Books, happy places, and libraries

Yesterday I shared my happy place- the library.

One of my earliest happy place memories is of going to the library. I loved going to the library more than anyplace else. For me, that magical place was the town library in Fruita, CO, which has since been moved at least twice to less romantic buildings than the tiny bit of heaven I used to love. Even now, I can still remember the old building smell combined with the old book smell.

I get into debates with people about keeping books. I am a book keeper. Even as a kid, I would put numbered masking tape stickers on my books (and yes, I still have some of them. My mom made me get rid of some, though, and I am still bitter about that. NEVER separate a book lover from her books!). My dream always has been to have a ginormous library.

I can't tell you why, because I honestly don't know. Maybe it's because I love books so much. Maybe it's because I've had so many happy times in libraries. For me, there is no greater thrill than digging through stacks of books until you find the perfect story to spend an afternoon with.

I'm sure there are probably deeper psychological reasons, like books do not judge you, and they can take you to all sorts of places you can never go otherwise.

But there is also something else, something I see in my daughters, and I try so hard not to squelch that. It's this curiosity, of wanting to know more, and of wanting to dig beyond the surface. I can't take my 7yo anywhere without her asking questions like, "mom, why do you think that man is riding a pink bike? Doesn't he know pink is a girl color?" And then listening to her go on for thirty minutes about all the reasons why this man might choose to ride a pink bike. I like knowing those things too. I like learning about other civilizations, people who lived in different times, and just about anything I never knew until I picked up a book.

So for me, being in a library filled with books is the ultimate dream come true. I am happiest surrounded by books, who are the most comforting of friends. Of course, it is also wonderful when I am joined by fellow book lovers. Nerdy as it seems, some of my most perfect days with human friends have been when we're all in the same room, lost in our own worlds, enjoying good books.

Another dangerous thing to have in my head...

I give you Bookshelf P**n. Fill in the blanks yourself, because I don't want spammers bugging me. Even though they probably will anyway. Jerks. They really need new hobbies.

Anyway, it's really been a craptastical week. Started out amazing, but I just keep getting sucked under with a lot of ick. So, let's all go to my happy place, places filled with books! One day, I'll get to design my very own happy book place, and until then, let's use these for inspiration.

But because I am truly in a heinous mood and need to go to lots of happy places, here are some other inspirations for you:

Colorado Library Designer, Snowdon & Hopkins. I'd probably use these guys. I particularly like the first picture at the top.

Of course, my dream library is the library in the movie My Fair Lady (best movie of all time!). I couldn't find any specific pics of it, so if you have one, please send it to me. As a close second, if you read this blog post and scroll down, you can see the inspiration for it. Actually, that whole blog is really what I'd like to refer to as library crack, and much better than the site at the top of my blog post.

Now it's your turn- what's your dream library?