I volunteer at my local library a few times a month. I love the silence and the smell of old paper. Sometimes I find scribbled notes inside books, forgotten bookmarks, even boarding passes used as page holders.

But I mostly love the people. Like Ada, who is in her eighties and volunteers here twice a week. We became friends, after we discovered a shared love for thrillers and travel. Although she no longer travels, she gets excited every time I’m planning a trip.

Today, as soon as I walked in, she came toward me holding a rather voluminous book. “It just came back,” she said, lowering her voice, “and I saved it for you as I thought you might like it. It’s set in Copenhagen!”

She then asked me to read it and let her know if it’s worth her time 😄 And I really don’t mind being her first reader at all 💜