Memories of Books

Growing up, my family didn't have a lot of money and books were a rare and precious commodity. I loved to read and can remember back to first grade...my first trips to the school library....with all those books lining the shelves in front of me. It was the biggest treat to step through those glass doors into this world awaiting me.
A world full of adventures to be taken.

I loved picking out just the right one...{usually a book about horses or dogs or some other animal}...and settling into a little bean bag chair in some corner. Just me and my new book.

But let me tell you...I have a terrible memory. Really bad. REALLY. So I don't remember what most of the books I read were about much less what the titles were. That being said....I'm taking you on a little trip down memory lane....it's a very sketchy path...watch your step.

For many months, I kept trying to think of a book that I had read as a young girl. I was wanting to read it to my girls. I knew that I loved it but all I could remember was it was about a girl and her horse that crossed through an old gate and went back in time. There they met another girl who rode horses sidesaddle. That's it. That is all my brain could come up with. No ideas on the title whatsoever. It was driving me crazy trying to come up with something more concrete. Finally I decided to do a google search.
I first tried very specific word searches but didn't have much luck....like...
girl sidesaddle gate horse book.....

Time for a different approach.

I typed in horse books. I was led to a site called ponydom.com. And there was a button for juvenile fiction~click~ I began reading through the extensive list of children's books on horses.
Suddenly...I stopped in my tracks.

Can I Get There By Candlelight?
That's it!!!! I knew it the moment I saw it.
You can't believe how excited I was.
Open a new tab....to the public library.....

There was one copy in the system. I immediately put it on hold....picked it up two days later....read it....loved it all over again.

It had a sadder ending than I remember
{ok ~ let's face it...I didn't remember the ending at all}
but still.
It transported me {and this time my girls went with me} to another place and time.
It was lovely to revisit this old friend.

How many miles to Babylon?
Three score miles and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight?
Yes, and back again.
If your heels are nimble and light,
You can get there by candlelight.

~Mother Goose

I'm always delighted by a really good book.
Do you have books that you read as a child that
stayed with you for life?
What was your favorite?
Maybe you can read it again this summer...
snuggled into a bean bag chair.

Have a wonderful week

lotsalove~
Chasity