Dear Readers...

Welcome to Becky's Book Blog, where I share my love of books and reading with fellow bookaphiles! From bestsellers, to those who self-published; from shiny hardcovers and supple paperbacks to antiques, I enjoy them all. Reviews of new and upcoming titles, nods to nostalgia-bearing childhood favorites, musings on the future of the book--this blog is a goulash of books and book-related topics and is completely self-indulgent. This is what I really love doing; talking with people about books.

I never write in the first person; I like to develop friendships, (and readers inevitably become friends with the characters they read), slowly. Using words like, “I” and “you” create a current of false intimacy, suspending readers and characters in a haze-filled honeymoon period; a common lust of words and stories with no real truth established.

First person feels like an appropriate voice for a blog about books however, and I enjoy engaging with an imaginary thought-spar partner as I write. So here is a good piece of my truth: I believe in magic. Time travel, fairies, life if JFK was never assassinated...these all exist between the pages of books.

Books are magical; this is the truth that everything I write here is based on.  
Really, I should be grateful for the false sense of intimacy, because why else would someone care to read my opinions of books, especially after my declarations? Except I know that anyone who has let hours slip away while they read knows about the qualities of books, even if the word “magic” never touches their lips.

While hardly a literary expert, I am a devoted reader, I was converted, possibly, in the womb. My childhood was spent exploring the forests of Narnia, daydreaming in Green Gables with Anne, and playing along the banks of Plumb Creek. I befriended Betsy, Tacy and Tib in Deep Valley and imagined delicious feasts with Sara and Becky in Miss Minchin's cold attic.

My parents nurtured my love of books, and I responded by reading ravenously. I survived a sad orphanage with Jane Eyre, loved Francie Nolan's alcoholic father, and visited Lilliput with Gulliver. I adventured across New Orleans with Ignacious J. Reilly, and captured the castle with Cassie. I devoured whatever I could find about Egypt, the Pharaohs and the extensive gods, as well as anything ballet-related. In college I thrived on spirited debates recounting the symbolism of punctuation, and whether or not Kerouac needed to self-edit and female roles in literature.

Working in a bookstore, especially a charming independent like Bloomsbury, is amazing for a bookaphile like myself. The store's shelves are lined with friendly faces, like Janet Fitch's  White Oleander, mixed with exciting strangers, like Murakami's new IQ84. The best parts of my job include hearing about what other people are reading, what is coming out soon and which books received which awards. I love books and I want to share that love! So feel the love; and pass me my book.

Happy Reading!