The Reading Diva

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...