Reading Is FUN(damental)
The Library Is Always Open
Today, as the son of a voracious reader of science fiction, I celebrate Isaac Asimov's 105th birthday and National Science Fiction Day.
What better time to pay homage to the magic of libraries and the wonders of reading?
For me, this is more than just a nod to one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time. It's also a tribute to my dad, the ultimate Isaac Asimov fan and sci-fi guy.
Dad was a hands-on, blue-collar factory manager who worked long, 10-hour shifts at "the dusty office" Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, he clocked in—and out—for shorter, 5-hour shifts.
What did he do as soon as his weekend began? He hit the shower, dropped off his check at the bank, and made his weekly pilgrimage to the library. When I wasn’t in school, I was lucky enough to be his sidekick.
An hour—or two—later he/we would head home with a big stack of sci-fi tomes.
My old man could READ. Four to five books a week, sometimes more.
He took a book—or two—with him everywhere. The only times I remember him not having a book in hand were at the dinner table and in bed. Family time and reading time were sacred to him, separate but equal.
My mom wasn’t much of a reader. So while she dog-eared catalogs and magazines, usually while watching soap operas, my dad devoured sci-fi novels. A match made in heaven? Mostly.
Me? I’m a lot like my dad. And my mom. I read a little to a lot, depending on my mood and attention span. I don’t read much sci-fi…or fiction. I’m more of a nonfiction guy.
I wish I was a speed reader—with a photographic memory—like my dad.
For him, visiting the library was more than a weekly ritual—it was a sacred, spiritual experience, treated with the respect and reverence many people reserve for houses of worship, full of quiet awe and reflection.
Like father like son, whether I’m stepping through the library’s doors or logging on to a library’s website, I feel a deep gratitude for the treasure troves of knowledge, creativity, and imagination that libraries hold.
Libraries remind me of the incredible gifts that writers, publishers, and inventors have left for us since the days of the Gutenberg Press.
Times have certainly changed since I started visiting libraries in the 1970s. Today, most of human history is more accessible than ever, thanks to online resources.
You don’t even need to leave your house to dive into a universe of books and more.
In honor of National Science Fiction Day and Isaac Asimov—a man who wrote over 500 books and revolutionized the genre—here’s a list of apps and sites I think are worth exploring:
FREE ONLINE LIBRARY RESOURCES
Free-Ebooks.net
Discover 1000's of New Authors in Hundreds of CategoriesOverDrive/Libby
Borrow eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines for free with your library card. Most libraries in the U.S. offer this service.Project Gutenberg
A digital library of over 60,000 free eBooks, including many classic sci-fi works.Hoopla
Stream movies, TV shows, music, and borrow eBooks and audiobooks. All you need is a library card.Internet Archive/Open Library
Access millions of books, movies, and music tracks, plus archived web pages.Library of Congress Digital Collections
Explore historic photos, manuscripts, maps, and recordings, as well as books.Kanopy
Stream classic and indie films, documentaries, and educational videos. Many libraries offer this service for free.Zinio
Access digital magazines through your local library.Your Library’s Website
Most libraries offer online resources like language learning apps, research databases, and genealogy tools. Log in with your library card and explore.
This National Science Fiction Day, let’s celebrate the writers who take us to the stars and beyond and the libraries that make their work accessible to everyone.
Whether you're discovering Isaac Asimov for the first time or revisiting a classic, remember: THE LIBRARY IS ALWAYS OPEN!
Thanks for reading and subscribing!
Clint
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Public Domain Day 2025 (Steve Shives)
The Insane Reason Yahoo! Lost Everything (MagnatesMedia)
Facebook And Google Are Going To Kill The Internet... (SomeOrdinaryGamers)
ON THIS DAY = JANUARY 2
BIRTHDAYS = HIGHLIGHTS
1900 = William Haines = American film actor and interior designer 🌈
1920 = Isaac Asimov = American writer and professor of biochemistry
1929 = Charles Beaumont = American writer 🌈
1949 = Christopher Durang = American playwright 🌈
1961 = Todd Haynes = American filmmaker 🌈
HOLIDAY
PHOTO + QUOTES OF THE DAY
“…my idea of a pleasant time is to go up to my attic, sit at my electric typewriter (as I am doing right now), and bang away, watching the words take shape like magic before my eyes.”
Issac Asimov
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”
Isaac Asimov
“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.”
Isaac Asimov
NEW + FEATURED
COLLIDEPRESS.COM = ON SUBSTACK
Blog + Newsletter + NSFW
Pioneers + Pride + SFW + Shop
COLLIDE PRESS = LINKS + MORE
Ko-Fi + Linktree + Shop + YouTube
Amazon + Bluesky + Threadless + Tumblr
Hey Clint,
Weren't we lucky to have parents who valued reading? My Mom would troop us kids down to the library at least every month. Both my Dad and Mom loved to read. I would see either one of them reading something all the time, whether it was a book, a magazine or a newspaper. They both instilled in me the love of reading. It's made me more aware of the World and worlds within pages of books. I'll always be grateful for that.
I am a voracious reader, like your dad. I read a range of genres but science fiction (as in Asimov and many other famous SF writers) was my earlier favourite. Nowadays (probably started by Tolkien) I have turned to reading (and also writing) fantasy - magic. It gives greater scope for imagination - what if? ,,,,as with SF.