Bookshelves, Sister of Silence and the freedom to think

It finally happened. I learned last night that libraries are placing orders for my book, Sister of Silence. How cool is that, really?
I’m thrilled, of course, because it means exposure. Readers who meander through the bookshelf aisles will come across it, pick it up and then read it. Hopefully. Then they will tell other people, who will become its readers, too.
But that’s not the main reason I’m thrilled. Sales are good, yes, but here’s the thing about libraries: they are among my favorite places in the world. I’ve been to libraries all over the country, and in a few other countries, too, and they are the best place to go to think. They give you silence and space and the ability to focus on whatever you’re reading–and that’s when the magic happens. I’ve traveled to places I’ve never set foot in, because a book transported me there when I turned its pages. I’ve studied under great academics I’ve never met, who lived long before I did, because I could sit and ponder their words in a library.
That’s what books do: they let you experience things you might never otherwise. And libraries remain–especially in our crazy, hectic and very loud world–a hallowed place where you can go and sit in quiet solitude, immerse yourself in a book and everything it contains, and escape from everything else.
Sometimes, too, you will find yourself in the pages of those books. You will find you relate so deeply to the themes discussed therein, that you can’t tell the difference between what the writer has written, and what you know to be your own life.
Whatever your personal experience, having Sister of Silence arrive in libraries means that it will be accessible to everyone, because libraries also help level the playing field. Money means nothing there–unless you have an overdue book.
Editor’s Note: Sister of Silence is $14.99. To order your copy, go to: http://nellieblybooks.com/sister-of-silence.html