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#Our Reading Lives

Our Reading Lives features stories about how books and reading have shaped who we are and how we live.

How To Build Seasonal Rereading Rituals

These rituals have grown from listening deeply to seasonal shifts — in my body and in the world — and matching those shifts with books.

Start a New Bookish Tradition with Jolabokaflod This Christmas

Share your love of books this holiday season with Jolabokaflod, a bookish Christmas Eve tradition from Iceland.

What to Do When You Hate Your Own Book Club Pick

So you picked the book club book and it turns out you hate it. Whoops! A reader offers tips for what to do next.

Why Does Reading to Ambient Sound Make Reading Better?

I read better and remember stories longer when my reading is accompanied by white noise — whether it's rain or ocean noises. But why?

How Working in a Library Healed My Inner Child

Working at the library that was my safe haven has been satisfying in a way I’d never experienced. It went beyond satisfaction to healing.

How Performing in a Musical Adaptation of Pride and Prejudice Brought Me Closer to the Book

Playing a Charlotte pastiche in a musical gave me a profound appreciation of Charlotte Lucas and Pride and Prejudice overall.

The Joys of Checking Cookbooks Out of the Library

Borrowing cookbooks from the library has reinfused my baking life with joy — even if I don't end up using any of the recipes.

How Choose Your Own Adventure Books Taught Me to Be a Better Reader

Many read the Choose Your Own Adventure novels as children, but even if you didn't, they hit a little differently when read by adults.

My Library’s Circulating Zine Collection is My New Favorite Thing

A zine collection is also a resource and a service. Mostly, though, it's a delight. It's so much fun. It's joyful. It's surprising.

At What Age Should We Stop Reading Aloud to Each Other? (The Answer is, Never!)

Bedtime stories are common for young children, but we're missing out if we stop reading aloud when we grow up.