How Dewey Make Time?

(Yeah, not my finest.) Over the Christmas holiday, my parents and I (in one car) and my sister and her fiance (in another) headed north to Pennsylvania to visit my grandparents. My Didi (grandfather) has dementia and it's been two years since I've seen him. My sister and I have a complex relationship with our grandparents, but as we get older I think we realize how important it is to focus on what matters and what matters is what we have -- time together. One of the things I share with my Didi is a love of reading. As we sat in their living room, he asked me if I was still a voracious reader. I told him that I just didn't have time. "Make time," he said. When I got home, I opened the local entertainment guide and learned that 2009 is the 100th anniversary of the Kanawha County Public Library System. In honor of the anniversary, they're issuing a challenge to their patrons -- 100 books between January 2 and December 31, 2009. I don't know if I can do it, but I'm going to try. Spinster Girl's Year of 100 books begins now. I'm starting with a memoir: Poker Face by Katy Lederer. I cut my teeth on the books at the St. Albans Public Library. In this "digital" age I think some people don't recognize the importance of public libraries (and librarians) to the communities they serve. I've got a few resolutions for the coming year, but making time to read is going to be my number one.