Last month, I had the absolute pleasure of working with the team at ABC in something non-book related. They asked for nothing in return except my permission to share the story, and so here I am, trying to give you a first-hand experience of what ABC means to me.

I come from a family of big readers. My grandma had over 20,000 books in her home when it was renovated in the early 00’s, and the post-dinner TV watching experience was, in my case, post-dinner book club with all 7 of the people I lived with (crazy, I know!). Reading has always been my main hobby and, even though as I grew up I learned to enjoy a lot of other forms of storytelling, books have remained my companion through every stage of my life.

My partner and I met when we were 17, on our first day of college. We quickly became friends, roommates, and then something more that neither dared to voice. By the time we got together (three long years of pining and several Tequila shots later), we had reached a level of comfort and peace in each other’s presence that some couples don’t achieve in 10 years together, and we started spending a lot more time just hanging out, without any specific plans.

They weren’t a reader: like many of us Gen Z-ers, they had a phase in their teens but it had been almost a decade since reading was part of their day-to-day. But I was, and that made all the difference. Being able to personally recommend books to the person you’re in love with, and eventually being responsible for their falling in love with reading again, brings both joy and pride because I know that I have impacted their life as much as they have mine. Reading will follow them forever and, with it, so will the memory of me.

Love, to me, is the comfort of existing in the same space as someone who knows you on a cellular level, from the way you take your coffee to the deepest one of your fears. It is the knowledge that someone is, every second of every day, making the conscious choice of loving you, on purpose, by getting to know the person you become through every experience and changing of the tides. And they are that, to me.

Dating long distance has taken a toll on us, but it is this deep love, respect, and shared experiences that have made us survive as a stronger, more disgustingly in love couple. ABC has been our favorite bookstore since I moved to Amsterdam, and the joy we have found in this little nook is indescribable. From book dates at the cafe, to buying each other’s next read, to talking to a few, unexpected browsers of the fantasy shelves. Sorry you had to put up with my rambling, but I hope you loved the rec!

My partner and I had our 5 year anniversary last month, and the wonderfully helpful and hopelessly romantic team at ABC helped me organize a treasure hunt that, eventually, led to me proposing and we’re now engaged. We visited all of our favorite places in the city that has seen us become adults, and we saw the little twinkling eyes of the staff (most of who weren’t even involved in my shenanigans) as they saw this beautiful curly-haired person run around trying to find the magic envelope for the next stop in our tour.

Libraries, bookstores, and the staff that run them are an active part of reading, making it a more engaging experience, and ensuring that every love story, be it between two people or someone and their new book, can happen in a magical environment, free of judgment and expectations.

If you take nothing else from this post, please let it be this: it is our job, as readers, to ensure books, reading, and bookselling remain a kind, open, and welcoming place for all. Everyone who comes after us deserves to have the same experiences I have.

And I know I’m biased but, hey, when you’re in Amsterdam next, I think you should drop by. Tell the staff G says hi! :)