In the beloved classic “Anne of Green Gables” by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne says to Marilla, “Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” That quote has been running through my head recently. I don’t mean to say that I’ve been making that many mistakes, but I find it a comforting thought that, when I’m a little overwhelmed or stymied by circumstance, I can start again tomorrow hoping for better.
Books and stories stay with us in so many ways throughout our lives, particularly those we read as children or at moments that become turning points in our lives. Perhaps there are characters we want to be like (or do our best to avoid becoming) or quotes from both fiction and nonfiction that surface in times of need. I would venture to guess that a large percentage of people you know have at least once in their lives quoted the final few lines of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day.” A book inspired me to change careers, which turned out to be a great decision.
Author Judy Blume recounted that Ludwig Bemelmans’ “Madeline” was “The first book I fell in love with at the Elizabeth (NJ) public library. I found it on my own, memorized it (I must have been around four and couldn’t read yet). I loved it so much I hid it so my mother would not be able to return it to the library. I thought it was the only copy in the world.”
As books continue to be challenged and banned in communities across the country, we want to emphasize how important it is that everyone should have access to books that can change their lives, at every age. I hope everyone can find books that feel like they were written specifically for them. We love to see families participating in the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program, which helps build critical literacy skills, and to see kids reading together on our third floor. Our Teen Advisory Board offers an annual program, I Read This Book, to share the titles that have been most meaningful to them. This summer, an adult patron turning in her “Unearth a Story” summer reading card told me that one of the books she read for the challenge rewired her brain. Another of our patrons, now over 100 years old, is an endlessly voracious reader who tackles books on every topic.
I encourage you to join us for a book group discussion, even if the book is outside of what you normally read. Submit a BookMatch request for a personalized reading list, or let us know if you are looking for a book that we don’t currently have on our shelves. One can’t always predict what exactly will resonate with a reader at any particular moment of their “one wild and precious life,” but we want to help you find the books that just might change the way you view the world or that help you understand yourself a little better.
Photo by hannah grace on Unsplash