Today happens to be Book Lover’s Day.  Not that those of us who love books need an official excuse.

Still, I’m not one to let a perfectly good excuse go to waste. If you’re wondering how to celebrate, here are a few ideas.

• Reread a favourite book. We spend so much time chasing the next new release that we sometimes forget the joy of returning to an old friend.
• Rescue an old print edition from your shelves. You know the one—the paperback with the cracked spine, the dog-eared pages, perhaps a coffee stain or two. Books that have been loved wear their history proudly.
• Visit your local library. Wander without a plan. Pick up something you wouldn’t normally read.
• Finally buy the book that’s been sitting on your wish list for months.
• Leave a review for a book you enjoyed. It takes only a few minutes, but it means the world to authors and helps other readers discover books they might otherwise have missed.
• Spend an uninterrupted hour reading. Put the phone in another room. Ignore the laundry. The world can usually wait another chapter.

For me, Book Lover’s Day always reminds me that reading isn’t just entertainment. Stories become part of us.

Years later, we may have forgotten the details of the plot, but we’ll remember how a book made us feel. We’ll remember where we were when we read it. We’ll remember the characters who felt so real that saying goodbye at the final page was surprisingly difficult.

Some books become what I think of as old friends. They’re the ones I reach for when I’ve had a run of disappointing reads or simply want to spend time somewhere familiar. I already know the ending, of course, but that’s part of the comfort. Like visiting an old friend, the pleasure isn’t in discovering something new. It’s in seeing them again.

Perhaps that’s the best way to celebrate Book Lover’s Day. Not by reading something new, although there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.

Instead, revisit a story that once delighted you. Open a well-thumbed paperback. Say hello to characters you’ve missed.

The book has been patiently waiting for you all along.

Happy Book Lover’s Day—and happy reading.

Now available for preorder:
Scandalous Sirens Omnibus

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Camlann
Even More Time Kissed Moments
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