At NCTE, books were everywhere. I was completely overwhelmed, but in a good way.
Titles flashed at me from booths, shelves, displays. Conference attendees and authors named book after book. Friends discussed book after book. I added to my list. My to-be-read shelves are overflowing.
I am surrounded by books in my library. Every day I hear about a new book I want to read.
How can I ever manage to read them all? More importantly, how can I ever manage to share them all with readers?
I asked myself these questions and looked at my stacks. And then overwhelmed once again, I just picked one.
And that is how it must be. We start with one. It starts with one book, and even if we don't love everything in that book, the experience leads us to another. And another.
And that, in turn, gives us the confidence and energy to share it. We have that familiarity that emboldens us to share it with younger readers who look to us for help in choosing. Indeed, imagine! If these endless stacks of books are overwhelming to us, how overwhelming they must be for our younger readers!
The act of reading helps us guide readers. They count on us. They count on me.
What ONE book will you choose today?
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