I was born and raised in Kansas. I grew up loving wheatfields and sunflowers. And books. Lots and lots of books.

One of my favorite pictures from my childhood is of my father reading the newspaper and me sitting in my rocking chair beside him trying to read the paper like my dad (see photo below). The written word has always been special to me. I started reading independently at a very young age. In grade school, I was fortunate to have a wonderful librarian, Mrs. Craven at Peterson Elementary School, that encouraged my love of books. It was through this encouragement that I began to explore libraries and lose myself in a wonderful world of books. Every summer I would ride my bike up to the local library and check out books. I would lose track of time when I was in a library but my mother never seemed to mind. She understood my love of books. I did, however, get into trouble from time to time staying up late, reading by flashlight. My poor father thought one of us was eating batteries since I used them up so quickly!

I had my sights set on another career when I attended college. Books and writing were never far from my mind though. My love of books led me to minor in English in college. As I have matured, my list of favorite books has grown. I still love children’s books and young adult fiction but also enjoy the variety of adult fiction. So much to read!

I began sharing my opinion about books that I have read in school, as we all have, with book reports. When I talk to people I love to find out what they are reading. I always look at what people are reading in waiting rooms, at the airport, or at a restaurant. Word of mouth is a great way to learn about new authors and I have found so many this way. Now posting book reviews has become another way to share. The first book that I remember reviewing online was “The Lilac Girls” by Martha Hall Kelley. I was touched by the book and wanted to share it with someone! Some books leave me with such a feeling that a review on one site wasn’t enough. In 2020, I began blogging as another way to share. I am a reviewer for Grand Central Publishing, Celadon, Tor.com, NetGalley, Blackthorn, Sapere Books, Novel Cause, and Penguin Random House. I belong to a local book club – Rockmart Cultural Arts Center book club. It is far more fun than I imagined a book club could be. Many of our members suggest Southern fiction and I have been amazed at the number of interesting local authors here in Georgia.

My plan with this blog is to share my honest opinion about the books that I read. I have a link to my GoodReads reviews, the place where I review all books. This blog is a work-in-progress and I hope you enjoy my reviews. Please feel free to suggest books to review. Drop me a line, I would enjoy hearing from you.