Books + Home: When Two Loves Collide

I have been much in love with books since I can remember.  I don't have the best long-term memory or many other crisp-clear memories of childhood, but I remember endless hours spent reading aloud to my mom.  I think my favorites were the Little House on the Prairie series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the Berenstain Bears series, by Stan and Jan Berenstain.  These books were my springboard into all the possibilities the world and one's imagination could hold.  Life was good enough to allow me to work in a bookstore (RIP Borders Books & Music) during my year of graduate studies at Villanova, and my heart still races each time I get to walk into a building filled with the classics and more contemporary works.  The thought of all of those amazing minds and what they create is overwhelming to me.  Brilliance is hanging out around every last corner.

My other love (more during my adult years) is my hometown of Wheeling, WV.  I think I probably loved it as a kid, too, but I'm positive there was a span of time in my teens and early 20s when I could take it or leave it.  My mom, who always had amazing musical tastes and exposed me to some of the best artists of her time, like Carol King, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, etc., used to crank up tunes as she cleaned the house.  This must have pre-dated my school days because I was hanging out rather than off learning, but I remember her playing a Billy Joel song ("The Ballad of Billy the Kid") that started out with the lyrics, "In a town known as Wheeling, WV..."  Each time I heard it, I was so proud of where I was from!  Nowadays, it doesn't take a Billy Joel song to fill me with pride.  I love my hometown and state beyond compare.

So, I couldn't have imagined the sheer volume of love possible when my love of these two disparate things collided with the opening of the Barnes & Noble in conjunction with West Virginia Northern Community College.  I wanted to come out of the store and shout into the streets huge "thank you's" to everyone and anyone who made that place happen.  Granted, the store is not of cavernous proportions--half of it is dedicated to a Starbucks and customer seating and a fraction of it is dedicated to books and supplies not really of general public interest--however, the little bit of space they have, they have packed with great titles and some other fun items (like Moleskine notebooks, which are a huge weakness for me).  I do have to say here that endless options are not a good friend of mine, so this smaller selection is actually more fitting for my own personal taste and did not lack a bit in offering exploration into some unknowns.  The atmosphere during my visit was one of quiet comfort, something I've always loved about bookstores--makes them feel like a trendy library.  They have a parking lot, making trips in and out pretty simple, and the customer service was lovely. The absolutely best part?  It's a mere two blocks from my workplace.  "Best" and "dangerous" are probably interchangeable here.

My bottom line is that this is just one more reason to love life in "the Wheel" and be grateful to all of those who made it happen.  The culture of home just got a little better.