In so many words

In So Many Words – October/November 2025

By Nicki Ehrlich

  The time changes on November 2nd this year. Time changes always make me think of time travel. I do love a good time-travel book. I hope one day to write one about traveling through time via libraries. Because, really, libraries are a portal to time. And place. And people. And, well, you fill in the noun.

Libraries have been a part of my life since preschool, when my mother took us to story time at the local library. Summer in the Midwest promised hot, humid days where bored kids could, I’m sure, drive a parent to distraction. I remember gazing up at the stately, two-story, red brick building as if it were some sort of space ship that could take me anywhere I wanted to go. The air-conditioned building invited us in and gave us a comfortable place to explore whatever world we chose that day. Carrying home a pile of checked-out books was like winning a prize.

At a young age, it was story time. A little older, and we found everything we needed for school projects. A bit older yet, and “going to the library” was our excuse to get out of the house and meet friends. Most of the friends I met were in the books. The familiar scent of paper and ink, the silent whispers of many voices vying for my attention. The library told my own coming-of-age story. The piles of books I checked out at first were thin, illustrated. I remember the first time I checked out a book sans illustrations. (I wish I could remember the title.) I recall a deep disappointment. In a way, I felt cheated. Until I read more and more fiction that allowed me to see the pictures through the words. Those words, coupled with my own imagination, formed the story. Thank you, teachers and librarians, for guiding my reading journey.

When I published my first book, I confess it had been a while since I’d visited a library. I preferred bookstores and owning books. I budgeted for buying and felt I supported authors more by doing so. I hoped to sell my books. I, erroneously, believed libraries held little marketing value to an author. 

What I’ve come to understand is that through libraries, one book can reach untold potential readers. Libraries are affordable and accessible to all. Multiple generations browse library shelves. Libraries are a great place to evaluate a book before buying it as a gift or adding it to your collection. And maybe most of all, your book in a library makes you a part of something bigger. It can grow your audience exponentially. And, there you are, in the same room as Emily Bronte, Agatha Christie, Jane Austin, Stephen King, John Steinbeck, J.R.R. Tolkien.

I rarely write anywhere but at my quiet desk at home, but now and then I’ll venture out to a library—a quiet place that vibrates with information and storytelling. There, a wealth of knowledge, past, present, and future, is yours for the taking.

Did you know the Monterey County Free Libraries system consists of seventeen libraries and three bookmobiles? That’s a lot of books and helpful librarians! 

On November 2nd we’ll all be time travelers. Thank a library, and a librarian, for guiding your travels any day of the year. Whether you borrow or buy, cozy up and read.