It has been a long, difficult, isolating pandemic and we have all felt its far-reaching and troubling effects. Some of us have suffered big losses and the deaths of people close to us.

As light begins to shine on the horizon (thank you science, vaccines and the goodness of people who followed the daunting restrictions), we can look to a brighter future and a resumption of many parts of our pre-pandemic life.

Will any of us be the same? I doubt it. But I hope we can forge ahead on a renewed and more optimistic path.

What saved me during the pandemic? Books! Many, many books. I have read more over the past year and a half than ever before in my life (and I have always been a voracious reader). So this note is a deep thank you to all the dedicated authors who, in good times and bad, work so diligently at creating works that inspire, educate, entertain and open us up to new worlds and experiences.

I have kept a reading log of the best books, annotated, so that I can always look back and remember what got me through the pandemic. And one of these days, I will share that list here. For now, I will recommend the wonderful middle grade novel for kids Everything Sad is Untrue: (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri. It was heart-breaking and heart-warming in equal measures. “A journey as intimate as it is epic. A remarkable work that raises the literary bar in children’s lit.” says BOOKLIST (starred review).