The Reading Diva

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, unemployment, recessions, toxic masculinity and police brutality  th