I’m a married Midwestern mama with two chicklets in tow. Professional educator.  Small business owner. Compulsive reader and book blogger. Mad knitter. Occasional cyclist. Social media enthusiast.

Why do I read?  To quote my beloved Nora Ephron,

“Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.”

So what do I read?  Well, it’s sort of all over the place, actually.

Romance and Erotica are alive and kicking thanks to e-readers. Who wants people to know what they’re reading, right?  So, now there’s an entire generation of people reading stuff they’d never tell their mother about. Pure awesomeness.  An epic love story or a panty melting, hot, read are always welcome. I like “Happily Ever After”, but it’s not a requirement for me to love a book. I despise the term “Mommy Porn”. Favorite authors include Liz Crowe, Olivia Cunning, Sylvia Day, Annabel Joseph, Joey W. Hill, and Cherise Sinclair.

Young Adult and New Adult are a big part of my professional gig. There has been an explosion of amazing talent in this area in the past several years. Dystopia and high school or college seem to be the common settings I enjoy. So far I’m not a lover of paranormal YA and NA, but I really love to look at Robert Pattinson’s hair sometimes. Favorite authors include Jessica Park, Colleen Hoover, Judy Blume, Samantha Young, and Suzanne Collins.

Non-Fiction was essentially the only genre I read in my 20’s. I was seeking knowledge…and the odd celebrity hack biography (guilty pleasure alert). I still dip into NF from time to time now. Favorite authors include Nora Ephron, Brene Brown, Glennon Doyle Melton, Marilu Henner, Ricki Lake, and Mayim Bialik.

Fiction is always a nice, broad category. What’s not to love?  Typically, I read the popular ones, especially if someone’s making a film. I AM the person who sits in the theater and nitpicks the film when it doesn’t measure up (also a guilty pleasure). I hate the term “Chick Lit”. Favorite authors include J.K. Rowling, Alice Clayton, Billie Letts, Kathryn Stockett and Gillian Flynn.

Reviews here are structured to be quickly read and easily digested. In general, if I didn’t like a book I won’t write about it. Occasionally I’ll review a less-than-stellar book, but that’s pretty rare. The interwebz are full of negativity and that’s not what I’m about here. If you’re looking for publishing blood sport, look elsewhere. That said, I may gush about an author and the most they have ever gifted me was a beloved galley or ARC (advance reader copy).  I’m here to celebrate books and the people who write them. I might even want to read your book, so get in touch and we can discuss it if you’d like. I read because, well, see Nora’s quote above. She’s the writer.

Welcome!