The Reading Diva

Several months ago, I was cleaning the house and I came across this business card.  You're probably wondering what is The Booksmith and why you never heard of it. The Booksmith is the predecessor to Turning Page Bookshop (which I mention  here and where I volunteer). My friend Valinda bought a bookstore that was already in business in Seneca, which is about 3 hours from here (it's in the Upstate, near Clemson). Her and Arrylee (her BFF and store manager) tried their best to keep the store afloat, but due to circumstances beyond their control, they had to close shop there (and that is their story to tell, not mine).  Family and friends encouraged them not to fully close the store, but move it closer to Charleston. And two years ago, Turning Page opened in Goose Creek. With my help, the store's opening went viral and there was a lot of press coverage. And a lot of authors came out of the woodwork and wanted their books in the store. 😂 Things were steady...then the pandemi...

Disclaimer: Received an advance copy from Berkley Publishing and Netgalley. Opinions are my own. TWs: prolonged grief, stress from library closing/job uncertainty, death of character Summary: June Jones works as a library assistant in her English village. This is the library where her mother, who died when she was a teenager, worked as a librarian. She's stuck in her grief and the most excitement she gets is seeing the regular patrons every day. But when the library is threatened with closure, June and the patrons get together to work on saving their library.  Review: Let me start off with two quotes from the book from two of the characters, who are regular patrons of the library. "What these management consultant with their calculators and spreadsheets will never work out is that the library is about so much more than simply books. Libraries are like a net, there to catch those of us in danger of falling through the cracks. That's what we're really fighting to prote...

  Disclaimer: Received an advance copy from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley. Opinions are my own. Slight TWs: prolonged grief/guilt Summary: In the second book of The Boyfriend Project series, Taylor Powell is trying to get her personal training career off of the ground. But homegirl is broke. BROKE, BROKE. Jamar Dixon is a NFL player who is trying to get back on the field after a devastating injury. And he picks Taylor to help him with that goal...but he doesn't want anyone to know. They start posing at boyfriend/girlfriend, but what happens when that romance gets a little too real? Review: The Boyfriend Project was one of my favorite books of last year and didn't think Farrah could top that one. But I liked The Dating Playbook more and it's one of my favorites of this year (so far)! I found myself rooting for both Taylor and Jamar in their professional and personal endeavors! I love that despite the fact that Taylor was the trainer and Jamar was the cli...

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy from Avon/HarperCollins and Netgalley. Opinions are my own. Slight TWs: racism/microaggressions, chronic illness, mentions of passing of a loved one due to illness and tragedy, mentions of a mass murder Summary: Maya Jackson is working in New York City as a bridal designer, hoping to get a promotion as the top designer at the brand she works for. When her father suddenly falls ill, she heads back to her hometown of Charleston, SC to care for him. While back home, she gets an opportunity to work at a bridal shop, owned by veteran/widower/father Derek. He is trying to save the shop he inherited from his mother. Review: Book based in Charleston. Check. Book that the main character has the same name as you. Check. Awesome cover of a Black bride with St. Michael's Church and Rainbow Row in the background. And a cobblestone road! Check. Actual locations and streets that are in Charleston featured in the book. Check. And a great (and clean) roman...

Thanks to Sourcebooks and Edelweiss for the advance copy. Opinions are my own. Summary: Antonia "Toni" Bennette does not want to be a rock star. She's fine playing her guitar, doing shows in Philly's indie music scene and doing session work. What she wants is to be part-owner of a recording studio. But Toni gets an opportunity of a lifetime when she is recruited to be a temporary guitarist for up-and-coming band The Lillys. But it also reunites her with Sebastian, the manager of the band and her old friend who shared her dreams as a teen. Review: I really like this book! It touches on a lot of issues that many have dealt with, but not all deal with them in a Rock and Roll setting. Toni has modest dreams despite her tremendous talent. She is also dealing with the absence of her mother (who is also a guitarist and abandoned her to follow her own Rock and Roll dreams) and her aloof father. As a teen, she found comfort in her friendship with Seb (who had similar goals), ...

  I have some great news! This Thursday, April 8, I will be interviewing Dr. Jessie Smith to discuss the fourth edition of her book, Black Firsts: 500 Years of Trailblazing Achievement and Ground-Breaking Events. Smith is Dean Emeritus at Fisk University, where she was dean of the campus library for many years. This event is hosted by E. Shaver Booksellers out of Savannah. This is a great way to recognize National Library Week! This event is on Zoon and is free! Click here to register! Thanks to E. Shaver Bookseller and Rockelle Henderson of RockInked for this opportunity!

It was taped yesterday but since it's Monday, let's keep the theme going!

I got some great news on Valentine's Day! It wasn't chocolate or flowers, but a baby nephew! I'm an auntie! Little Ozzie is the first child of my sister and brother-in-law, and the first grandchild of both sets of grandparents. So he's getting lots of love, which is much needed after some very sad times over the last few years. And what kind of gifts you give to a baby who has an aunt who likes to read and parents who are starting a library for him? Books! When I told my coworkers that I was looking for books for the baby before he was born, they jumped in and helped right away. They even sent emails with recommendations! I am very grateful for their help. In the first shipment that I sent before he was born, I gave him All Because You Matter and The ABCs of Black History . And I also gave him some onesies and pajamas, because a baby needs clothes. This is the picture of the second shipment, after he was born. I went to Barnes and Noble and found some great reads for h...

Summary : In a moving memoir, interior designer Stephanie Thornton Pymale comes to terms with her past, understands her dying mother and finds out her family history. TW: Child sexual abuse, child abuse, gang rape, child abandonment, drug/alcohol use, mental illness episodes, physical and emotional threats, attempted abortion, miscarriage of a baby Review: Through the grace of God go I. It's a miracle that Stephanie survived her childhood. She was one of six children who lived with a dysfunctional mother who was on drugs and mentally ill. Stephanie and her siblings were in and out of foster care and she was subjected to abuse. She was also shy, behind in school and didn't learn how to read until she was 10.  As a teen, her path changed for the better when she met fellow teen Jim, who eventually became her husband. She went to college and became an successful interior designer and CEO of a interior design school in Oregon. When she receives word that her mother is dying of lung...

Since I started my current job when the pandemic was starting to hit the United States, I have not been able to do in-person library programming. But thanks to technology, I can reach not only the patrons of Charleston County, but around the world through virtual programming. I have been doing a number of book talks, mostly on African American debut fiction.  Here are the two that I did from home. One is about female authors. They are only on Facebook. Women Authors African American Debut Authors The next set of videos were filmed after the staff was able to get back into the library. We have a digital studio in the building and my coworker films and edits the videos (and makes me look good on camera). Fortunately, our communications department has started putting all videos on YouTube as well as Facebook. I recently taped two more videos that will be on CCPL's Facebook and YouTube pages in late March and April. I have to tape them weeks in advance so the communications and outreac...

Summary: In this modern-day retelling of Jane Eyre, Jane is a dog walker (and kleptomaniac) in the posh Birmingham (AL) suburbs of Thornfield Estates. She falls head over heels for Eddie, a recent widower who just lost his wealthy wife and her best friend in a boating accident. But when questions arise about the accident, will it cause Jane to lose trust in Eddie? And why is her former roommate John blackmailing her? Is Jane her real name? And what's that noise in the house? Review: I know there's been a million retellings of Jane Eyre. But if you like your Jane with some suspense and a little bit of thrills, you may like this book. If you read the original, you might have find yourself rooting for Jane and coming around to Mr. Rochester. But none of these characters are likable, in my honest opinion. Not even Jane. Not even the nosy neighbors. They all got secrets and character flaws that makes you not root for any of them. So if you like unlikable characters, you may like t...

Summary: A biography of  Kamala Harris, the first Black, Asian and woman to be elected Vice President of the United States. The book is written by Dan Morain, a  reporter who has covered California politics for more than 40 years. Review: If you looking to learn more about Kamala the person, this isn't the book for you. If you are looking to learn more about how Kamala got to where she is today, this is the book for you. Sort of. The book talks very briefly about her personal life. Morain mentions her mother, sister and niece in brief clips. Second Gentleman Doug gets one small chapter. And I didn't know until I read this book that her father was still alive. Kamala doesn't talk about him, so I just assumed that he was dead. The book is mostly about her political life and the rise from Bay Area prosecutor to Vice President. But this book left a bitter taste in my mouth. One reason is that this book comes off as very gossipy and it was to the point that I almost gave up re...

Note: Received an ARC from HarperCollins. Opinions are my own. Happy Pub Day to The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson! Summary: It’s 2008 and Barack Obama has just been elected President of the United States.  In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle  is a married  engineer  and her husband wants to start a family. But she had a child as a teenager and walked away from her small hometown in Indiana, promising not to look back.  But  for  her to move forward, she must return to her hometown, confronting her family and  befriending  a  White boy named Midnight, who is  adrift  and looking for connection.   Review: Let me start by saying that I liked this book. I thought it was well-written and the storyline flowed.  I liked Ruth, her brother Eli and Mama, her grandmother (even though I didn't agree on what she did).  I also like some of the minor characters (Corey and the Cunninghams, Natasha, etc). And there are issues of race, class...

In the last blog post, I mentioned that I help start a book festival in Charleston called Black Ink . Now the festival is in its fifth year and it's going virtual! Black Ink 2021 will be starting tomorrow (January 14) and ends on Saturday (January 16). This year's headlining author is Kwame Mbalia , New York Times best-selling author of the Tristin Strong series. They will also have another New York Times best-selling author, Kiley Reid , who wrote Such A Fun Age. This year's theme is "Amplify Black Voices".  Most of this year's panels are focused to help Black independent authors, including tips on publishing and how to promote their works. I am honored to be a panelist for this year's event.  I will be participating in the " Cultivating and Maintaining Author-Reader Relationships" panel Friday at 3 p.m.  Also, Valinda will be on a panel called "Looking Beyond Amazon". Her panel will also be Friday, but at noon. Charleston County Publi...

After more than five years, I decided to make a comeback. The world has changed a lot since 2015. Including mines. 1. After 12 years at the same employer, I decided to take a leap of faith and return to public libraries. As of March 13 (I know I started when the world went to Hell), I am an Adult Services Librarian at one the suburbs of Charleston . There have been bumps in the road (including working from home for two months, not meeting patrons until June and loosing a coworker in October), but it's been a great experience. 2. I also work part-time at Turning Page Bookshop , the only Black-owned bookstore in South Carolina. My friends Valinda and Arrylee opened their store in Goose Creek almost two years ago. I help sell books at events (when there were events), write promotional materials and press releases, help with social media and suggest books to be ordered.  They listen to me...most of the time. LOL. 3. I did a lot of traveling in the Southeast (before the pandemic) with b...