Grant Wiebe

Excerpt from www.Rutlanders.ca - Rutland's Community Website:

Thanks to my great parents and many years of education, I am literate.  However, I am definitely not a “reader”. 

For most of my life, when asked what my favorite book was, my answer has always been: “The Outsiders”.  In addition to my heart for the underdog and my adolescent desire to be bad yet misunderstood, this speaks to the size of the reading chasm in my life between grade 6 and present day.  I have always bragged about my mastery in the art of reading the first 2 or 3 chapters of a book.  

Well, due to a few factors (1. I’m getting old; and old people sometimes do unexpected things.  2. I’m disillusioned by the current state of basic cable (except for “The Office”, “Thirty Rock”, and the first few episodes of “American Idol” that make me feel uncomfortable and embarrassed).  3. My oldest son is now reading and I don’t want him to inherit any of my “loser” qualities), I have found myself on a bit of book-worm streak.  I’ve read 5 books so far this year (which is probably about as many as I’ve read since school), and I’m really enjoying it.

I’ve actually started taking books out of the library - and not just books about guitars or cars or how to fix the leaky drain in my bathroom.  I’m talking “chapter books”!  For the first time in my life, I have realized that a local, free, public library is an amazing institution.  I am so proud to live in a place where my kids and I can wander down the street to the library and borrow books.  This is something I have taken for granted all my life and now, in my old age, I get how cool it is.

So to the friendly folks at the Rutland branch of the Okanagan Regional Library,  I’ll see you soon.  I stayed up way too late last night so I’m gonna need a refill!