WOODSTOCK — Some of Yvonne McDowell’s earliest and fondest memories are sitting in her mother’s lap, listening to her read.

“I associate reading with that warm, fuzzy feeling, and she’s the one who made me a reader,” said McDowell, a former librarian and now a volunteer with the Woodstock Library. “Even today, when I sit down with a book, I still get those feelings.”

National Book Lovers Day — celebrated annually on Aug. 9 — encourages readers like McDowell to embrace their love of reading by setting aside digital distractions and diving into the world of books.

“I didn’t have access to a library,” McDowell said, adding that as a child she read many of the same books over and over again, such as “Heidi” and “Understood Betsy,” which was her favorite.

“They become your friends,” she sai

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