"Before she retired, Natalie M. was very involved with Reader’s Club. As a member of the committee, she was responsible for entering all of the mystery book reviews, and before she did that, we often looked them over together checking for typos, length, and grammar. She encouraged me to write some reviews myself, and that got me started.

This may sound odd, but I found that I enjoy writing reviews for the same reason that I enjoyed preparing for final exams: pausing to think through the material brings it into focus. I already know that I liked the book, or I would not consider reviewing it. Then, when I begin to view the volume as a whole and try to summarize it, the book makes even more sense as the plot or purpose becomes clearer. Through the review I gain a greater appreciation of the book and a better understanding of why it appeals to me."

The Online Gateway to the South is the winner of the Librarian’s Choice Award for October 2004. As the name implies, there is much more here than just books. This site is a portal, or gateway, to all kinds of information about the American South.