Reviewer Spotlight

Branch: ImaginOn

This month Reader’s Club salutes Julie, a youth specialist in the Loft at Imaginon. She has written numerous reviews for adults and young adults in a short period of time. Here is what she has to say about reading and writing reviews:

When I was in High School my mother, an avid reader, introduced me to Mary Higgins Clark, and my love of mystery/suspense/thrillers was born.

While I still gravitate towards those types of books, I like to mix up my reading with some humor, historical fiction, and chick lit. Like most other readers, I have those authors whose books I just HAVE to read, like Nora Roberts, Janet Evanovich, Harlan Coben, Carl Hiaasen, or Sandra Brown, to name a few. But I’ve also been lucky to have friends and colleagues recommend some great books like Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews, Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons, and The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian. I may never have read these books, nor heard of these authors, had it not been for someone who loved to talk about books.

I also enjoy reading books in series. I like getting to know characters, seeing where they go and how the author gets them there. Some of my favorite series are the Puzzle Lady Mysteries by Parnell Hall, the In Death series by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts), the Sammy Keyes Mysteries by Wendelin Van Draanen, and the Harry Potter series by that author…what’s-her-name.

More often than not I’m looking for escapism in my books. Some people call it fluff, I call it fun. But while I mostly read fiction, I do read some non-fiction, primarily about politics and sports, and have reviewed a few I’ve enjoyed. When I choose to write a review, it’s because I just couldn’t put the book down – the characters were particularly engaging, the plot was unique, the pace was exciting – and I want to share. And isn’t half the fun of reading being able to tell someone else about “this great book I just read called…”?