When others our age are going on cruises, my friend, Mary Coons and her husband, purchased three turn-of-the-century homes in a neglected neighborhood and transformed them into charming Air B&Bs. Among her many talents, Mary can thrift like a boss.

            Combine an eye for value with her natural talents as an illustrator and author, and she completely furnished a one-bedroom guest house for $1200. Not surprising, some of her décor is specially selected books. When I get the opportunity to go with her, combing the bookshelves in thrift stores is a sweet journey in our personal reading histories.

            “Have you read the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde? Or The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie King? Mary Stewart is such a grand dame, her writing captivated me.” Mary held up a well-worn copy of Nine Coaches Waiting.

            “The best books I read in high school were Stewart’s Merlin series beginning with The Crystal Cave and The Hollow Hills.” That had been so long ago, was that series as good as I remembered? The following week I ordered the audio version from the library. Yes, the books were even better than I recalled.

            A copy of Christy reminded me of getting that book from my mom when I was in middle school and how surprised I was at the end to discover who deeply loved Christy. Having the opportunity to learn from Ken Wales who championed Christy as a television show is a rich part of my career.

            Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth sparked a “where were you when” conversation and reminded me that the spiritually influential authors of my faith journey include Ken Gire, particularly his Windows of the Soul, Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness and the Cooper Kids Adventures, Ray Vander Laan, and Riches Stored in Secret Places by Verdell Davis.

            What makes some titles stick out more in our memory than others? My first storybook was Five Beds For Bitsy. In kindergarten, fellow classmates always chose The Berenstain Bears and the Honey Hunt for story time. Box Car Childrenwere classroom favorites and we read Uncle Remus’ witty exploits of Br’er Rabbit.Author PeggySue Wells reminds us of the hidden gems that can be found between the pages in this week's edition of My Reading Life. #brrc #amreading @peggysuewells Share on X

            When I was in middle and high school, Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson and Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge, The Once and Future King by T.H. White, Knights of the Range by Zane Grey, A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg, and Two From Galilee by Marjorie Holmes somehow stand out among the countless books I devoured.

            A treasure was The Youngest Drover by Ron Carter that I found for one dollar on the sale rack outside our local bookstore. My seven children loved that true tale and I read all of that author’s great little stories. Titles shared with my own children include The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, the Clementine books by Sarah Pennypacker, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg, the Grandma Dowdel series by Richard Peck, and the Hank the Cowdog series by John Erickson.

            In recent years, I read as much as I can in a wide variety of genres, though my go-to is adventure. The best series I’ve read in a long time is Charles Martin’s Murphey Shepherd trilogy, made even better when read by audio narrator Jonathan K. Riggs. Some books like Anne of Green Gables, The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings are easier to read on audio.

            Following Mary’s example, in my guest room I have a basket filled with beautifully illustrated children’s books and a few books for adults including Madeline L’Engle’s Herself, Course Gold Gulch by Marion Garthwaite, and a collection of Irving Stone works.

            Recently, at Mary’s Air B&B, I opened a beautiful tabletop book about the items cataloged in the Library of Congress, including five Stradivarius violins. When it was time to leave, I reluctantly closed the large volume.

            “Take it with you,” Mary offered. “I’ve read every word.”

            “Really?”

            “And you know I got it for pennies at a thrift shop.” She spun in a slow circle. “Besides, time to change up some of this décor.”

PeggySue Wells is the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon bestselling author of 30 books, translated into eight languages, including The What To Do series, The Slave Across the Street, Slavery in the Land of the Free, Bonding With Your Child Through Boundaries, Homeless for the Holidays, Chasing Sunrise, and The Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make.

Learn more about PeggySue at her BRRC Author page or her website…