I remember two things from first grade. I remember having to write (on a huge sheet of poster-board-sized lined-paper) what we wanted to do when we grew up. We had to give it a title and draw a picture of it. I wanted to join the army, and so I entitled my first essay, “Combat.” The second thing I remember is my teacher informing my parents and I that I would never be a good reader (and definitely not a voracious one). My teacher steered me wrong on both counts. I am not now, nor have I ever been in the army (for God, for country, and for me that was a very good thing), but I did become an insatiable reader. I love books. I love looking at books and buying books and reading books. Now, I have never counted my books, but we have a lot of them.