Dee Reads

Snuggled into a small, quiet corner of First Street, Humble Texas is the independently owned bookstore, The Book Readers Venue .  I recently made the short drive from my home in Atascocita to Humble for a visit with the proud and gracious owner of this little gem of a bookstore,  Sherrele Goloversic.  Sherrele owns and operates the bookstore alongside her 8-5 job in information technology.  The focus is on romance and romantic suspense featuring African-American authors.  Don't worry though, there is a book for everyone in her small in size, but big in variety, store.  Sherrele has a little bit of biography/memoir, fantasy and even a cozy corner where children's books are shelved.  "We believe that when one book closes, another one (or 2 or 3) opens." Although only at this location since September 2024, it's evident that Sherrele and her shop are an active part of the community.  I chose a Friday morning visit which happened to coincide with a wom...

In August of 2024, I wrote a blog entitled   "The Unsung or Little Sung Heroes" in which I highlighted three of my favorite authors who fill this bill. Romance author, Katie Mettner, happened to be one of those three.  At the risk of repeating myself, here's a little more about an excellent and prolific author, who happens to be a very kind human being. "Katie Mettner wears the title of 'the only person to lose her leg after falling down the bunny hill' and loves decorating her prosthetic leg to fit the season. She lives in Northern Wisconsin with her own happily-ever-after and spends the day writing romantic stories with her sweet puppy by her side. Katie has an addiction to coffee and dachshunds and a lessening aversion to Pinterest — now that she’s quit trying to make the things she pins. Read about more of Katie's adventures as an amputee writer at http://katiemettner.com/ Come chat with Katie on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-Mettner-A...

  I am a huge FAN of Robert Dugoni !  I am always enthralled by his work; his series (Tracy Crosswhite, David Sloane, Charles Jenkins and Keera Duggan) and his stand-out stand-alone novels.  He is an exceptionally talented author with such a wide-ranging talent and skillset it defies my reality.  For anyone, like me, who wishes they could write, Robert is the gold standard.  This month's review is Hold Strong written with co-authors, Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree .  To my thinking, Robert and his partners have more than reached that gold standard bar. This book is such an exceptional work, I find myself in the same position as with Robert's book, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell , I'm recommending it to every reader I know, posting it on social media, and talking about it until my friends and family are beyond tired of  hearing me gab on and on . . .  Nevertheless, I'm going to drone on a bit more in this review of what may make my Best of 2...

Never let it be said I don't follow through.  As promised, this is the first blog with new, but still book-related content.  Jumping off the new year, I contacted and was graciously granted an interview with Kimberly Darneille, the adult programming librarian at my library, Harris County Public Library, Atascocita Branch .  To say Kimberly is a librarian seems far too simple and narrow a description, she's much more.  In her own words, her job encompasses,  "helping people in so many different ways, whether it's guiding someone to the perfect book, teaching a new skill, or solving a tricky question, every interaction feels like an opportunity to make a difference."  Contrary to what is thought of as the typical route (a Master's Degree in library science) to becoming a librarian, Kimberly took a different path. She got her degree from the "school of hard knocks".  She's worked in libraries for 18 years, beginning in 2006 as a shelver and circulat...

Happy New Year - 2025! from  Dee Reads    I hope you all had a joy-filled holiday season and are ready to take on 2025 with renewed vigor and reading enthusiasm.  I know I am! I've got some exciting things already bubbling on the stovetop for you, readers. as we plunge into January.   My tech support husband is hard at work on updates to our site, which will make it easier for new friends to find Dee Reads.  I'm also working on exciting new content - interviews with authors, indie bookstore visits, and chats with library staff.  Now, don't worry, I'm not leaving all the goodies you've become accustomed to behind, simply sprinkling some spice into the soup.  I'm sure you'll enjoy our new recipe.  One more quick note, I'm changing to a bi-weekly format for 2025.  So on or about January 11th, I'll be posting a new blog for your reading enjoyment.   A small sampling of my TBR.  Just the hardbacks!  There are many mor...

Yes, just last week I said I had posted my last blog for 2024.  However, my brother, Jay, who has guest spotted here a few times, told me he didn't have anything to do. So, I picked up the ball of that challenge and asked him to give me HIS Best of 2024.  And here it is . . .  I promise this is the last blog for the year.   Happy Holidays! "First, I must thank Dianna for asking me to contribute thoughts on my favorite read this year.  Secondly, I must apologize to you for contributing my thoughts on my favorite read this year. I’m clearly not as voracious a reader as Dianna and most of you.  I had set a meager goal of 30 books for the year.  As of today, I have read 31 with 19 days remaining in the year.  Congratulations to me!  Here's a list of a few books that were part of making this goal: The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change Tomáš Halík Hold Strong Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Chris Crabtree Ordinary Grace William Ke...

Like so many book resources; Amazon, Goodreads, and various bookstores Dee Reads is compiling a list of the best books of 2024.  That isn't to say they are new, bestsellers, book club recommendations or any particular favorite, they are just my most excellent reads of this year.   From a variety of genres, authors, and publication dates comes the Dee Reads Best of 2024. Like many of you, I'm sure, I used a reading tracker this year to tally my total books read and their "star" rating (1-5).  Of the 106 books on that list, I have selected nine to make my "Best of 2024" list.   DEE READS BEST OF 2024         The Long March Home by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee - 5 Stars         Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens - 5 Stars (Appeared in a previous blog on 08/28/2024)         Go as a River by Shelley Read - 5 Stars         Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke - 4 S...

  Every once in a blue moon, I happen upon a wonderful read, and then a second by the same author, that make for a outstanding twosome.  It isn't necessarily that the pair is part of a series or even of the same genre, rather these two gems strike my fancy and keep me reading page-after-page until I'm looking at the back cover.  On the flipside, there are the less frequent and less happy times when I read that first book, open a second by the same writer, and end up with a serious case of reader's regret.  Follow me down that road as I explore two such pairings.  The first, Reykjavik, published in 2022, I read in the late summer of 2023.  I had not heard of Ragnar Jonasson before I snagged  copy of Reykjavi k, which I then devoured like it was my last meal.  Although I am definitely a thriller/mystery reader, this was unique and might be set aside in its own genre, perhaps calling it a noir thriller.  Below is the review I wrote and posted in...

The annual Texas Book Festival is in the books 📚, pardon the pun.  This past weekend has come and gone, along with the authors and programming from Austin.  I sincerely wish I could report a rousing success, as in my two previous years attending, but I'm going to give you it to you straight.  I trust that it was what you expect.   My brother and I arrived in Austin Friday afternoon with our schedules in hand and our hearts set on some great author panels, discussions with fellow readers, and an eye-opening new books.  Without a doubt we found some of those things, but after eight sessions over the two days, I must admit I was a bit disappointed.  In half of the presentations, the authors never discussed the content of their books, didn't read an excerpt, nor did they promote the purchase of their work.  Instead they expressed their political views, society's failings, and their ideas for remedying those ills.  In fact, in a session with one ...

Hold onto your hats, it's windy 🌬 out there!  You might get blown off your reading course, take a left turn, and land on a stack of graphic novels or comic books.  For this week's blog, I have asked my eight year old granddaughter to join us for a discussion of all things in the arena of graphic novels.  A solid foundation might be the place to start.  Do you know what a graphic novel is?  I didn't until Maggie started talking about it and delving into the stories she enjoyed.   Encyclopedia Britannica defines a graphic novel in this way: "A graphic novel, in American and British usage, a type of text combining words and images—essentially a comic, although the term most commonly refers to a complete story presented as a book rather than a periodical."   That seems pretty simple, straight-forward even, but there’s more to it, as I was so primly informed. In fact, Maggie would dispute the “essentially a comic” phrase. She loves graphic novels and...