My parents fostered my love of reading when I was very young. We would take multiple
trips each week to the La Marque Public Library, which, in the late 1960’s and early
1970’s, was in a very tiny old building right around the corner from our home. I
remember that the children’s section was in the front room, which was no bigger than
the postage-sized living room in my grandparents’ post World War II home. I would
spend hours in that little room filled with the magic of books. The first book series I
remember reading was all the Curious George books by H.A. and Margaret Rey. I was
amazed by that little monkey who could get in so much trouble yet always saved the
day. My parents also enrolled me in several “book clubs,” and I would receive a new
book each month in the mail; it was so exciting! Sadly, I do not remember trips to the
library at my elementary school, and I cannot conjure up an image of the place.

My middle school years included many trips to the Public Library in Bryan, one of the
many libraries that got their start from the Carnegie Foundation, and the school library
at Anson Jones. In seventh grade, I discovered my love for biographies and
autobiographies. I would show up to check out a new book almost every other day. To
this day, I still love reading the stories of people’s lives, whether they were dead long
before I was born, or they are still changing the world today. My love of reading, which
developed when I was young, has remained with me. I cannot wait to share some of my
favorite books with you.

I must confess that I have relied heavily on audiobooks for the last several years to do
most of my “reading.” For the past eight years, I have spent at least an hour and fifteen
minutes each day commuting for work and found listening to a book a marvelous way to
spend those many hours every week. Let’s be honest: the narrators will make or break
an audiobook. No matter how good the writer might be, a bad narrator will kill the story.
I love receiving recommendations for books others believe should be on a must-read list
or a read-just-for-fun list. I might not always like all the recommended books I read. Still,
I have found some of my favorite books from searching through book recommendations
online, in magazines, and most importantly, from friends and sometimes people I meet
in passing. I will use my blog to share some of my favorite books with you.

Each blog post focusing on book reviews and reading suggestions will examine a fiction
and non-fiction selection. The post will be based on my opinion of the book, and I know
that some of you will not agree with my perspectives, which is fine. I believe that is the
best part of reading; we each get to take the author’s story or text and derive our own
meeting, whether it is what the author intended or not.

I look forward to sharing some of my beloved books with you and having you share
some of your favorites with me.

Non-Fiction: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits is a #1 New Your Times Bestseller and a book I have read and listened to
several times. In fact, it is my go-to book whenever I need to change an old habit or
create a new one. Mr. Clear shares a bit about a very challenging time in his life that led
him to develop and implement the concept of atomic habits to bring about lasting
change. He provides you with four simple areas you must address to develop atomic
habits that you can use to create or break, whether related to health, work, family time,
self-care, etc. 

This book is well written and easy to follow because who wants to follow complicated
“rules” when changing habits? It helps me make changes without the stress that I used
to feel when trying to create or change a habit. My latest atomic habit is one that I have
implemented to ensure that I have blog content ready to go on time because, in
retirement, you can waste time like never before.

Atomic Habit: I will work on my blog from 7:30-9:30 Monday through Friday in my home
office.

Fiction: Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander

Carolina Built is a historical fiction based on the life of Josephine Leary, a truly
extraordinary woman who built a real estate empire in North Carolina when women, little
alone a formerly enslaved person like Josephine, rarely thought about building a real
estate dynasty. This book tells the story of Josephine’s emancipation, marriage to
Sweety Leary, her relationships with family, and her drive to be a successful
businesswoman and landowner. She certainly faced her share of tragedies and
setbacks but never lost sight of her dreams. The link here shows one of her buildings
erected in 1894 that is still used today.

I wanted this to be my first fiction recommendation because more people, especially
women, need to hear about the life of this remarkable woman and all that she
accomplished during a tough time in our history. What I find sad is that so few people
are aware of the story of Josephine Leary and the empire she built in North Carolina. I
hope you read this book and are as moved and empowered by the story as I was.
Please help me spread the word about this beautiful book that shares the inspiring story
of Josephine Leary.  

Thank you, Kianna Alexander, for writing this beautiful book.