About Melody Warnick

Melody Warnick

Melody Warnick is the author of This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are, an exploration of the groundbreaking concept of place attachment. Described by Richard Florida as “an important book for so many people who are choosing their place to live,” This Is Where You Belong helps movers and stayers alike rethink the value of their community.

In her 15+ years as a freelance journalist, Warnick has written for Reader’s Digest, Woman’s Day, Slate, The Guardian, O: The Oprah Magazine, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Livability.com, Atlantic CityLab, and many other publications. She and her book have been featured in the likes of The New York Times, Time, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Realtor.com, Forbes.com, and Inc.com, and on dozens of radio stations and podcasts, including Bad with Money with Gaby Dunn, The Art of Manliness, and Strong Towns.

A chronic mover, Warnick managed to fall madly in love with her adopted town of Blacksburg, Virginia. She lives there with her husband and two daughters.

Referenced from: www.melodywarnick.com

One City. One Book. Different Minds.

Each year, we feature an important book through our annual Peoria Reads! one city, one book project. Now 20 years strong.

For 2022, we have chosen a book that helps us celebrate where we are in life — something that perhaps we all need during this ongoing global pandemic.

This is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick will inspire you to love where you live — whether you are a lifelong Peorian or a new transplant.

“Where we choose to live is the single most important decision we make. Melody Warnick shows you how to find a place you truly love and even more importantly how to make it your very own. This Is Where You Belong is an important book for so many people out there who are choosing their place to live.”
—Richard Florida, author of Who’s Your City? and Rise of the Creative Class

“This Is Where You Belong deconstructs one of the most important decisions a person makes in the new gig economy: where to call home. With boundless curiosity and spirited, seamless prose, Melody Warnick’s placemaking manifesto will make you want to be a better neighbor, wanderer, and citizen of the world.”
—Beth Macy, author of Factory Man

In collaboration with our Peoria Reads! partners, we will be hosting programs tied to this book — including a virtual conversation with the author herself this spring.

If you enjoyed Warnick’s book, the titles below are presented as companion books. We’ve included something for all ages! Just click on the arrows to scroll.

Upcoming Peoria Reads Events 2022

May 26 — Storytime at Luthy Botanical Gardens

Join us for a special storytime at Peoria’s botanical gardens at 10:30 a.m.

June 5 — Pedestrians in Peoria Community Walk to Rocky Glen

Join our friends, the Pedestrians in Peoria, for their last community walk for Peoria Reads as they trek to Rocky Glen, a hidden, natural gem.

Meet at 1 p.m. at 525 N. Kickapoo Creek Road. Most of the hiking is moderate, but the trailhead and a few other ascents are steep.

Free and open to all ages.

June 19 – June 25 — Explore Peoria through Geocaches

Learn how to use GPS to play “hide-and-seek” with hidden treasures throughout our city.

Stop by the Lakeview Branch or go online to find clues to help you discover our geocaches. How many will you find and what hidden parts of Peoria will you find while hunting?

All Ages. Free.

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Goals of Peoria Reads!

Peoria Reads! is led by Peoria Public Library with the help of community partners, Methodist College, Bradley University and Neighborhood House.

• Bring our diverse community together in ways to promote better understanding.

• Broaden and deepen readers’ appreciation for books dealing with significant issues.

• Bring more people into libraries, bookstores, and literacy institutions

• Increase opportunities for discussion between youth and adults

• Achieve a better understanding of ourselves and of our own humanity.

Upcoming Peoria Reads Events

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