Who is the BookBitch?I am a voracious reader, usually reading two or more books at a time, and reading several books each week. I will read just about anything I can get my hands on, with the emphasis on fiction. I have a penchant for new authors, mostly because when I find an author I like, I tend to read everything they have ever written, which more or less forces me to find new authors. Crime fiction comprises probably three quarters of my reading time and is my guilty pleasure, but I also read chick-lit, contemporary fiction with a book club bent, tons of erotica, some horror, biographies, one or two nonfiction books each month, and an occasional work of fantasy or sci-fi. I generally avoid self help & metaphysical books; I am not interested in improving myself by reading the latest pop psychology (anyway, I am quite fond of who I am) or connecting with other worlds (I am rather content with this one.) My dream is to write a book, to be published someday, but so far I am lacking what I call the 3 D's...drive, determination and discipline. My goal is to be the Grandma Moses of writers. I work for the public library in circulation. Prior to the library gig I was a bookseller for Borders for seven years. I contributed a chapter entitled "Readers' Advisory in the Real World" for a book called Nonfiction Readers' Advisory, edited by Robert Burgin. I write reviews for Library Journal as well as this site. I was part of a pilot program of advance readers for Nan A. Talese at Doubleday. I recently received my B.A. in English Literature, so now in my spare time I will be pursuing my Master's Degree in Library & Information Science. I am often asked how I determine which books I am going to read and review. I get most of the catalogs from the major publishers and request review copies of books I have an interest in reading. I read several review sources on a regular basis. I consider recommendations from friends, co-workers, authors whose works I've read and enjoyed, and various pundits of the publishing industry. It would be a dream come true if I could read every book that appeals to me, but unfortunately with my schedule I am forced to be very, very selective, which means I rarely review an unsolicited book. I'm 48 years old and married for 25 years to the love of my life. I have a 22 year old son and a 14 year old daughter. I am happy, honest, intelligent, intuitive, funny and fun. I am the eternal optimist; my glass is always half full, my clouds all have silver linings and when life gives me lemons, I make kick ass lemonade - no wait, I make limoncello (ask me for my recipe!) I am sorry to say I can also be impatient, opinionated, stubborn and generally too blunt for my own good. On a personal note, it seems I have been hit by the latest trend in Internet business. My web host is no longer offering free hosting. After shopping around, I opted to pay their fairly reasonable fee and keep this site where it is, sans pop-up windows and/or banners. I have no corporate sponsors, so I feel free to like or dislike books regardless of publisher and I can happily praise or bash anyone or anything I like without fear of repercussion or reprisal, or having anyone wonder where my interests lie. Therefore, in order to hopefully recoup at least some of the $$$ I am spending, I have become a retail whore, oops, I mean an Amazon.com associate. Most of the links on this site were already to Amazon, but if you are going to purchase something because of my recommendation, I would be eternally grateful if you would "click through" from whence you came. By that I mean click on the links I provide, okay? I am also selling goodies via the Cafe Press store, so please think of me when you need a gift for the reader in your life. Thanks. I am a logophile as well as a bibliophile. I have a great love of the English language and words have the power to move me like nothing else can. They say a picture is worth a thousand words though, so to keep this short, here is one of me just hanging around...
Thanks to Kodak at Epcot ThrillerFest 2007: The Whole Enchilada! A Fish Story from the BookBitch
ReviewersI do a lot of the reviews for this site, but due to my schedule, I am unable to cover as much territory as I would like. Therefore, I am extremely grateful to a few good friends who have offered to help me out. (Okay, I badgered them into it.) I love these guys.
Jennifer Lawrence is an avid reader and mother of two. Here's what she has to say about her qualifications: "Jennifer Lawrence admits to her book addiction. Her interest in books started when she was just six months old when her mother introduced me to the wonderful world of books on record! She started reading at a young age and has had a least one book in her hand at any given time since then. Jennifer lives with her husband, John and her two sons John-John (8) and Justin (2) in the DC metro area. She has passed her love of books on to Justin---the first time he entered a library he screamed “Books!” and started running through the stacks. A trip to the library now requires the assistance of at least one other adult." Who the heck is Jack and why does he get to review books for the BookBitch? Jack Quick is an voracious yet critical reader and thoughtful contributor to the 4 Mystery Addicts (4MA) group on Yahoo. Here's what he has to say about his qualifications: "Life long avid reader, addicted primarily to mystery and thrillers. Putting finishing touches on a media career of half a century in radio, television, magazines, newspapers, public relations and marketing. Currently Director of Strategic Planning for one of the United States largest newspaper companies. Still married to my child bride, 3 grown children, 8 grandchildren, and a house full of Japanese Chin - Diddlie, Da-Lee and Dumplin. Quote: "Those who do not read are no better off than those who cannot.""
Lesa Holstine has been working in public
libraries for over 30 years. She is presently a branch manager in Glendale, AZ.
Here's what she has to say about her qualifications: Who the heck is Becky and why does she get to review books for the BookBitch? Becky is a self-proclaimed book junkie and former bookseller. Here's what she has to say about her qualifications: "A certified book junkie since the age of 7, I will read just about anything! I love mysteries, thrillers, horror, fantasy, chick lit, lit fic and am especially fond of debut authors. I spent 6 years working as a bookseller and my favorite part of the job was getting other people excited about books. You will never find me without a book nearby; my mother laughs at me when I bring a book to the gas station! I always tell her you never know when you might be stranded and need a good book by your side." These guys write occasional reviews as the mood strikes...Dan Cawley has been working in various libraries, in various states, in various capacities, for the past fifteen years. Dan never received the memo that libraries pay poorly. Nevertheless, he can't imagine working in any other type of environment. He is currently employed by the Seaside Public Library on the Oregon Coast. Dan likes to read books with big words and difficult sentence structures. When he's not reading, Dan can be found fishing, digging clams, catching crabs, or picking mushrooms. Dianne Day is a writer, a reader, and a reviewer who occasionally has trouble remembering her name. Here's what she had to say about her qualifications: "Dianne Day, aka Ava Dianne Day (Ava is my real first name but I've always been called by the middle one) aka Madelyn Sanders and Diana Bane, is a hopelessly addicted reader who also writes, and was fairly consistently published between 1987 and 2002. There are I think 17 novels and about 4 short stories out there, among the various names. I left the last day job (you don't wanna know how many there've been -- I was once told I had a resume that looked like a wastebasket) in 1993, and decided to retire ten years later, in 2003, mostly because of changes in the corporate book world that were hard for me to handle. Stress, and all that.. But retirement was boring, and of course I never stopped reading. I've reviewed off and on for a long time, both in print and online, so I began that again in 2006 as a way to familiarize myself with what had changed during the years I was out of touch. I was delighted to find the Bookbitch, and now more than ever I believe the internet holds huge hope for all writers and of course readers, Bookbitch's website and activities being a prime example. I'm working on a novel, without a contract, so now I'm only semi-retired. I am a Northern Californian who spent too many many middle years of my life in North Carolina, but both my sons (who are now in their 40s) grew up there and love the state. Me, I have to live where it's cool, and if there's also fog, I'm happy. Having the ocean nearby is best of all."
"My grandmother used to say that the reader reads about the sunrise, but the writer gets up and watches it! Unfortunately getting up early is not one of my talents so I always leaned toward the reading side. I have actually read all of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, and some of my favorite writers are Robertson Davies, Haruki Murakami, Ursula LeGuin, Calvin Trillin, Judith Krantz, and Daniel Pinkwater. I grew up living at a summer camp in a tiny mountain town in San Diego County, went to college far away in Ohio, then moved even farther away, spending several years in Japan. Now I’m back in San Diego and live downtown where all the excitement happens, though I usually stay home and ignore it. I have no children or pets other than my 60-year-old stove and my iBook, but I love them both dearly."
"Old fart, who has read a lot of books for a long time."
Cy Hilterman is retired and like many retirees, an avid reader, and an opinionated one. Here is what he has to say about his qualifications: "Since I was forced to retire due to disability, I have been able to read the many books that I never had time to read while working. I have been in public service all my life, giving me many life-long experiences that can be called "a book of its own!" Since that retirement I have read hundreds of books in almost all categories, but only a few romance stories. I enjoy current novels but also enjoy factual historical stories, true and fictionalized. I have written reviews for several publishers that seem to like my reviews and opinions. I do also have one source that regularly sends me mysteries to read and review."
Ann Nappa is a good friend and has had a long and industrious career in the publishing industry. She is currently working for the City Library in Boca Raton. Prior to that, she worked for Random House. Due to downsizing, she now has the time to read and review books for this site. Here's what she has to say about her qualifications: "Annie Nappa began her career with Fun with Dick and Jane. For kicks she picked up The Cat In the Hat. She has studied all of Encyclopedia Brown. A few years were spent reading Jane Eyre (about 50 times), but she never really warmed to Wuthering Heights (so shoot her). She had a long love affair with Raymond Chandler, but it was Kurt Vonnegut Jr. who changed her life completely. After being totally turned off to Western literature while getting her BA in English she began again with East. Reading for the past 34 years has kept her out of heaps of trouble."
Andi Shechter has too much time on her hands, thanks to a physical disability which has baffled many experts. After a career in non-profit social service, and a long history of volunteering for many causes, including science fiction and mystery convention work, Andi began reviewing mystery fiction in late 1999. She's been a convention fan guest of honor and exists as a character in two mysteries (and as a psychiatric unit in another book). Andi currently volunteers at a women's shelter, cares for her massive collection of soft toys, and reads. A lot.
Ask me about my PT CRUISER... |
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