Do you remember the first person you called your best friend? If you do, chances are you’ll enjoy the 30 stories celebrating friendship in a new book from Nancy Lindemeyer, My First Best Friend: Thirty Stories, Lifetime Memories.

Stories feature friends who are still close and continue to think of each other as “the best,” and also stories from those who may have lost contact long ago but still remember how much their special friendship meant then. You’ll find recipes that hold special memories for some of the writers, and poems and quotes that help illustrate the influence friends can have on our lives.

The women in these stories also span the ages, some are enjoying being grandparents together, others are mothering older teens and young adults, and some are just starting out on their own. It’s interesting to see the things that stay the same and the things that are different in how friendships can develop in different historical times. Don’t be surprised if My First Best Friend inspires you to reach for your phone or keyboard to reconnect with your own friend from long ago.