The joy of BOOKS
When I met Amelia, I’d been working at the library for 20 years. I didn’t believe a book could change anybody’s life, least of all mine.
Until I met my wife, I’d wanted to train as a teacher, but she persuaded me not to. By the time the marriage ended, years had gone by and I had forgotten I even had that dream.
I’d still be stuck in a rut if Lisa Parkes hadn’t gone to New Zealand for six weeks. She was the one who helped me load the mobile library every morning. I never knew who I’d get to cover while she was away and, on that day, it was a work-experience student. I wasn’t happy. Showing them what to do would slow everything down, but we were short-staffed, so it was Amelia or nothing.
As we loaded the van, she didn’t stop talking about her love of books and how she wanted to be a librarian one day. I told myself it wasn’t for long – soon she’d be someone else’s problem – but, when I got on board,
