Editor,

I really enjoyed Kay Soldier’s column in the Lakes Region Suburban Weekly Aug. 31. I have been reading books since I learned to read in the first grade. I can remember my mother taking me to the Portland Public Library once a week (that was before we had a library in South Portland). We could only take out six books at a time in the children’s room. I took six books every week and read them all.

I can remember when I was in the fifth or sixth grade and was wandering around the children’s room looking at books. One of the librarians approached me and asked me if I was having a problem finding a book. I said I had read every book that I wanted to in the children’s room. She looked at the other librarian on duty and asked her if they should send me upstairs? The other librarian said “yes.” There was an age or school grade that you had to be before you could use the adult library upstairs. Anyway, I was sent upstairs and started looking for books. When I got ready to check out they looked at my library card and said I could not use the adult library. I told them I was sent upstairs from the children’s room. They called downstairs and verified it. The first book I read from the adult library was Pearl Buck’s Imperial Woman.

I don’t quite read six books a week anymore, but if I don’t have a book to read I am lost.

Susan Hiltunen

Windham