Reviewer Spotlight

Branch: Main Library

This month, Reader’s Club salutes Mark. Mark is an avid reader and has contributed many insightful reviews of fiction and non-fiction for adults. He is the voice of the Reader's Club Podcast and a member of the Reader's Club Team.. Here is what Mark has to share with us:

I have been a confirmed book lover as long as I can remember. Before I could read, Mom read to me, and as soon as I could, I took it up on my own, and no book was ever off limits. I can’t imagine any better gift than this love of reading; reading is as fundamental to me as breathing. Thanks, Mom!

My taste in books is pretty eclectic, ranging from mysteries, to science fiction, to literary fiction, to works of history and politics. My favorite books tend to be by writers from cultures other than my own. Some of my favorite authors are Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende, and Louise Erdrich. My favorite book is Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. Now, that said, two of my other favorite authors are, like myself, white males born and raised in the American South: Pat Conroy and Larry Brown. One thing all of these writers have in common is a love of a well-told tale. I think this love is universal – all cultures love stories, whether written or oral, so long as they touch the soul.

It is that touch that helps me decide whether to review a book or not. If the story – fiction or fact – touches my soul in a way that I can put into words, I try to review it. Of course, some of those attempts are more successful than others. Also, sometimes I just can’t put it into words, and other times it has to simmer for a while before I can verbalize it. One of the greatest joys for an avid reader is to share a good book or a newly discovered author with others. Reader’s Club is one of the ways I do that. Other reviewers have also led me to some mighty reads. I discovered my new favorite author, Larry Brown, thanks to reviews of his work here on Readers’ Club. See, the joy never ends so long as we share it!

Thanks, Mark!