Contributed by Tina Holland:

At first glance, books might not seem connected to the theme of growth, but for avid readers, they are essential. Any book lover is loath to admit to their ever-expanding collection in a world that encourages minimalism. I think of the memes poking fun at Marie Kondo’s suggestion to limit books, which many readers find unthinkable. Those who proudly embrace their collections often liken themselves to dragons hoarding treasure—and, of course, they likely read stories about dragons, too.

Lately, I’ve been looking at castles and drooling over libraries. My farmstead doesn’t support the number of physical books I’d love to own, but I do have quite a few on my Samsung tablet—1,539, to be exact. That doesn’t even count the books I check out from the library, whether physical or digital.

I’ve been downsizing, letting go of books to make space, and I’m at an age where I’m not sure anyone will want them when I’m gone. I mostly read genre fiction, and not everyone shares my tastes. Owning digital books has been a great solution—I can have an almost unlimited collection and take them anywhere.

My non-fiction books are all research-related—mostly writing resources—because I am always striving to grow as an author. Reading allows us to grow, learn, get lost, find ourselves, and embrace freedom, love, and rebellion. Books shape who we are, and our bookshelves tell a story about us, whether physical or digital.

So let your bookshelf grow, along with your mind, heart, and soul.

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” – Cicero