Jo’s Jottings for July 2023

Jul 1, 2023 | General

Just back from attending a seminar at the American Library Association’s national conference in Chicago. Key take-away? LIBRARIANS ARE PUBLIC SERVANTS! Just like fire and police and the men and women who plow the snow from streets in winter and care for public parks...

Razorblade Tears

Jun 26, 2023 | Book Report

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby: Two fathers—one Black and one white and both ex-cons—come together to solve and avenge the brutal murder of their gay sons. Fair warning: there is a LOT of violence on these pages, but to my surprise I did not find any of it gratuitous....

TOMORROW and TOMORROW and TOMORROW

Jun 22, 2023 | Book Report

TOMORROW and TOMORROW and TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin: I will admit up front that reading this novel, I entered a strange new world—the world of video gaming. The principal characters are both players and creators and the book follows their connection from childhood...

Black Cake

Jun 8, 2023 | Book Report

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson: An estranged brother and sister come together as adults to listen to the recording their late mother has left them revealing the secrets of her life. The hearing of the recording is orchestrated by their mother’s lawyer in the house...

Jo’s Jottings for June 2023

Jun 1, 2023 | General

From time to time I will take a break from writing novels, memoirs, and other things to share some random thoughts on random topics I hope you might find interesting. Today I am thinking about libraries and their importance to communities—a mostly free resource that...