By: Eva Marie Everson

Mother always insisted that her children take naps. Every afternoon, seven days a week. Honestly, she didn’t care if we slept or not—she needed a break from us, and we needed a break from life (or so she figured). The nap rule was simple: we could sleep for an hour, or we could read our library books. But we could not leave our beds for an hour.

During the summers of my youth, the library (with its Young Readers Club) was a favorite haunt. During the school year, I could be found in either the school’s library, the public library, or scanning the titles in the Bookmobile. My choices were typical for whatever age group I was in, and I only chose titles from the librarian’s suggested list.

Until I didn’t. One day, in a hurry, I grabbed a book off the shelf of the public library and darted to the checkout desk. “Are you sure you want to read this book?” the librarian asked me, her brow arched. Well, I wasn’t sure, but the dust jacket had a description that included a mermaid, so I thought why not?

Granted, the book was a tad advanced for my young mind, but I loved every word of it. I discovered soon after that I had an inclination for unusual works. So, while I still read within suggested titles (and would not read anything that I would find spiritually offensive), I’m usually curled up with a book written somewhere off the beaten path of what most of my friends and business acquaintances read.

I’m also a used bookstore fanatic. So many treasures, so little time! While I’m quick to support a friend’s latest release, I’m just as sure to give life support to those books that were previously read and then donated. Brightlight Books, which is Christian owned and operated and only a few miles from my home, is a beloved spot. When they have their $1-a-book sales (even the hardbacks!), I purchase a stack for my elderly friend who only reads (no TV for her!). There’s also “Friends of the Library,” which is where unshelved books from the upstairs collections are found for sale, including some great classic tomes.

Finally, while I occasionally slip into a work of nonfiction that I enjoy, I find such pleasure rarer and rarer. I finally admitted some time back that, except for the works of a few authors, I’m simply not a nonfiction reader. Again, there are exceptions, but that list is pretty short.

What about you? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction? Have you made “new-to-you” author discoveries that surprised you recently?

 

Eva Marie Everson is a multiple award-winning, bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction. She is the CEO of Word Weavers International and the director of Florida Christian Writers Conference. Although a frequent speaker at writers conferences and a happy world traveler, Eva Marie declares that really is no place like home, a place she shares with her husband of 44 years and their owner, a cat named Vanessa.