Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed
Why do you read? Is it to find companionship, escape, adventure? If you’re Shannon Reed, it’s for all those reasons and plenty more. As a child with a hearing impairment, books became Reed’s lifeline. That connection strengthened with time, leading Reed to a career as a writer, teacher and humorist. In this collection, Reed steps back to examine the role books have played in her life, reflections that are by turns introspective and playful. She celebrates literary milestones like getting her first library card and claiming wins in Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! program. Other essays describe how books helped Reed find her way in the world and served as comfort in difficult times. Readers will relate to her loathing for assigned reading and her heartfelt love for cookbooks and genre fiction. Part memoir, part ode to the reading life, this joyful collection reveals the many ways books transport and transform us. Bibliophiles, you’ll want to move this to the top of the stack.
Reviewed by Mary Kinser, collection development librarian, Whatcom County Library System
(Originally published in Bellingham Alive October 2024 issue.)