“Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled, ‘This could change your life.'”

—Helen Exley

Story contributed by Barbara Shallue.

I was seven or eight when I uttered that inevitable childhood chant to Daddy, “I’m bored.”

“Bored?” he said, handing me an old, mildewed copy of ‘Black Beauty’.

“Here, read this. You’ll never be bored again.”

I was hooked.

Barbara Shallue and her dad

I’m Barbara Shallue. I’m a writer, blogger and photographer. I can trace my passion for words and images back to Daddy’s early tip. And Daddy was right.

As long as I’ve had something handy to read (and I try to make sure I do), I’ve never been bored again. Besides Anna Sewell’s ‘Black Beauty’ — and hence, every horse book I could get my hands on — Daddy got me hooked on historical fiction. READ MORE