My parents had a sneaky trick to get me to read as a kid: I could stay up 30 minutes past my normal bedtime as long as I was reading. So for years I would read every night before bed (sometimes way past my “allowed” time if it was a particularly good book). I’m sure I thought I was getting away with something, staying up later than I was supposed to. But my parents knew something then that I only realized later: that nightly habit would spark a lifelong love of stories, learning, and quiet moments with good books.
It was only natural, then, that my first job as a teenager was after school at my local public library. It helped me realize how much I enjoyed being in a library environment and how much I enjoy working with others and helping them find what they’re looking for.
Reading is one of the best and most important ways we have for connecting with new ideas, different perspectives, and even parts of ourselves we didn’t know were there, and working in a library lets me help make those connections for others.
Mystery/Thriller
Sci-Fi
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
*Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
*This story has strong characters and themes but includes outdated stereotypes of Indigenous people and women, so readers should approach it with a critical lens.
