I probably appreciated the library more than the average college coed, but even I didn't love it as an undergrad as much as I do now. I felt the same way when I was able to take books out at the Middlebury College library.
"You mean...I can TAKE THESE HOME WITH ME?"
Awesome. Also, for the curious, Middlebury has some really awesome books on fairy tales.
But fairies are not what I'm researching today. Today the books I'm reading look like this:
I love research. I especially love researching nonfiction to be used in fiction. That means I can take what I want and leave the rest—I don't have to write a paper on any of it!
Instead, I can write stories inspired by what I've read, which is an entirely different thing.
Research to a frightened gremlin is like a warm blanket, a cup of coffee, and a big slice of carrot cake. I'm going to gorge myself on facts until a bunch of fiction comes pouring out of my fingers...
Some place on my shelves I have a book with a title like, "Mystical Visions." About women mystics in (religious?) history. I used it for a class at UH.
ReplyDeleteI, too, did not appreciate the giant campus library as much as I should have when I was at university. But I did turn in some books to my local library a few days ago and came home with a stack three times as large. :D
It's a good feeling! I love carrying around piles of books, just hefting the weight of all those words...
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