good-to-read book. I pondered whether or not to just chunk it or continue on with it. Well the story finally picked up a little and I will finish reading it. It is not one of my favorites however. But what awaits me, still in the box they were shipped in, are some Fannie Flaggs and Nicholas Sparks…..can’t wait to get into them. The day I got the package I was giddy while cutting open the box…wondering all the while what kind of condition the books would be in. They were excellent; all dust jackets intact and all hardback. ~I love that. Although I do admit that I do remove the pesky dust jacket while reading the book. Upon further investigation of my new treasures; thumbing
through the pages and smelling the written words…I saw it!
My copy of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café…was personally autographed by Fannie herself!
Just inside on the title page it reads:
For Carolyn  Best Wishes  Fannie Flagg
…signed in ink. That made me smile! I’m still smiling.
Hey, I can pretend I’m Carolyn…huh?
You see I’m a little partial to Fannie because she is from Alabama too.
And who didn’t love Fried Green Tomatoes; the movie based on this book?
 And there’s Sandi, a blog friend you MUST visit at… Whistle Stop Cooking. 
Sandi and her family owned the Irondale, Alabama cafe which is the very same cafe that was the basis of this novel that Fannie Flagg wrote. They stay busy with Whistle Stop Products, shipping them all across the country. Sandi and her husband love working on new products, cookbooks, and recipes! Go on over and pay her a visit and say hello!
********
Do you remember your very first library card? Oh what a joy and a privilege to be responsible for checking out books…books that you had to care for, read, and return by the due date. I still have my card from my youth. I loved going to the library and combing through all the millions of books…shelves of books, many many shelves. The library also had one of those old drink machines where you selected your drink by pulling it out of its slot by the capped end. That was so awesome! I also remember making the move from the children's book section to the more grown up stuff…Ahhhh. Now, I’m still a sucker for buying children’s books, especially Christmas ones, for my awaited grandchildren. I have a vision of holding them in my lap reading to them as they listen with open ears and hearts as the Christmas lights twinkle in their little eyes...building memories.

So…get your read on! Pull out that book you’ve been meaning to get around to, throw that favorite blankie in the dryer to heat it up and snuggle up and get ready to travel to many places. Be ready to feel your character and absorb the words right off the pages. Used books let you know that someone else has lifted those same words right from that page just as you. You will walk the same path, spur some emotions, learn, and create in your mind’s eye a place to go to. Don’t you just love the smell of a book? Why is that? What are some of your favorites?

I baked a pound cake yesterday and wanted to share a piece with you…
My Heart is Pounding
Happy Reading
Read the Printed Word!

              

My word for 2010-Experience
I experienced the love of reading again

19 comments:

Sherry said...

Ah Cora, two of my favourite things...books and pound cake!!!

I am a fiend for books, and like you, went through a period a number of years ago when I'd lost the desire. I'm not sure what happened or why but it didn't last too long and I'm back at it with a vengeance and loving every page I turn.

What a treat to have a book that has been signed by the author...especially a book you love!!

Enjoy -- and personally, when I'm reading something that doesn't "grab" me, I chuck it and move on. Life's too short. I used to keep reading to the end and wonder why I'd done that. I think of precious time lost...not every book is written to appeal to every person, so I just move on to one that is! xo

Elaine said...

I too am a lover of books. What a find on your book Fried Green Tomatoes.. I have seen the movie several times but have not read the book. My book also come from thrift stores, garage sales. Always a bargin when I get one for a quarter.
When my grandson ws little and his mother told him they were going to grandma's......he would ask if it was the book grandma. ...today he writes sport articles for the news paper.

Lets all keep reading.

The Old Parsonage said...

That's so awesome and yes you have my permission to pretend your Carolyn (same first initial makes it make sense).

Too funny, I buy books for my someday anticipated grand-babies too! Christmas especially.

Enjoy
Leann

Dawn said...

That surprise signature from a beloved author happened to me once with a Gladys Taber book, I was so thrilled! I love old, used hard covers. Delightful!
And about books in childhood...there was an annual book fair in my school when I was little. Copies of brand new shiny books were displayed, and if you wanted to order one you wrote down your name. We didn't have any money, but I couldn't resist, and I wrote my name down for three books. When they arrived some time later, I was supposed to pay for them, but I couldn't so I left them there. The librarian, who to this day remains one of my favorite people in the world, must have known my situation, because I found them in my cubby that afternoon, and he never asked me for the money.
Your post made me remember that story...thank you.
xo

Anonymous said...

i love to read...i am going to check that website! nicholas sparks is one of my favorite authors. have a wonderful time reading!

Holly said...

beautiful post! i remember my first library card and how you and grandma would take me to check out books. wishing i had some pound cake also...but at the same time...3 cups of sugar is not for me :( but i can still wish.......

Anonymous said...

books, books, books...reading and writing...i can't get enough of them! i've been reading like a crazy person lately...in nearly every spare minute i have, lol! i love all kinds of books, but something suspenseful, thrilling, and downright creepy is what i love most :) Stephen King got me hooked on reading and while i love classics and some romance, i do tend to go searching for a good thriller. as a matter of fact i just started King's book, Lisey's Story, on Tuesday. I'm loving it so far!

are you on www.goodreads.com? it's a great book sharing/recommendation site. you can see what others are reading and keep track of the ones you've read.

now...for a piece of that pound cake to go with my book - mmm!

Char said...

oh...you talked about one of my most favorite memories. going to the library. i can still smell the books in the stacks. i love that smell.

and yay - i love that book and i adore that movie. i also love going to the restaurant when i'm in irondale.

christina said...

oh this is such a treasure. and signed as well. this post just hangs the moon for me.
so beautiful.
xo
Ps: i adored getting my first library card, just as much as i adored getting my kids, their first cards.
xoxo

Nobody Puts Mama In A Corner! said...

Hi Mama Cora Belle! Love this post!!! I too get my book fix at Goodwill! Oh the treasures I have found! Oh yes the 1st library card! Mine was at the Bellaire Library on Elm Street! It was light brown and had a metal plate embedded in it. I felt so very important! Signing up for the Summer Reading Clubs was always a BIG DEAL too! So seriously recording each book title on that piece of paper! Good Memories!!!

Anonymous said...

i love to curl up with a good book and eat cake while reading :)

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Carolyn~ you made my heart smile!

I can remember the feeling of holding my first library card, from the 1 room library in Millbrook Alabama. I carried it in my purse~ Now that is grown up.

Kim @ Home Is Where The Heart Is said...

I enjoy reading, too!

That pound cake is sweet with the cut out heart.

Hearts Turned said...

Hi, Cora! So glad I found your beautiful & delicious blog today! I'm your newest follower & will be back often to say hello & see what you're cooking up...

Hope you have a fabulous day!

Angie Berry ~ Berry Homespun Primitives said...

Ah yes, I love to read too! Well, I used to buy books at the bookstore all the time. It was my addiction. As each child was added, fewer books were bought and read. Now I can barely keep up with our local paper. But that's okay... I will enjoy this busy time in our lives for I know one day all my kids will be gone and I'll have time to read once again.

Enjoy your reading! Oh, and how special to find an autograph! What a neat little treat! =]

Mary @ Neat and Tidy said...

Cora: I wanted to be a librarian when I was young because I wanted to use the rubber stamp on the back of the book! The computer used at the library now just doesn't interest me.

I enjoy Fannie Flagg's books, too.

Marilyn Miller said...

Love, love, love books too! I have a pile of about 12 books waiting for me right now and 6 more on the way. Check out swaptree.com where you can swap books.

Susan said...

I love finding books at Goodwill and thrift stores! And I have stacks and stacks of them on my desk to prove it! It's so hard to resist when they're only a dollar or two. Have you read Welcome to the World, Baby Girl by Fannie Flagg? It's really good, too.

I absolutely remember my first library card and what a feeling of adventure and freedom it gave me. It's the first thing we did when we moved to a new place when our kids were young.

Lovely post, Cora!

GwendolynKay said...

You have inspired me to get my read on! I have several new "to me" books that I can sink my eyeteeth into and enjoy. I will start a new one tonight. I still love my library card and go the library quite often.
Blessings!
Gwen