The Paris Library

by Janet Skeslien Charles

I never judged a book by its beginning. It felt like the first and last date I’d once had, both of us smiling too brightly. No, I opened to a page in the middle, where the author wasn’t trying to impress me.

As we washed the dishes, she asked me to teach her to make my favorite dessert—chocolate chip cookies. Surprisingly, she didn’t know basic things, like the fact that you’re supposed to lick the beaters clean. That’s the whole point of baking.