Why do I have a book blog?

I can't remember a time in my life when I did not love to read.  As I would walk home from Jr. High I walked past my local library.  It was my favorite place to stop off  and bring books home in my backpack.  I would stay up late at night devouring the books.  My senior year of high school I took three English credit classes, just because I wanted to.  I even took a Great Literature of Europe class in college, taught by a completely lousy professor, just to get to read classical stories that I didn't already know about. I still wonder why I stayed with that class.  It was not required for my Elementary Ed major.

If anything my love of the written word had grown over the years.  I have nine bookcases (only five of them are full sized) in my home full of books.  I love to have books surround me.  I joke with my husband of 18 years that if there were some kind of disaster and you couldn't get to a library, we would have to have books.  Therefore, they are emergency preparedness items.  He just rolls his eyes at me. For some of my friends and neighbors, I am better than the library.  I have some cool books that the library does not have yet, or doesn't know about.  I frequently fill in the library's request form to purchase books.

Me and my sweetheart at Mesa Verde in Colorado, USA

My oldest child was speech delayed.  He didn't start talking until he was 3 years old. He actually started at one saying basic words, then he was sick often.  He stopped talking and everything became gee or gwee.  While working with the speech therapist, books took on a whole new meaning.  We all know how important it is to read with your children.  I did that.  But I didn't think that I should be pointing out the pictures and naming the objects.  I used to read "Goodnight Moon" to him frequently.  The first time he looked out the window, pointed up to the sky and said "moon" was incredible. Ah, ha, the power of association.  I began to join book clubs and collect picture books to share with him.

The reason that I started this blog was because I am frequently asked for recommendations of books to read.  When you read so many, sometimes it is hard to think of any one to suggest.  Only the current reads come to mind, when I have read many wonderful books.  I wanted to have a central place to put recommendations, and then direct my friends there.  That is why I have pages listing book suggestions in different genres.  I never suspected that this blog would be anything more than that.  It never occurred to me that I would meet other book lovers and publishers and be given the opportunity to review the newest books out there before publication date.  I never worried before that I am not up to date on my English skills.  (I recently purchased a couple of books that were recommended to me by an author friend to work on my grammar.)

Why the name bookworm Lisa?  When I was small my parents took my sister and I to a drive in.  Two movies were showing that night.  The first one was a family friendly movie,  the second one was Jaws.  Now to my parents credit, they made a bed in the back of the family station wagon and told Paula and I to go to sleep.  Did we?  No way!  I had nightmares about sharks for years.  I now can't stand to be in deep water.  I don't like the feel of fish, algae, anything rubbing against me.  It freaks me out.  My kids like to tell me that I am afraid of the water because I am a bookworm.  They say that I am afraid to be used as bait for the fish.  They do have a point.  So in honor of my children, I named my blog.

I don't know why I just made a long rambling post.  But there you have it.  Have a great day!