From the time I could read, it’s all I wanted to do. Living in a small town, my world became much bigger than the 3,000 residents and twenty kids I went to school with since kindergarten. I lost a dear friend and embraced the power of imagination in The Bridge to Terabithia, the first book that made me cry. I solved crimes with Nancy Drew and felt what it was like to be popular in Sweet Valley High. I tackled fear with Stephen King and on and on it went, exploring the globe and the inner chambers of the heart through the gift of stories. 

In sixth grade I knew I wanted to write my own, but that only made my appetite for books grow. I can say for certain that who I am today is credited in part to the wonderful literature, big and small, funny and heartbreaking, historical and contemporary, that helped challenge who I am and how I fit into the world. I became one with all, bringing me closer to those on the outside as I felt what they felt and lived how they lived. 

Reading is a gift we give to ourselves. Sure, we can buy books as gifts for others, but the act of reading is a solitary act. You decide: I want to read this book and you open the cover and DECIDE each and every time to read and turn the pages until you’ve reached THE END. Reading is unlike TV, which has become so ubiquitous in our lives that we have multiple sets in our homes, installed in our mirrors even, as if our own reflections aren’t enough anymore. Books, I say, are the truest reflection of humanity and it’s not like we don’t have enough of them. 200,000 new titles are printed each year. Whether the print run is 1 or 1 million, there are plenty to choose from. The problem, dare I say tragedy, is that not enough people are reading them or people aren’t reading enough of them, either way. A recent statistic showed that Americans read on average one book per year. Thunk.That was my heart falling into my left foot. 

We may sheepishly count the ungodly amount of hours we spend online, or reading our Blackberries or our text messages. While reading Fox News.com or Huffington Post might be your idea of “fiction,” it’s not. I want you to read a juicy novel. I want you to read more than one a year, in fact. What if you went from 1 to 6 book a year? Now multiply that by 1 million people. What if 6 million more books were read in a year? 

For what it’s worth, I’m sharing my passion for books and my marketing skills to ignite a burning desire to read, not only to support the arts but because it’s good for you. Reading reduces stress levels within just 10 minutes! It’s healing and inspiring and yes, fun. Which is why when I decided to start a book club, to light the first match, I knew I wanted to embrace every genre of books. I want to get those of us who read to bring in the stray sheep who may not. And lure them with martinis. Our evil plot JUST MIGHT WORK! 

I’m looking for a few Queen B’s. I’d love for you social divas to take the torch and help run with it. I’d like to start Book End Babes chapters around the country to make reading a habit again and the discussion of books the norm. This modern book club combines food, fun, friendship and books. It’s time to party between the pages. Membership has its privileges with many ways to connect with authors, receive freebies and win cool prizes. Anyone can still enjoy the Book Ends Babe web site, but I hope you’ll go a step further and e-mail me at BookEndBabes at me dot com to learn about becoming a charter chapter in Book End Babes. Because, as we know, real babes read books.

Stay tuned for our Top Picks, Themed Parties and more on September 1st including a big online launch party on 09/09/09. I’m launching Chapter 1. Who will be Chapter 2?