In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak is my favorite children’s book. This book was given to me as a gift by my dear neighbor Marilyn Solomon, former writer for the Nashua Telegraph. I read this book to my daughter Logan every night. It was cleverly written and beautifully illustrated. She could recite the story by the time she was a year old.

Last summer in June I read a book about Juneteenth to children in the Brookline Public Library reading program. All Different Now by Angela Johnson depicts the day that all enslaved people became free. The beautiful watercolor illustrations and simply written story are easy for young children to understand.

There is nothing like a good science fiction book to hold you spellbound. Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons were riveting. I enjoy all Steven King books and movies. The Stand and The Dark Tower Gunslinger are two of my favorite reads.

Sometimes I read books as a result of seeing a movie and wanting to know about the next book in the series. The Hunger Games series piqued my interest and left me wanting to read the series rather than wait for the next movie.

I enjoy reading books of a historical nature. Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin takes a close look at some of our greatest leaders and the tough decisions they faced. It shows us that our country has always managed to recover and persevere through difficult times.

For inspiration, I am reading Tyler Perry’s Higher Is Waiting. It tells of Tyler Perry overcoming adversity in his life and his faith in God. Even if you are not religious, it is spiritual and inspirational. It stresses the power of positive thinking, striving for a better life and to be good to each other.