My coverless, dog-eared, held-together-with-elastic-bands best-friend books.

Wow, there's a question that begs an answer! I love books...I've always loved books. I'm a baby boomer, and in the early 50's we didn't have a TV, and neither did anybody we knew. We played games, listened to radio or phonograph albums, and we read books. On Saturdays we went to the cinema and spent a dime to see a Disney movie. Life was simple, but when I picked up a book I was instantly transported to fabulous places and I could be anyone and do anything - I could fly! An exciting novel was an addiction, and many's the night my mother would angrily yank my covers down and confiscate my book and my flashlight.

There's no doubt I'm an information junkie, and computers are my life - both my vocation and my avocation. I live in the ether - if I need information about anything under the sun, a few keystrokes will find it for me. Researching a subject for work or fun is fast and satisfying - instant gratification of the need for knowledge. We've certainly come along way from sitting in the library pouring through books for hours, days, or weeks to find what we need.

So what's so special about books? I really don't know if the answer can be easily put into words. The feel of a book in your hands, the musty smell of an old book, the fresh smell of a new book.....the almost sensual enjoyment of opening the cover of a brand new novel by a favorite author, and the excitement of knowing you're about to leap into another world for awhile. If you are a bookaholic, then I know you know exactly what I mean.

So here I'm supposed to list the books that have changed my life? Hmmm, I honestly don't think one lens, or even 10, would hold that long a list. Authors' names flood my mind - Leon Uris, Wilbur Smith, Alexander Kent, Clive Cussler, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Terry Brooks, J.R. Tolkien, Ayn Rand, Alistair McLean, and so many more .... the list seems almost endless .... their books have filled my life with experiences I wouldn't otherwise have had, and exposed my mind to the wonders of worlds I wouldn't otherwise have visited. But this lens is about making a list - so I'll start at the beginning, at childhood, and work my way forward with a small sampling of the books that have influenced my life.