Libraries were one of my favorite places to visit as a child, but I had never imagined being cool enough to work in one. I thought you had to be able to read EVERY book. How else would you be able help people find the good books? Now that I've grown up (a bit), I know better. More important, I now know that you don't have to like any certain type of book to be a real reader.

It's a good thing, too. With the angst and uncertainty of the past few years, books with a lighter tone have been my comfort and escape. I gravitate toward stories - fiction and non-fiction - that allow me to indulge my love for exploring foods and settings that I haven't yet experienced in person. I also enjoy books that explore relationships - romance, friendship, family and everything in between. One gem I discovered recently is Love and Saffron by Kim Fay, a novella that is told in the form of letters between a magazine columnist and one of her fans.

Another topic that has brought personal satisfaction in recent years is neurodiversity. This is the idea that certain differences in brain function (as seen in those diagnosed with ADHD or autism, for example) should be regarded as normal variations in humans, instead of pathologized as abnormal conditions. In other words, they are traits you are born with, like the color of your skin or eyes.

Fortunately for me (and the growing number of adults who are realizing they fit into this neurodivergent category), a lot of books are being written to share what it's like to have this particular set of challenges. And more fiction books are written from this perspective . One of my favorite recent authors is Helen Hoang, an autistic Korean-American woman who writes contemporary romances. Her latest, The Heart Principle, was one of my favorite reads of last year.