How I became a librocubicularist

By Kitty Lapin Agile on December 15, 2013 • ( 2 )

I have always loved to read. It did not come easily for me, being slightly dyslexic I had more of a struggle than my classmates. However, books were all around in my family, my grandparents and mother served as examples of adults that always had a book to read. I never imagined some children grew up in homes where their parents never read for pleasure. I just assumed every adult had a book they were reading at all times, and in the case of my grandfather several at once.

Bookmobile day was always a happy day!

When I was very young the town where I lived did not have a library. However, we did have a book mobile. This was a bus that was converted to hold shelves of books. I would walk down to a nearby corner where the book would park once a week and the librarian would help me pick out books based on my reading level and interest. She was very good at stocking the bus with exactly what her patrons would like, even very young patrons. My life long love of libraries and librarians started with that book mobile.

There was only one problem with my love of books and reading. My dyslexia meant that I was a very slow reader. I would start a book, and not be able to have read enough before it was time to do something boring. Things like eating, doing homework and worst of all sleeping, all got in the way of my finishing a good book.

The sleeping part was the worst. My bed, with comfortable pillows and warm blankets, in a quiet bedroom without siblings or parents to interrupt, seemed to be the best place to read. My family did not agree. The rule was bedtime was lights out and sleep. There was no hope of even sneaking in a flashlight, they were kept out of my reach after I was caught just once. I swear it was my first and only time!

best gift ever!

Still, to my delight during the holiday season, I didn’t need a flashlight. My family would decorate for the holidays using plastic light up candles places in each window. My window had not just one fake candle, but three. There was even fake candle wax dripping down the sides. I remember going with my mother to buy these candles at SEARS.

The first night the candles were lit, I turned off my bedside light for the night and found to my utter joy that there was enough light from the candles that I could read. Oh sure it was pretty dim with those mustard yellow bulbs, but it was enough for me to stay up late at night with Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden. I remember having to check out even more books from the library during December. No one ever caught on despite that clue. A librocubicularist was born that first December.

Mornings were a bit tougher, though I didn’t stay up too late as I knew being awoken in the morning with a book still in my hand would be the end my SEARS version of a book light.

Outdoor winter fun with my brother and neighbors was fine, but inside fun was bedtime reading.

Things never got better for this librocubicularist. While my husband loves books, he is not a librocubicularist. Bedtime is lights out. I had tried small book lights and various flashlights, though never holiday candles from SEARS. Even the smallest light seems to bother him, he loves that we live in the country without even a streetlight in the entire village.

However, the librocubicularist and non librocubicularist now live in peace as last holiday he gifted me with a Kindle Paperwhite. After we figured out how to adjust the light from “Calling UFOs” to “calm and gentle” life has become much happier. He can sleep and I can finish just one more chapter, or two, maybe three.

Other people have happy childhood holiday memories, but for me the entire month of December was a librocubicularist celebration.