Dee Reads

A week ago I reviewed The Faculty Lounge , a book I found meaningful in many ways. This past Monday evening we, my brother and I, had the opportunity to hear the author, Jennifer Mathieu , speak at a library event as part of the Gulf Coast Reads .  For about an hour and a half (just the right amount of time) we were folded into the story with several side notes that helped to flesh out events and make it even more real.  Ms. Mathieu who is a 21 year veteran teacher in the Houston area based this, her first adult novel, on her own experiences teaching in the local area. So many of the back stories and insights were so vivid they made you laugh, cringe, and even get upset at times.  It was a fun-filled evening I would happily repeat.  If you get the chance to attend an author event, don't pass it up!     Just a quick note - the annual Texas Book Festival is just around the corner.  It, too, is certain to be a good time.  What more could you ask fo...

  Like many of my book-loving friends, I belong to a book club at my local library, the Atascocita Branch of the Harris County Public Library north of Houston .  I have been a very happy member of this group, Lit Chat , for about three years and stuck with them through changing leaders, members, and formats.  At the beginning of 2025 we decided to inject a broader base into our reading by not reading the same book each month.  Instead, we read whatever strikes our fancy, bring it and our thoughts to the next meeting for discussion.  I think this method has opened doors to a wider world of reading and discussion.  In fact, it seems to have sparked a larger attendance at our meetings.  The only time we read the same book is during the Month of October for Gulf Coast Reads , a shared reading event promoted by the public libraries in the Gulf Coast area.  This year the book is The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu .   I don't say this ab...

If you've been following my blogging journey at all, you've probably come to realize that I'm a big fan of the mystery/thriller genre.  It's not to say that I read this genre to the exclusion of all else, but a healthy slice of my reading pie is in that realm.  I truly enjoy being on the hunt for a solution; for the bad guy or girl, the process of solving the mystery, and the feeling of satisfaction that comes with a neat and tidy ending.  I love the challenge of pitting my crime-solving skills against our fictional detective heroes.  Sometimes I win, sometimes I'm foiled.  What really gets me invested is when a book kickstarts a story that carries our hero or heroine on through a well-written series.  One of the key elements that gets me hooked on a series is when the main character has a vivid and flawed backstory.  Sometimes it's a troubled upbringing, a drinking problem, relationship difficulties or another human frailty, but it makes the character...

I know it's been a long time since there's been a new blog post.  Please forgive  my long absence.  I wish I had a good excuse, but "nope".  Nothing lofty, just simple laziness is the truth. So here I am.  Finally!  I hope you are too. You may remember, when I wrote about beginning a blog and what I hoped to accomplish, I mentioned things book adjacent, not strictly books or reviews.  To some extent that goal may have fallen by the wayside.  Let's pick it up with a look at some of my recent (well during the past year) "book adjacent" activities.    Let's take a walk down memory lane, not too far, just back to early March.  One Saturday afternoon found me making a thirty mile drive across Houston to join my people (fellow book lovers) at the Blue Willow Bookshop  for Silent Reading Saturday.  Intrigued?  Yep, I was too.  What I found was a beautiful independent bookstore featuring everything from bestsellers to ha...

  Advance Reader Galleys I'm always on the hunt for new authors, books, or topics I've never read much about.  The trouble is buying books is EXPENSIVE! To borrow books from your local library is oftentimes an exercise in patience and I'm no Job.  Somehow, maybe social media or an alignment of the planets, I learned there are a few sites through which you are able to request advance reader copies of upcoming book releases.  For instance, Voracious Readers Only , Book Sirens , Net Galley, and more. I've reviewed for all three at one time or another, but I am most loyal to Net Galley .   Good fortune put me together with Net Galley early in 2020.  To date I have reviewed more than 250 advance reader galleys provided by publishers through Net Galley. There is no remuneration for, nor pressure to provide a certain rating. The only thing asked of Net Galley reviewers is that they try to read and review books prior to the publication date.  On...

 In some previous posts I've mentioned my thoughts on what books should do for the reader.  For instance, I consider a book "good" if it evokes strong emotions, positive or negative, if it makes you love or hate a character, if it pulls on your heart-strings and doesn't let go.  The right book meets you where you are or finds you when you need it most.  It's a magical or karmic sort of relationship, if you believe in that sort of connection.  Yes, world-building, character development, and plot are important components of a well-written novel, but those are the tools that help build the house that is the book.  Without emotion a book falls flat for me, maybe you too. A recent loss brought these thoughts home to me in the most vivid way.  My 95 year old mother-in-law, Flo, passed away near the end of March.  She had lived a good long life and left behind a family with many lovely memories, some of which were shared at her memorial service.  My...

Tosca Lee Author Photo Credit:  Jennifer Studanski You really must read a book, any book by the author Tosca Lee . If I had my say, you'd read The Long March Home written by Tosca and Marcus Brotherton.  Chosen as The One Book One Nebraska selection for 2025, I also selected it as my Best of 2024.  It was a superior piece of historical fiction set during World War II's Bataan Death March, featuring three hometown friends who vow to make it back from the war alive.  It is as well-researched as it is readable!    This gem of a book sparked my interest in Tosca herself.  Like I did, you could go to her  social media pages and website, but to really get a feel for the person and her work, I needed a more personal interaction. I emailed Tosca, requesting an interview with the hope that I might hear from a member of her team.  Surprisingly enough, I got a quick response from the author herself agreeing to answer my questions by email.  Wow!...

I'm not a big proponent of star ratings for books, or ratings at all really.  Books and reading are too subjective.  What you might enjoy and feel is a superstar, no pun intended, of a book, I might think is a complete loser. Ok, now that I've admitted that, I'll also tell you that I use Goodreads to track my reading and it requires you rate books using their star system, one to five.  One being the least liked and five the tip-top.    "Here's a more detailed breakdown of the star rating system, often used on platforms like  Goodreads   and   Amazon : 1 Star:   "Didn't like it" or "Absolutely not, I didn't waste my time finishing it".   2 Stars:   "It was OK" or "Not an enjoyable read".   3 Stars:   "Liked it" or "I liked this book".   4 Stars:   "Really liked it" or "Enjoyed it a lot but one or two things were not perfect".   5 Stars:   "It was amazing" or "Absol...