Somewhere along the way—between worn-out library cards and dog-eared paperbacks—I fell in love with reading. Not just with the stories themselves, but with the quiet companionship of a book resting in my lap, the scent of paper and ink, and the way time bends when I’m lost in a good story.

Books have been my safe place, my teacher, my passport, and my mirror. They’ve held me in moments when the world felt loud and confusing, offering the calm certainty of a beginning, middle, and end. They’ve invited me to weep over things I didn’t know I needed to grieve. They’ve stretched my empathy, grown my imagination, and whispered truths I wasn’t quite ready to say aloud.

I’ve been changed by characters who became real to me—who stayed long after the last chapter closed. I’ve underlined sentences that felt like they were written just for me, and returned to paragraphs like prayers. Reading has made me braver, softer, more curious. It’s reminded me that even when I feel alone, someone, somewhere, has felt this too—and they wrote it down.

There’s something sacred about holding the voice of another person’s mind in your hands. And there’s joy—deep joy—in following a thread of story or wisdom that leads you to yourself.

So here’s to the love of reading—to the books we carry with us, the ones we recommend to friends, the ones that haunt us gently, the ones that heal. May we always find space for stories, and may they always find space in us.

Some of My Favorite Reads (for different moods):

📖 When I need to feel deeply seen:
The Choice by Dr. Edith Eger
You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt

🌿 When I need to slow down and breathe:
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Wintering by Katherine May

💔 When I need to grieve and remember I’m not alone:
Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved) by Kate Bowler
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis

🌞 When I want to feel inspired or uplifted:
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

🕊️ When I want to reflect on faith and mystery:
The Pursuit of God by AW Tozer
Mere Christianity by CS Lewis

A Few of My Reading Rituals:

• I keep a book in my bag, always. You never know when a few quiet moments will appear.
• I write in my books—questions, prayers, “yes!” in the margins. I want to be in conversation with what I read.
• I reread favorites, especially when life feels fragile. Old words can feel new when you need them most.

Reading isn’t just a hobby. For me, it’s a form of connection—soul to soul, page to heart. If you have a favorite book that’s changed you, I’d love to hear about it. Let’s keep the love of reading alive, together.