So I do remember reading a book

1. I’m taking myself back to grade school. My love affair with books started early. I read many sports biographies—Babe Ruth, Johnny Unitas, and other sports greats who made it because “they never gave up.” The message was always the same—sheer determination would pay off in the end. I actually believed I would follow their footsteps into the major leagues or at least to the NFL.

But as good as these books were, I reached a new level with my first Hardy Boys book. I paid a dime for it in a church rummage sale. I think the title was The House on the Cliff. But I’m definitely not sure. I remember getting hooked—and loving it. I wanted to read more and more of the series, and I did.