As last year ended, I hit 65 on my list of books read in 2024. Go ahead, call me a book nerd. Yes, I keep track of what I’ve read. All the easier to remember authors I especially like and memorable novels to recommend.

I was the kid who fell in love with reading early on. The joy of losing myself in a great story has never faded.

I vividly remember discovering the magic of books. I was 7 years old tucked into my dad’s chair reading a mystery about wild horses and kids on a ranch. I was amazed to realize that a book could take me far beyond the walls of my Tucson home. From that moment, I became an avid reader.

Mom took my brother and me to the library regularly. And books were always Christmas and birthday gifts. My brother wasn’t as smitten by the written word. He became a pilot, while I found the career I’d dreamed about since elementary school.

The little girl who loved books grew up to be a woman who makes her living with words, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

Sharing that passion comes naturally. Friends ask for book recommendations, and I love seeing them swept up in a great story.

I spent 22 years in a dynamic book club before it was sidelined by the pandemic. I missed being introduced to new authors and the insight gained from discussion, but I unexpectedly found this inspiration through a different avenue.

For a decade, I’d worked on marketing projects with a large advertising agency in California. One of the account managers was also a voracious reader. Somehow, this came up in a conference call and we began sharing tidbits about favorite books. We’ve never met in person, and neither of us still works for the vendors that introduced us years ago, but our book-inspired friendship has endured. We call regularly to chat about life and what we’re reading. I love getting an email from her announcing, “Just finished one of the best books I’ve read in years. When can you talk?”

No matter how busy life gets, I always have a book in progress and another on tap. That’s the joy of reading because you love it, not because you “have to.” I totally relate to the Frank Zappa quote, “So many books, so little time.”