Addicted to Dickens….and Dickinson

Addiction- a strong inclination to indulge in something repeatedly.

I’ve shaken a few addictions. Cigarette smoking from the age of 15 to 33. Playing blackjack in London’s west end casinos in my late teens. Scoffing boxes of chocolate. My worst chocolate experience was at a friends Christmas party where I spent the afternoon consuming a box of black magic chocolates washed down with rum and coke. I can still feel the buzz to this day and shudder every time I think of it. Today I console myself with two squares of Lindt 95% dark chocolate daily.

The one addiction I have never shaken is books. I can still remember the thrill when I graduated from the children’s section of the library to the adults. We were allowed a maximum of three books and I would visit the library twice a week for…