The Boxcar Children
created by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens didn't have much. An abandoned boxcar became a home. A stream became a kitchen. Wild berries became supper. Every problem was met with creativity instead of despair, and every small comfort felt like an accomplishment worth celebrating.
As a child, I didn't realize I was learning resilience. I just knew I wanted to build little forts in the woods, collect interesting rocks, organize tiny treasures, and spend hours reading beneath the trees.
Looking back, these books taught me that home isn't something you're given. It's something you create through love, resourcefulness, and the people who gather around you.
That idea has never really left me.
When I picture The Bookwyrm years from now, I don't picture polished perfection. I picture comfortable chairs, shelves full of beloved stories, the smell of coffee, conversations between strangers who slowly become friends, and a place where someone might finally feel like they've found their own little boxcar.
What I've Read
Every story is a stone in the hearth of my imagination—reflecting on the paths I've walked through ink and parchment.
The Books That Made Me
Every reader has books they remember fondly. These are something a little different.
These are the stories that quietly shaped the way I look at the world. They taught me that home can be built, that families are sometimes chosen, that imagination is worth protecting, and that kindness and curiosity are strengths, not weaknesses.
Looking back, I can see pieces of The Bookwyrm beginning long before I knew it would exist.
I hope that someday this little community, and eventually the café itself, can become the sort of place these books always were for me: somewhere people of every age feel welcome to wonder, imagine, belong, and simply be themselves.
photo by Mymyberries from Pixabay
Matilda
by Roald Dahl
I saw a great deal of myself in Matilda.
Not because I expected books to give me magical powers (though...who didn't hope?), but because she understood something I already suspected: libraries were magical enough on their own. She found comfort in stories when the world felt loud, unfair, or confusing.
Books weren't an escape from life. They were a way of understanding it.
Matilda reminded me that being quiet didn't mean having nothing to say. That intelligence could be gentle. That kindness wasn't weakness. That there was nothing strange about preferring an afternoon with a novel to almost anything else.
One of my greatest hopes for The Bookwyrm is that another child wanders in one day and discovers that same feeling. That they find a book that says, "You're not odd. You're curious. Keep asking questions."
Sometimes all it takes is one story to convince someone they belong exactly as they are.
Animorphs
by K. A. Applegate
Animorphs was where my imagination truly took flight.
Every hike became a secret mission. Every hawk overhead might have been Tobias. Every abandoned building deserved investigating. The ordinary world suddenly held endless possibilities if you looked at it from the right angle.
Only much later did I realize these books were asking enormous questions beneath all the action. What do we owe one another? How much responsibility can one person carry? How do we stay compassionate when the world becomes complicated? They trusted young readers with difficult ideas, and I think that respect mattered.
The Bookwyrm has always been about that same sense of possibility. I want it to be a place where imagination is taken seriously. Where fantasy isn't dismissed as "just pretend," because imagination is often where empathy begins.
Sometimes changing into a hawk isn't really about becoming a hawk. Sometimes it's about learning to see the world from someone else's sky.
Those stories didn't just entertain me.
They quietly taught me what I was searching for: home, belonging, courage, curiosity, kindness, and the freedom to imagine a life bigger than the one in front of me.
They encouraged my empathy, taught me resilience, and gave an introverted child permission to feel at home inside her own mind.
They reminded me that families can be found as well as born, that being different isn't something to overcome, and that even the smallest person can change the course of a story.
They offered adventure when I wanted escape, quiet when the world felt loud, and hope that somewhere there was a place where my curiosity, imagination, and kindness would be welcome.
That's the foundation I hope The Bookwyrm is built upon. Whether you're five or ninety-five, I want this to be a place where you can wander through the shelves, let your imagination roam, and know that every kind of reader belongs here. A place where you can discover a story that understands you, that helps you feel seen, or reminds you that you're never quite as alone as you think you are. A sanctuary.
Warmly,
The Wyrm
What I'm Reading
One of my favorite things about reading is that every season of life seems to call for something different.
Sometimes I want adventure. Sometimes research. Sometimes comfort. Sometimes a reminder that wonder isn't something we outgrow. These are the books currently keeping me company, and each one, in its own way, is helping shape the future of The Bookwyrm.
The Astral Library
A book about magical libraries felt almost inevitable for this month's reading.
I've always loved stories where books possess a kind of life of their own. Libraries become crossroads. Shelves become maps. Knowledge becomes something living instead of something merely stored away.
Perhaps that's because it's how I've always experienced books. They aren't decorations or collections. They're invitations. They introduce us to people we'll never meet, places we'll never visit, and ideas we never would have discovered on our own.
I hope The Bookwyrm someday feels a little like that: a doorway rather than simply a bookstore.
by Kate Quinn
image by congerdesign from Pixabay
National Geographic Book of Magic and the Occult
produced by WonderLab Group
This one lives somewhere between curiosity and research.
Part of it is for my own writing, but much of it is simply because I've always loved learning how different cultures explain mystery.
Folklore, mythology, old traditions, forgotten superstitions, magical practices...they all tell us something about the people who carried those stories through generations.
I think bookstores should encourage that kind of curiosity. Reading doesn't always have to provide answers. Sometimes the greatest gift a book can offer is another question worth exploring.
image by andsproject from Pixabay
The Magical Yet
by Angela DiTerlizzi
This may technically be a children's book, but some of the best lessons are written for children first.
I picked it up because I wanted new books for the nephews, and it was recommended by teachers. I quickly understood why.
The simple idea of adding one small word, "yet," transforms frustration into possibility. It reminds us that growth isn't something that happens all at once. It happens little by little, page by page, attempt by attempt.
That feels especially meaningful right now. The Bookwyrm doesn't exist in the way I dream it will...yet. The café isn't built...yet. The shelves aren't full...yet. But every book read, every blog written, every conversation shared with this growing community is another small step toward that future.
Maybe that's what reading teaches us more than anything else. Every story begins with a single page.
If you’re reading any of these — or something you think I should know about — I’d love to hear about it.
What Should I Read Next?
Tell us about the books that have lived in your heart—the stories that feel like home. Your recommendations will help us curate the perfect collection for every guest who finds sanctuary in our nooks.
Upcoming Releases: 2026
JULY
7 July - Gothic fantasy/Magical realism
A woman returns to a mysterious island she discovered as a child, only to find the man she once met there has never aged. As past and present collide, she must decide whether to embrace the ordinary life she's built or a love that exists outside of time itself. Dreamlike, atmospheric, and perfect for readers who enjoy stories where the landscape feels as alive as the characters.
Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw
The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren
14 July - Contemporary romance/Speculative fiction
A scientific breakthrough gives a struggling wife an impossible opportunity: the chance to save her husband's life while falling in love with him all over again. Christina Lauren blends heartfelt romance with a thoughtful speculative twist about memory, second chances, and choosing one another again.
AUGUST
The Lion and the Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent
4 August - Epic Fantasy
A new story set within the beloved Crowns of Nyaxia universe, featuring richly imagined worldbuilding, dangerous magic, political intrigue, and emotionally complex characters navigating impossible choices.
Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
4 August - Fantasy/Romance
Filled with humor, heart, and delightful banter, this anticipated fantasy continues Maehrer's signature blend of lovable characters, magical adventures, and charming romance.
It continues the story of Evie Sage, who finds herself in a dangerous prophecy, and her developing relationship with the villain, Trystan, as they face new threats to the kingdom of Rennedawn.
SEPTEMBER
The Mirror of Infinite Endings by Stephanie Garber
22 September - Fantasy/Fairy Tale
Set in the enchanting world surrounding Once Upon a Broken Heart, this standalone companion promises magical bargains, dangerous choices, and Stephanie Garber's trademark fairy-tale atmosphere.
The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig
1 September - Dark Fantasy
A richly atmospheric fantasy featuring ancient magic, layered characters, and the haunting prose Rachel Gillig has become known for. Perfect for readers who enjoy stories with equal parts mystery, romance, and folklore.
The sequel to The Knight and the Moth, it continues the gothic fantasy romance in the Stonewater Kingdom with higher stakes, darker mysteries, and a new tournament arc.
If there’s an upcoming release you’re excited about, I always love hearing what others are looking forward to.
Quirky Quotes
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Old Favorites
"A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts...imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles. One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for thousands of years...proof that humans can work magic."
— Carl Sagan, Cosmos
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Current Reads
"Libraries are sanctuaries for everyone, no matter how different."
— Kate Quinn, The Astral Library
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Your Favorites
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