By Erin Dreiling, Executive Director
With my 19th DragonCon approaching this weekend, I have a confession to make – I am a fantasy fan. A BIG fantasy fan. It’s a running joke in my family that if a book has an imaginary map in the front and can be used as a doorstop, I’ll love it. I am thrilled with the new “romantasy” trend.
In fact, if it does not have magic, monsters or romance, it’s a slog for me to finish it. That’s not to say that I don’t read books for the betterment of my mind,but they are not the books I reach for time and time again. I want escape, adventure and world-building. Stories spark my book joy.
I used to be ashamed of this. I’d go to book clubs and debate abstract concepts, lessons learned from biographies, and how to change habits. Book clubs help me get through important reads, especially those with valuable lessons to impart. For me, the shared experience is important.
These days, I own my reading preferences. Working proximate to our libraries and librarians has helped with that. I’ve discovered that librarians don’t care what you read as long as you read. If I go on and on about magic systems, they smile and offer a new suggestion.
One of the beautiful things about libraries (in addition to all of the community programs and services they offer) is that they enable us all to dabble and explore. Maybe you want to learn something new. Maybe you like historical fiction. Maybe you like cookbooks or romances – or romantic cookbooks. Maybe you have an undiscovered interest in true crime. No matter what your interests are, you are sure to find something to be enthusiastic about at your local library.
Paper books not your thing? There’s an app for that! You can check out e-books from Hoopla and audiobooks from Libby through Fulton County Libraries. If you want the shared experience of a book club to inspire you, the library has those too.
Let’s all celebrate our interests and our #bookjoy. What do you like to read? What is on your list?
