A Lifelong Love of Reading

I enjoy reading. I guess I wouldn’t be in this profession if I didn’t.

when I was 5 years old, I told my dad he no longer had to read to me. From that point on, I slept with numerous books under my bed for convenience. I slept with a touch lamp on and didn’t sleep in the dark until I was nearly out of high school, not as I was afraid of the dark but because I’d frequently enough fall asleep reading.

Growing up, I mostly read nonfiction, such as books about history. I recall borrowing the Time Life series on the American Civil War from then-Pleasants County Sheriff David Kelly (now the commissioner of the Division of corrections and Rehabilitation). I was also into science fiction, checking out books from my elementary school libary by Isaac Asimov.

I spent a lot of time at the Pleasants County Public Library, either reading books there or checking out stacks to read at home. I’d go down every aisle looking for any book that caught my fancy. I believe one can judge a book by its cover, and I frequently enough did so.

I’ve discussed in this space how I was a terrible student,either struggling in courses such as math,or bored by the pace of other subjects that I knew a lot about. But my avid reading appetite helped me lead our middle school and high school quiz bowl teams.

I still love reading as much as possible,though sometimes it is indeed hard to find time to read recreationally. I still mostly read nonfiction, though I do have a few Tom Clancy novels on my home office shelf. I make it a point to go to Taylor Books in downtown Charleston and search through their used books for any about West Virginia political history to add to my State Capitol Building office shelf.

As I get older, I prefer to read using my backlit waterproof Kindle. Because I like to spend my summers near a beach or at least a pool, and reading in the water is a must. I also get a lot of Kindle reading done on my frequent camping trips, requiring the backlight. But when it comes to books I really love,I want a hardback to physically have.

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So, what have I read lately? Not too long ago I finished “Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, A Grateful Son, an