Reviewers

Reviewers A–F
Reviewers G–L
Reviewers M–S
Reviewers T–Z

Reviewers A–F
 

Jennifer Adams is currently a marketing and communication specialist for a healthcare library, leading global outreach and networking efforts. She has a B.S. in journalism from Arkansas State University and a Master’s in library and information science from Dominican University. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and is involved in community theater where she choreographs dances. Jennifer serves as president of the Friends of the Library, Winnetka/Northfield, takes tap dance lessons, plays hockey, and is an avid reader. She also likes crafts, cooking, and learning new things. [Adult Books]

Jessica Agudelo is a Supervising Librarian for Children's Services with the New York Public Library. A proud Queens, NY native, she developed a keen ear for the multiplicity of stories around her and hopes to encourage others to listen up too. [Books for Youth]

Amy Alessio is an award-winning librarian with a black belt in karate. Her latest book is the co-authored of Pop Culture-Inspired Programs (American Library Association, 2018). Her fiction includes the Alana O'Neill mysteries with vintage recipes. She teaches graduate-level young adult literature and webinars on book trends and social media. Several times a year she unleashes her love of vintage cookbooks on audiences through programs on food trends at libraries and conventions. She is a romance and mystery reviewer for Booklist. Learn more at amyalessio.com. [Adult Books]

Donald Altschiller is the history, government documents, and military affairs bibliographer at Mugar Memorial Library, Boston University. A longtime reviewer who has also served on the RBB Editorial Board, he reviews reference materials for Choice, Library Journal, and other library publications and is also a freelance writer. A recipient of the ALA Carnegie-Whitney Award, he has expanded his bibliography into a reference book, Animal-Assisted Therapy (Greenwood, 2011), which also includes a narrative history. [Reference]

Vivian Alvarez, aka Mother Goose, is a tween librarian at Chicago Public Library in the Pilsen neighborhood where she teaches and directs STEM, art, and digital media programs. She enjoys visiting the Library of Congress and traveling abroad to discover new resources for her programs. Additionally, she is a practicing artist in creative writing, painting, and drawing. She is a recipient of the 2015-2016 ALA Spectrum Scholar award as well as the 2015-2016 Sylvia Murphy Award, attended University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign on full scholarship, and published in ALA Knowledge Quest and Library Juice Press. Holds an MSLIS and an MAEd. [Books for Youth]

Erin Anderson works as a teacher and librarian at Millcreek Township School District in Pennsylvania for grades 6–8. Along with reviewing literature for youth and troubleshooting the never-ending drama of middle school, she loves to read thick antiquated works of nonfiction, the dustier the better. [Books for Youth]

Poornima Apte is a Boston-based engineer turned writer and book reviewer. She enjoys reading literary fiction and narrative nonfiction and is happiest when her bedside stash of books resembles a Jenga pile. [Adult Books]

Miriam Aronin is a writer and editor in Chicago. She is the author of a number of nonfiction books for children on topics ranging from animals to natural disasters to animals in natural disasters. In her spare time, she enjoys reading children's books, visiting the library, knitting, and exploring the city. [Books for Youth]

Freelance writer and former legal reporter Michael Autrey has written on diverse subjects: from architecture to viticulture, from tango to yoga. In addition to Booklist he writes for culturalsociety.org. His book reviews have appeared in The Oregonian. He published his first book of poetry, From the Genre of Silence, in 2008. [Adult Books]

Tiffany Austin got her degree as a Library Technical Assistant at College of DuPage in 1997. Her love of reading all genres of books goes back to when she was introduced to Gone with the Wind in middle school. From there she decided to pursue a degree in library science. Her love of literature has led her to new career in freelance writing, including review writing. She has been with the American Library Association since 2016, and this has expanded her world of authors and her personal library in leaps and bounds. Working for Booklist has been a new joy in her life. [Adult Books]

Michael Autrey is a poet and a critic. The Cultural Society published Our Fear, his first book of poems, in 2013. His reviews and review-essays have appeared in Asymptote, Chicago Review, Consequence Magazine, Literary Matters, The Oregonian, Prodigal, and Raritan. Forthcoming work will appear in Aurochs and Literary Imagination. [Adult Books]

Susan Awe, a longtime business librarian, is now director of outreach for the University Libraries at the University of New Mexico. She started reviewing reference and business books in 1990 and currently reviews for Choice, Booklist, and ARBA. [Reference]

Jeff Ayers is a library associate 4 in the Seattle Public Library System. He's the author of Voyages of Imagination: The Star Trek Fiction Companion (2006). He also reviews for the Associated Press, and Library Journal, and co-hosts two podcasts with the editor of Suspense Magazine. [Adult Books]

Diego Báez has received fellowships from the Surge Institute and CantoMundo and has completed a residency at Sundress Academy for the Arts in the hilly outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. His poetry and fiction have appeared at The Rumpus, The Acentos Review, and The Georgia Review, among others. He is a coordinator for the Diversity Committee of the International David Foster Wallace Society, for which he curated Spotify playlists based on the bibliographies in Signifying Rappers. He lives in Chicago and teaches at Harry S. Truman College. Find him online @diego_baez [Adult Books]

Jen Baker is a reader services librarian at the Seattle Public Library. She has served on the Reading List Council, is a sometime contributor to NoveList and has reviewed fiction for Booklist for many years. [Adult Books]

Greg Baldino is a writer and journalist in Chicago. His work has also appeared in New City, Bleeding Cool, Rain Taxi, Sequential Tart, City Pulse, and several other publications and websites. [Adult Books]

Brenda Barrera, a freelance writer and social media specialist, has been the editor of regional running/multisport magazines as well as a contributor to The Women’s Guide to Triathlon (2015). From 1985 to 1991 she worked at ALA (Booklist, ALA Library and Research Center, Public Programs Office) and still has a “serious 10 am coffee + cookie habit” from those beloved days at 50 E. Huron Street. In her spare time, she’s a competitive age group runner, cyclist, swimmer, and triathlete, so it’s no surprise her reviewing lane is sports titles. Look for her on Twitter at @brendajbarrera [Adult Books]

Thom Barthelmess teaches literature and library services for young people at the Dominican University (IL) Graduate School of Library and Information Science. He lives in an old church, eats plenty of cruciferous vegetables, and watches other people play tennis. [Books for Youth]

Danielle Bauter is a bibliophile at heart. She began her career as a bookseller in college, also doing a stint at the now-shuttered Feminist Bookstore News in San Francisco. For the last decade she has handled marketing and events at an independent bookstore in Southern California, and she is also a freelance writer with a focus on travel, food, and wine. Her writing has appeared in ELLE, Wine Enthusiast, Saveur, Budget Travel, Common Good, and the Orange County Register. She also writes a monthly column about books for Coast Magazine. You can find her online at daniellebauter.com. [Adult Books]

Casey Bayer is a graphic designer for ALA. He has a BA in Film Studies and reviewed movies for several years at various small-town publications. When not devouring DeLillo or Roth, he loves to read all sorts of nonfiction. Someday soon he'll finish his great American novella. [Adult Books]

Nancy Bent divided her education, personal, and professional lives between natural history and library science until she finally settled in as a public librarian.  Now semi-retired and working part time in Tucson, she uses her spare time for birding, volunteering, and reading anything she can get her hands on. [Adult Books]

Barbara Bibel is a reference librarian and consumer health information specialist. She is happily retired after working at the Oakland Public Library in California for 30 years. [Adult Books, Reference]

Robert Bittner has a PhD in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (SFU), and is also a graduate of the MA in Children’s Literature program at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. He loves reading a wide range of literature, but particularly stories with diverse depictions of gender and sexuality. You can find him on Twitter (@r_bittner) or reading in the shadow of an ever-growing stack of books in his office. [Books for Youth]

Ken Black is associate CTLE director, teaching and learning technologies at Dominican University (River Forest, IL); prior to that he was assistant director of the library and reference librarian at Dominican, and also has earlier public library experience. He has a BA in history, an MLS in library and information science, and an MS in computer information systems. Apart from history and computer-related things, his interests include literature, wildlife, and nature, and he's a long-time lover of Doctor Who. [Reference]

Peter Blenski has been a children’s librarian in the Milwaukee area for seven years. He is also the creator of the library blog Lego Librarian, legolibrarian.com which provides unique Lego Club challenges for librarians. He feels this approach to structured play combines creativity and problem solving with cooperation and time management. He spends most of his free time with his wife and their dog, Loki. [Books for Youth]

Allison Block’s love of books began with Dr. Seuss and never stopped. She especially enjoys reviewing mysteries and memoirs (but they don’t have to rhyme!). When she’s not stretching her mind with books, she’s stretching her limbs with yoga or hiking one of the many beautiful trails near her home in San Diego. [Adult Books]

Marta Segal Block is a freelance writer, editor, and marketing communications expert. She is based in Chicago where she specializes in the totally normal combination of young adult nonfiction and the wedding industry! She has been putting her MA in literature to good use, reviewing fiction for Booklist for over ten years. [Adult Books]

Katherine Boyle is a freelance journalist and law student at the University of Chicago. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, an online journal. She previously worked for an environment and energy newswire in Washington, D.C. She loves reading and running and is actively involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters. [Adult Books]

Frances Bryant Bradburn, the author of Output Measures for School Media Programs and former editor of North Carolina Libraries, is retired from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction where she was Director of Instructional Technology. Throughout her career she has been especially interested in young adult literature, chairing both the Best Books for Young Adults Committee and the first Printz Award Committee. Nothing pleases her more than being able to share books with her growing bevy of grandchildren, with the oldest granddaughter now devouring The Hunger Games trilogy, YA fantasy, and graphic novels. She hopes all the others follow suit. [Books for Youth]

Christine Bulson is librarian emeritus, State University of New York (Oneonta). She has reviewed for Reference Books Bulletin since 1988 and was chair of the Editorial Board 1991–1993. She also writes for Booklist Online's Points of Reference blog. [Reference]

Charlotte Burcher is an adult services librarian at the Williamsburg (VA) Regional Library, where she contributes regularly to Blogging for a Good Book. [Reference]

Ester Burke is a reference librarian in the Adult Services Dept. at the Champaign Public Library in Champaign, IL. She also designs and teaches computer classes for the public. She has a BS in biology and an MS in library and information sciences, both from the University of Illinois. Before becoming a public librarian, she was a medical reference librarian. Her favorite reads are sci-fi and mystery. [Reference]

Mary Burkey is an independent library consultant in Columbus (OH). An enthusiastic audiophile, she has served on all four of ALA's audiobook award committees, as well as an Audies Award judge. In addition to writing the "Voices in My Head" column forBooklist, she is the author of Audiobooks for Youth: A Practical Guide to Sound Literature (ALA, 2013). [Media]

Alice Burton is a book blogger and podcaster. You can find her writing about period dramas for Vulture and podcasting on Book Riot’s nonfiction podcast For Real. Find out all the gossip from nineteenth-century America by following her on social media @itsalicetime. [Adult Books]

Vanessa Bush is a former financial reporter who has contributed reviews to Booklist for nearly 20 years. Vanessa has also been a freelance contributor to Chicago Public Radio.  She is currently a grant writer at a school for retrieved high school dropouts and serves on the board of the League of Women Voters of Chicago and the Women's Educational Aid Association of Northwestern University. [Adult Books]

Monica Garza Bustillo is the Branch Manager at the Johnston Branch of the San Antonio Public Library. For over a decade, she has run several book groups and assisted in the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read Initiative for San Antonio Public Library for To Kill a Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, and Bless Me Ultima. She is active in the Texas Library Association, serving as Treasurer for District 10 and as Chair for the Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List. She earned her Master’s Degree from the University of North Texas in 2007 with the support of an IMLS “Grow Your Own” Better Futures Leadership Development Scholarship Program. [Adult Books]

A reference/instruction librarian at the State University of New York (Oneonta) and environmental activist, Nancy Cannon lives in the scenic foothills of the Catskill Mountains. From her backyard, she strolls through woods and meadows, taking time to smell the flowers and observe wildlife. [Reference]

Rosie Camargo reads and speaks Spanish and English has 16 years of children’s book experience from Magic Tree Bookstore. Loves the smell of a new book. Last 6 years has become a nerdy librarian at 2 libraries. Spanish collection specialist, storytime coordinator.  Many many years of book-loving and audio listening experience. Mysteries, horror, and true crime enthusiast. Has several years of storytime under her belt so is no stranger to picture books. Lives in the Windy city with her daughter, Dog: Beans and 2 cats: Rice & Cafe. Currently learning ASL. [Audio, Books for Youth]

Kate Campos has been reviewing primarily Christian/inspirational romance for 5.5 years for Booklist. From biblical fiction to stories of faith and love in the modern world, she loves how the writing in this genre is richly researched, balanced in character and plot, and full of heart. Kate’s favorite romance author is Sarah Sundin, a must-read author for WWII era and 1940s romance. When she’s not curled up with a good book, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two (soon to be three!) young children and finding fun places to explore in their home state of Nebraska. [Adult Books]

Jerry Carbone has been a librarian since 1976 and is director of Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro, Vermont, a position he has held since 1993. He is a member of ALA, the Vermont Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee, and the New England Library Association. He also serves on the Brattleboro Literary Festival Authors' Committee. [Reference]

In addition to being a columnist (“Carte Blanche”) and reviewer for Booklist, Michael Cart is the author or editor of 23 books, including his coming-of-age novel,My Father’s Scar, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and Young Adult Literature from Romance to Realism. Long active professionally, he is a past president of both YALSA and ALAN (NCTE’s Assembly on Literature for Adolescents). As YALSA President, he appointed and chaired the task force that created the Michael L. Printz award. He is the recipient of the ALAN Award, the Grolier Foundation Award, and the YALSA Distinguished Service Award. [Adult Books, Books for Youth]

After 20 years as a teen librarian at Berkeley Public Library, Debbie Carton now works in the Art & Music department, where she specializes in programming, such as theater groups, noon concerts, and quilt shows.  Her two teens at home are always eager to see review books arrive in the mail, and sometimes read them before she does. Her spare time is devoted to chamber music performance and the occasional jigsaw puzzle. [Books for Youth]

Kristi Chadwick is a consultant for the Massachusetts Library System. She has been a librarian for over fifteen years, working in public libraries and resource-sharing networks. Besides reviewing for Booklist, Kristi is the current Science Fiction & Fantasy columnist for Library Journal. She served on the 2019 Stonewall Awards Committee for Youth and Young Adults and is currently serving on the 2020 LITA Excellence in Children’s & Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Books committee. [Adult Books]

Sean Pierre Chambers, MFA, teaches American literature, creative writing, and rhetoric &composition at Valley Forge Military College (near Philadelphia, PA). He is Assistant Professor of English and founder of the college drama club for cadets called Soldiers Theatre. Chambers directs the oral history and documentary project about his parents' all-black high school titled East End Pride: The Legacy of Huntington HS, 1921-1971 (Newport News, VA). He writes pedagogy, poetry, plays, and essays with voices and concerns of black dads at the center. A Barrymore Nominator, Chambers also often reviews plays when he is not taking acting and improv classes. [Adult Books]

Laura Chanoux studied history at the University of Michigan and Business at Boston University. Her writing has appeared in The Belladonna Comedy, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Billfold, Points In Case, Chicago Literati, and other publications. She has lived in Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Boston, and feels at home once she has found her way to her local library’s mystery and cookbook sections. [Adult Books]

John Charles, a two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America’s Veritas Award and their 2002 Librarian of the Year, began reviewing romances for Booklist in 1999. Charles is the co-author of several nonfiction works including The Mystery Readers’ Advisory: The Librarian’s Clues to Murder and Mayhem (2012) and Romance Today: An A to Z Guide to Contemporary American Romance Writers (2007). After working in public libraries for 30 years, Charles retired and now works for the Poisoned Pen Bookstore, where he is delighted to encounter far more book queries and far fewer computer questions than in his previous career. [Adult Books]

Amina Chaudhri is an Associate Professor in the Teacher Education Department at Northeastern Illinois University where she teaches courses in Literacy, Social Studies, and Children’s and YA Literature. She is a long-time reviewer and contributor to Booklist and has served on children’s book award committees. She is the author of the book, Multiracial Identity in Children’s Literature. [Books for Youth]

Donna Chavez, a member of the National Book Critics Circle, also reviews books for Publishers Weekly and BookBrowse.com. A Chandler, AZ-based freelance writer with numerous publishing credits, including the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, she is also a writing coach. Visit her website at thewritecoach.com. [Adult Books]

Mary K. Chelton is a retired Professor Emeritus from Queens College (CUNY) Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, where she taught adult readers’ advising for 20 years. She loves genre fiction, particularly military romance and thrillers, political nonfiction, and anything about dogs. She was the first Librarian of the Year for the Romance Writers of America and the winner of ALA’s Margaret Monroe Award, and has written widely in library literature. She lives on Long Island with three Vizslas. [Adult Books]

Edith Ching is an instructor in the College of Information Science at the University of Maryland, where she teaches a children's literature survey course to aspiring librarians and teachers and also a course on Universal Usability, making libraries more accessible and friendly to those with special needs (isn't that all of us?). She is also an author escort and has enjoyed the company of lots of adult authors as well as children's authors and illustrators and once even escorted a dog (with his owner, of course). She has been on ALA's Newbery Committee, the Notable's Children's Video Committee, and is now serving on the Notable Children's Literature Committee. [Media]

Bryce Christensen, professor of English at Southern Utah University (SUU), received his Ph. D. in English literature from Marquette University. He teaches literature, including non-Western literature in translation.  He will be teaching American literature at National Taiwan University in Taipei as a Fulbright Scholar for the 2019-2020 year.   He has published articles in various scholarly journals and is the author of the novel Winning (Whiskey Creek Press) and The Portals of Sheol and Other Poems (White Violet Press). [Adult Books]

Allison Cho is a journalist and editor from Chicago. She started a book blog as a teenager that she still maintains to gush about her latest reads. Currently, she enjoys 19th century Russian literature and contemporary fiction, with a fondness for anything by Celeste Ng. When she's not reading, she's getting lost in bookstores, writing, and enjoying time away from her phone. [Adult Books]

Carolyn Ciesla is the Dean of Learning Resources and Assessment at a community college in the Chicago suburbs. She has worked as a reference, instruction, and teen services librarian during her career, and has been reviewing horror and sci-fi/fantasy for Booklist since 2016. Born and raised in the desert Southwest, she now finds herself slowly acclimating to the winter climes of the Midwest, where she lives with her husband and daughter.  You can typically find her in front of a horror movie or British mystery show, crocheting and quilting. [Adult Books]

Carmen Clark currently serves as a Reference Librarian for the downtown branch of the Elkhart, Indiana, Public Library, focusing on adult programming and periodical subscriptions. She has a Masters in Library and Information Science from Indiana University--Purdue University in Indianapolis, as well as a Masters in Music from Western Michigan University. Outside of work, Carmen spends her free time with her husband, infant son, and their two, very fluffy golden retrievers. [Adult Books]

Craig A. Clark, MLS, Kent State University, has worked as a branch manager, circulation manager, and branch librarian for several Ohio public libraries. He has spent the last several years focusing on readers’ advisory in a freelance capacity, and has co-authored Read On…Sports: Reading Lists for Every Tasteandpenned articles for Novelist. Clark participates in the occasional book panel at ALA and served as chair for the American Library Association’s Notable Books Council in 2018 and on the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction in 2019. Currently he is reading for ALA’s Reading List Council. He lives in Columbus, Ohio. [Adult Books]

Kevin Clouther is a lecturer in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at the State University of New York (Stony Brook). He holds degrees from the University of Virginia and Iowa Writers' Workshop, and his stories have appeared in The Baltimore Review, The Gettysburg Review, Gulf Coast, Hayden's Ferry Review, The Madison Review, and Puerto Del Sol. [Adult Books]

Retired from 40 years as an educator of elementary students and a librarian at school and public libraries, Sharon E. Cohen continues to enjoy Booklist reviewing, reading, and writing. Her goal for this year is to work with a literacy program and write a children's book which was started as part of a EdD program at Teacher's College, Columbia University (NY). [Reference]

Stephanie Cohen-Perez is a Boston-based editor, writer, and illustrator, as well as a Florida native who loves connecting to people around her through literature and art. She works in acquisitions at the MIT Press, is a long-term reader and contest judge for Ploughshares, and her reviews are published on Publishers Weekly, Booklist and BookPage. She can be found exploring bookstores, museums, and restaurants across the world with her canine companion, Ted. [Books for Youth]

Tina Coleman loves music, reviews graphic novels, writes books about crafting and stories about aliens and ace detectives, makes art when she can, and has been known to write poetry. [Adult Books, Graphic Novels]

Chad Comello is a librarian at Morton Grove Public Library. He writes about libraries, typewriters, pop culture, and more at ChadComello.com. He lives in the Chicago area. [Adult Books]

Stacey Comfort is a teen librarian at the Chelsea District Library.  A Detroit transplant to Ann Arbor, she attends Art Fair every year, and loves modern urban fantasy like the Dresden Files and the Toby Daye books. Stacey is a proud and incurable geek; in her spare time, she plays Borderlands with her husband, and goes to as many Frank Turner concerts as possible. She's on a mission to collect books and tattoos; she has hundreds of one, and six of the other. [Books for Youth]

Emily Compton-Dzak is the Head of Adult Services at the Deerfield Public Library in Illinois. When she's not managing all things reference, readers' advisory, and multimedia she's usually goofing around with her family, cooking, reading, or driving. [Reference]

Jeff Connelly is a Collection Librarian at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh where he focuses on adult nonfiction and music CD collections. His reading interests range from sports histories to celebrity memoirs to character-driven fiction. Outside of books, he enjoys running, traveling to mid-size cities, and watching reality television. [Adult Books]

Kaitlin Conner is a Readers’ Advisory Librarian at NoveList, where she selects and annotates titles for NextReads newsletters and creates recommendations content. When she’s not busy reading horror, romance, or fantasy novels, she can be found obsessing over BTS. [Media]

Harold V. Cordry is a writer and researcher who lives in Tecumseh, KS. [Reference]

Holley Cornetto is an academic librarian located in northern New Jersey. In addition to her MLIS, she holds an MFA in fiction writing from Lindenwood University. Holley primarily writes speculative fiction, and is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association. When she isn't in the library, she teaches creative writing and English composition courses. [Adult Books]

Don Crinklaw is a former university teacher currently working as a reporter for the Tribune Company in Fort Lauderdale. He's written reviews for Commonweal, National Review, South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. [Adult Books]

Andrienne Cruz has been a public librarian at Azusa City Library since 2006. Literary fiction and thrillers are her favorite genres. She particularly likes the time-travel and the love/hate relationship tropes. Her other passions include learning foreign languages, cooking, playing the cello, paper-crafting, and fitness. [Adult Books]

Karen Cruze just recently began reviewing audiobooks for Booklist. Before her metamorphosis into a young adult librarian at Northbrook (IL) Public Library, she was a journalist. She's married to (hold your gasps), Tom Cruze, a photographer not an actor, and is still mad she can't have him paged at airports (which she tried to do, but was told she couldn't, 17 years ago when their daughter Anna was about to be born). [Books for Youth, Media]

Formerly Coordinator of Children's Services at the New York Public Library, Julie Cummins has chaired the Newbery, Caldecott, Notable Children's Books, and Schneider Family Book Award committees. She has been on two African safaris (and close enough to touch a cheetah), lives in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, enjoys gourmet cooking, is an expert on hoop snakes, and has written five children's books with numbers six and seven in the works. [Books for Youth]

Joan Curbow is a reference librarian and archivist at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. She has been a reviewer since 2017. [Adult Books]

Parker E. Daniel is a youth services library assistant at Wichita Public Library. He holds a BA in English from Wichita State University and a Master of Library Science from Emporia State University. He reviews books by Africans, African Americans, and members of other communities in the African Disapora. [Adult Books]

Danica Davidson is a professional writer who is currently seeking to publish a YA novel. As a freelancer, she's written a few hundred articles for more than 30 magazines, newspapers, and websites. You can find her website at danicadavidson.com. [Graphic Novels]

Nina C. Davis, the adult services librarian for Smith Public Library in Wylie, TX, has been reviewing romance and fiction for Booklist since 2000 and contributing features since 1998. A self-professed history geek and Anglophile, she once flew all the way to New York City to watch Alan Rickman in his Broadway performance of Private Lives. In her spare time, she's a fanfic author, aspiring romance novelist, and football and anime junkie. [Adult Books]

Gary L. Day has a somewhat colorful, idiosyncratic background, which includes newspaper editor, theatrical director, lighting designer, porn illustrator, produced playwright, bar manager, sex show emcee, and prosaic office manager. He was raised on a farm in Texas but now makes his home in Philadelphia. He currently works as a freelance journalist; in addition to reviewing for Booklist, he currently writes on a myriad of subjects for Broad Street Review, Philadelphia Gay News, Chicago’s Windy City Media, and a number of other publications nationwide. He’s a big fan of superheroes, classic science fiction, history, science, and gay culture. [Adult Books]

Kara Dean is the youth services librarian at the Walpole Public Library. She tries to stay on top of the world of childrens literature by reading absolutely everything and then writing about it at her blog notjustforkids.blogspot.com. Look for her on Twitter as tardisgrl. [Books for Youth]

GraceAnne A. DeCandido was a librarian, then an editor, the last of the late, lamented Wilson Library Bulletin. She now reads, writes, and edits, and she teaches children's and YA literature for RutgersOnline out of her NYC home-office aerie. In odd moments she makes tea; watches the Yankees; puts early music, singer/songwriters, and rock and roll on her iPod; and sends too much e-mail. [Adult Books]

Susan DeGrane is a freelance writer, a volunteer for Green Sanctuary Group of Beverly Unitarian Church, and a former editor of Loyola University's alumni magazine. [Adult Books]

Debbie De Louise is a reference librarian at the Hicksville Public Library on Long Island and the award-winning author of a cozy mystery series and three standalone mysteries. [Adult Books]

Shelley Diaz is part of the Youth Selection team at BookOps, the technical services collaboration between New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library. She previously worked at School Library Journal as the reviews manager and YA editor. Shelley is a member of ALSC, YALSA, and REFORMA. She has served on YALSA's Best Fiction for Young Adults, Excellence in Nonfiction, and Collection Development Grant Committees. She's currently serving on ALSC's Distinguished Service Award committee. You can find her on Twitter where she shares photos of her darling daughter, bookish tweets about diverse kid lit, and her love for Jane Austen. [Books for Youth]

Betty Dickie has a BA and MA in English and has written advertising and public relations copy, and edited newsletters and magazines. A brief stint of teaching brought her to library work and the serials department of Boatwright Library at the University of Richmond (VA). She likes reading just about anything, but especially likes books that make her think and take her places she's never been with good strong characters to guide the way. [Adult Books]

Cynthia Dieden is a long-time librarian and current library manager in the suburbs of Chicago. With a degree in Sociology, her very first selection area as a cub librarian was 300s and now reviews books about sociology and social problems. She enjoys long walks with podcasts and finds archery meditative. [Adult Books]

Amy Dittmeier is a public librarian in the Chicagoland area who devours books. Back in her “music days,” she wrote about the local music scene for many outlets in Chicago as well as ran her own website. She did a career switch in 2016 and magically transformed into a librarian. When she’s not at work or snuggled up with a romance book, she enjoys reading comic books, trying new beers, working on cosplay, and binge-playing video games. [Adult Books]

Cindy Dobrez is a middle school librarian for West Ottawa Public Schools in Holland, MI. She prefers to read her review books while bobbing on her boat in Lake Michigan or sitting at her backyard tiki bar. In the winter months, she moves inside by a fire. [Books for Youth]

Nanette Donohue is the Technical Services Manager at the Champaign Public Library, a role that encompasses everything from cataloging to statistics to weeding to readers’ advisory. She never leaves home without at least one book, and she’s thrilled that both of her daughters have picked up this habit. Nanette is a meticulous tracker of her personal reading statistics, and can tell you how many books she’s read in a given calendar year and where she was while she was reading her favorites. (The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai? On an uncomfortable couch in an Airbnb in Bloomington, Indiana!) [Adult Books]

Deborah Donovan has been reviewing for Booklist since 2000, when she retired from the fiction department at the Cincinnati Public Library and moved to a small town in Colorado. She enjoys reviewing ethnic and Native American fiction and nonfiction, regional fiction, and debut novels for Booklist, is a part-time librarian at the La Veta (CO) Public Library, and also reviews fiction for Bookpage. [Adult Books]

Melanie Dragger is a professional writer, editor, and book critic based in Austin, Texas. In addition to being a reviewer for Booklist, she is a book critic for Kirkus Reviews, founding editor of Literary West Review, and a member of the National Book Critics Circle. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and journalism from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Arts in communication with a concentration in public relations and marketing from the University of Denver. [Adult Books]

Brendan Driscoll is a writer and attorney based in New York City. He studied philosophy, rhetoric, social science, and law and worked for a time in the acquisitions department of the Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago. In his spare time, he enjoys a good road trip. [Adult Books]

Cari Dubiel is the Adult Learning and Information Services Manager for the Twinsburg Public Library in Twinsburg, Ohio. She is an active reviewer on Goodreads, Twitter, and her podcast, the ABC Book Reviews. Her novel, How to Remember, is in production with Inkshares. She is a past Library Liaison to Sisters in Crime and the Head of Editing for Writing Bloc, an indie publishing collective. [Adult Books]

Emily Dziuban holds an M.A. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, an M.F.A from the University of New Orleans, and a key to the City of Isle of Palms. She has reviewed for Booklist since 2016. While she gravitates toward literary fiction, queer fiction, and books from or about the margins, her reading practice is promiscuous. She’s photographed the big five over two African safaris; she’s crossed one marathon finish line, and she attempts to needlepoint as well as her mother. She values authenticity, crying, turtles, and talking about King’s The Stand with her father. [Adult Books]

Courtney Eathorne is a Chicago-based playwright and script consultant. She began her work with Booklist as an intern in 2016. When she's not reading or writing, she can be found sailing the Chicago River as an architecture boat tour guide, critically analyzing vapid television, or traveling far and wide with her inimitable family and friends. [Adult Books]

Val Edwards, MLIS, NBCT, is the owner & managing consultant of P2G Consulting LLC, Oxford, WI. Val is an ALA:AASL/Core member. Over the course of her career, Val has developed an award-winning HS Library program, led mentoring initiatives; now she writes and consults on strategies for implementing The Conflict Advantage. Building trust and strengthening collaborative relationships is the focus of much of her work. Reviewing business titles for Booklist provides a lovely balance of work and pleasure. [Adult Books]

Barbara Egel is a writer, editor, reviewer, and Adjunct Professor of English at Harold Washington College in Chicago, with a particular passion for poetry, but expertise and interest in all aspects of literature. [Adult Books]

Mark Eleveld has been reviewing for Booklist since 2004. He is the editor of The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip-Hop, and the Poetry of a New Generation and teaches at Lewis University. [Adult Books]

Julie Elliott is an Associate Reference Librarian and Coordinator of Public Relations and Outreach at Indiana University South Bend. Now that she has finished a 4 year stint on ALA’s Notable Books Council, she is enjoying spending a little time reading mysteries again, but with a 6 month-old son, she is also becoming very acquainted with board books and looks forward to learning a lot about children’s literature in the future. [Reference]

Rachel Elrod is the Head of the Education Library at the University of Florida. She holds a BS in Psychology and Sociology from Campbellsville University, a MEd in Counseling Psychology from the University of Louisville, and an MLS from the University of Kentucky. Rachael will begin work on an EdD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Florida in 2016. [Reference]

Patty Engelmann has always been drawn to the place of true inspiration, the library. She has worked in libraries since college and now works in an Illinois high-school library helping teenagers safely trek the vast Internet. Booklist allows Engelmann to indulge her passion for reading, especially romances, and she is happy to help educate the world about this often maligned genre. [Adult Books]

Randall Enos has been youth services consultant at the Ramapo Catskill Library System (NY) since 1982. He has served on the Newbery, Caldecott, Notable Children's Book, and many other ALSC and ALA committees. The guilty pleasures to which he admits are date and almond rolls and M&M's—not necessarily in that order. He is totally devoted to his two dogs, Liberty and Mason. [Books for Youth]

Dr. Lesley Farmer, Professor at California State University (CSU) Long Beach, coordinates the Librarianship program, and was named as the university’s Outstanding Professor. She also manages the CSU ICT Literacy Project. She earned her M.S. in Library Science at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and received her doctorate in Adult Education from Temple University. Dr. Farmer chaired the IFLA’s School Libraries Section and is a Fulbright scholar. A frequent presenter and writer for the profession, she won several honors, including the American Library Association’s Phi Beta Mu Award for library education, the International Association of School Librarianship Commendation Award, and the SLA Education Division Anne Gellar Award. Dr. Farmer’s research interests include digital citizenship, information literacy, and data analytics. Her most recent books are Library Improvement through Data Analytics (ALA, 2016) and Managing the Successful School Library (ALA, 2017). [Adult Books, Reference]

Maribeth Fisher is an Adult Services Librarian at the Scotch Plains (NJ) Public Library. She has an English degree from St. Bonaventure University and an MLIS from Rutgers University. When she’s not reading, she likes to cross-stitch and attempt other crafts. According to her mother, her first sentence was “I got a book.” [Adult Books]

Gordon Flagg reviews graphic novels, books on film and other aspects of popular culture, and the occasional novel. [Adult Books, Graphic Novels]

Margaret Flanagan is currently a reference and readers' advisory librarian at the Melrose Park Public Library. She began her career as an editorial assistant for Booklist and has been a freelance reviewer for over 25 years—though it kills her to admit it has been that long. [Adult Books]

Connie Fletcher reviews mysteries and children’s books for Booklist. Her favorite mystery writers tend to be British (Simon Brett’s Charles Paris series is her all-time favorite) or crafters of very intelligent thrillers (this includes every Joseph Finder novel). When Fletcher was a child, her father worked for Dell Comics, which may be behind her love of the artwork in children’s pre-school to grade 2 books and graphic novels. Fletcher is an associate professor of journalism at Loyola University Chicago. She’s written five nonfiction books consisting of interviews with experts, including What Cops Know and Crime Scene. Fletcher’s favorite author? Dickens. [Adult Books, Books for Youth]

Tiffany A. Flowers is an author, professor, and literacy advocate. Currently, she is an assistant professor of education at Georgia State University. Her interest in books include works by diverse authors.  [Books for Youth]

Diane Foote is a parent, a former associate editor of Book Links magazine, and a former executive director of the Association for Library Service to Children. She served on the 2010 John Newbery Award Selection Committee and is currently a member of the 2011–12 Coretta Scott King Book Award Jury; both given by ALA. She has so many books that neighborhood children have been known to come to her house to borrow them. [Books for Youth]

Shoshana Frank is a Librarian and the Assistant Director of Administration & Events at a community center. When she is not reviewing for Booklist, Shoshana is busy creating a wide array of engaging programs. A huge audiophile, Shoshana loves bringing new listeners into the fold and discussing all things books! She has a B.S. in Air Traffic Management, a M.A. in International Public Policy & Conflict Resolution, and an MLIS. Outside of work, Shoshana is an avid community volunteer and organizational leader. Shoshana enjoys going on adventures around the world and one day hopes to visit all seven continents. [Media]

Jeanne E. Fredriksen is a Chicago native and has been a teacher, proofreader, advertising copywriter, media planner/buyer, PR writer, reporter, and editor. She freelances as a writer/editor/designer and now splits her reading and writing time between Raleigh, NC, and Myrtle Beach, SC. Her book reviews reside at www.WhenLooseEndsMeet. [Books for Youth]

Jay Freeman has a master of arts in both classical history and U.S. history and is a reviewer of history books. He teaches history at a public high school in Chicago. [Adult Books]

Jenna Friebel lives in Chicago and works as a Collection Management Librarian at the Oak Park Public Library. She works primarily with children’s and teen materials and has served on several book award committees including Newbery and Printz. She also voraciously reads adult fiction; romance is her happy place. Outside of her bookish life, Jenna is also a yoga instructor and foster kitten caretaker. [Adult Books]

Katharine Fronk assists ALA Graphics with developing and marketing the iconic READ posters, as well as other promotional products. In addition to reviewing poetry and memoirs for Booklist, she also contributes to Graffiti Magazine. When not writing, she enjoys music, film, and exploring Chicago. She lives with her cat Matilda. [Adult Books]

When not working on book reviews for Booklist, Jim Frutchey enjoys spending time with his family and friends.  He is also an avid follower of New England sports (thanks to a mother from Maine) and an aging Beatlemaniac (thanks to a father who bought The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl LP for his son).  Professionally, Jim is an associate professor/librarian at Marywood University.  He resides in northeastern Pennsylvania with his wife Donna and sons Ethan and Evan. [Adult Books, Refernce]

Jonathan Fullmer is a Chicago-based writer and the Lead Senior Content Producer at EY NogginLabs. Formerly, he was a bookseller in Virginia, Tennessee, and Illinois, wrote ad and marketing copy, and taught writing at several colleges in Chicago. A Booklist reviewer since 2009, he has also written for the Los Angeles Review of Books, Kirkus, Time Out, and Bookslut, among other publications. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago, where he was a Dwight Follett Fellow, and is a co-founder and former editor of Knee-Jerk magazine. [Adult Books]

«Back to Top»

Reviewers G–L

Michael B. Gannon is the associate director for administrative services at the Prince George's County Memorial Library System (Hyattsville, MD). He is the author of Blood, Bedlam, Bullets & Badguys: A Reader's Guide to Adventure/Suspense Fiction, the 2003 recipient of the Public Library Association's Allie Beth Martin Award, and a past president of the Maryland Library Association. He enjoys reviewing all types of adventure and suspense fiction—the more action the better. [Adult Books]

Thomas Gaughan is a retired academic library director and the former editor of American Libraries magazine. [Adult Books]

Eve Gaus is a program officer for continuing education with the Young Adult Library Services Association. She previously worked as a reference and instruction librarian. When not reading, she is off adventuring on her bicycle.

Lolly Gepson has been a Youth Services Librarian for 35 years. She has served on the 2015 Newbery Committee and the 2005 Caldecott Committee, and has served on the Illinois Monarch Committee and continues to serve on the Illinois Rebecca Caudill Committee. She enjoys reading, swimming, hiking, travel, cross country skiing and cooking. She tries to visit Art Museums and Public Libraries when she travels. She has read children’s books to her children and grandchildren for as long as she can remember. She has been reviewing children's audiobooks and Children's Books for Booklist for about 15 years. [Audio, Books for Youth]

Rebecca Gerber reviews science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, and the occasional craft book. A voracious reader from a young age (having read the dictionary in elementary school), she enjoys relaxing by "crawling into her books." She is the former librarian for the ALA, and now works as the Electronic Resources Analyst for a health care company. [Adult Books]

Kristina Giovanni - As the Adult Programs Coordinator at the Bloomingdale Public Library, I coordinate educational and entertaining programs for adults while also maintaining the fiction, mystery, romance, and audiobook collections. One of my favorite things about my commute to and from work is listening to audiobooks written and read by celebrities - it feels like they’re in the passenger seat! When it comes to reading books, my tastes range from nonfiction thrillers to Regency-era romances and my goal every year is to read 100 books. At home I am an avid crocheter, making scarves and blankets all year long, and mining Pinterest for new patterns and ideas. [Adult Books]

Carol Gladstein is a librarian and freelance writer living in Portland, Oregon. When she's not reading or writing she's swimming, sewing and planning her next trip to France. [Adult Books]

Steve Glassman teaches writing and literature at Embry-Riddle University (Daytona Beach, FL). He reviews crime fiction. [Adult Books]

Shelley Glantz, a retired middle-school and high-school librarian and director of school libraries, has been reviewing materials for K–12 school libraries for almost 30 years. She has been reviews editor for Library Media Connection (and other Linworth Publishing journals) for almost 18 years. [Reference]

Traci Glass is a librarian focused on information services and youth in Portland, Oregon.  Her mom gave her her first comic book, the 1988 classic Batman: A Death in the Family, and she hasn’t stopped reading comics since.  She was a 2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards judge, is the coordinator of the Oregon Young Adult Network's Graphic Rave, a yearly list of the best comics and graphic novels for teens compiled and voted on by library staff from across the state as well as a past Chair of YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens selection committee. [Books for Youth]

Francisca Goldsmith works for the California State Library's Infopeople Project, and lives in Berkeley (CA). She will read anything with font over 6 points or with accompanying illustration. She gives away galleys (post review) to children travelling alone on planes. [Graphic Novels, Books for Youth]

Susannah Goldstein is a school librarian at The Brearley School in New York City. [Books for Youth]

Retired from school libraries after 30-plus years, Phillies fan Sue Gooden is happily working part-time in the public library, where she regularly sees former high-school students with their children. She also supervises practicum students, giving her a reason to visit school libraries throughout all of Delaware. [Reference]

Terry Goosey - I am a Northeast Ohioan transplant to DFW who refuses to give up his “Yankee” ways.  Avid reader since 2nd grade, I voraciously consumed all the science-based books in my elementary school library, and by 7th grade had been guided to the adult fiction section by my father and developed my love for science fiction and fantasy.  Network engineer by trade, I am a 3D printing hobbyist, automotive enthusiast, and avid gamer, both video and tabletop. [Adult Books]

Brachah Goykadosh is a freelance writer and book critic in New York City, where she studies at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Previously, she earned her MA in English Literature from Brooklyn College. [Adult Books]

Emily Graham peaked in the fourth grade when she became the model for Felicity Merriman, the colonial American Girl. She works in the fair-trade world and loves colorful children’s book endpapers, playing her accordion badly, and amateur bird watching in Seattle. [Books for Youth]

Roland Green has been a full-time writer since 1973, and a Booklist reviewer since 1979.  He reviews science fiction, fantasy, and military and maritime history. He lives in Chicago with his wife of 35 years, Booklist reviewer Frieda Murray, and their daughter Violette. [Adult Books]

Jeanne Polston Greene holds an MA in Modern European History from U. C. Riverside and has been reviewing historical novels freelance for more than 10 years. She also writes policy manuals, employee handbooks, and in-house newsletters for non-profit organizations. In addition to a coast-to-coast family, her interests include reading British police procedurals and playing bridge. [Adult Books]

Asia Gross is the branch manager at McClay Branch, St. Charles City-County Library District (MO). [Reference]

Genevieve Grove serves as Branch Services Librarian for the Oak Park Public Library (IL), which means she gets to help every type of patron every day. Yes, it is awesome, actually. She has been voted "Most Likely to Wear Vintage Curtains as a Skirt" and is proud of it. [Reference]

Mary Ann Gwinn writes about books and authors for Booklist, the Seattle Times, Newsday and other publications. A Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, she was the book editor of the Seattle Times from 1998 to 2017. She’s on the board of the National Book Critics Circle. [Adult Books]

Joyce Hagen-McIntosh has a background in journalism and librarianship. She has a passion for the First Amendment, providing access to information, and a love for people and social justice. She has worked as a reference librarian and currently conducts trainings for library staff on intellectual freedom and consults with the Freedom to Read Foundation. Joyce lives near Chicago, IL and enjoys teaching her elementary-aged sons that everyone should have access to the materials they are interested in. She performs in and manages standup comedy shows. You can find Joyce on Twitter @jmclibrarian or @JoyceStandsUp or through her website at joycestandsup.com. [Adult Books]

Now retired from her position as a Readers Services advisor for the St. Charles (IL) Public Library, Carol Haggas maintains her business as "The Writer Lady," providing editorial, copywriting, marketing and public relations services for published and aspiring authors. Carol reviews adult fiction and nonfiction in the areas of environmental science, current affairs, politics, biography, memoir, and social sciences. She is a judge for the Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction for 2020. In addition to serving on the board of directors of the St. Charles Arts Council, Carol makes time for distance walking, biking, needlepoint and travel. [Adult Books]

Jenny Hamilton writes about books for Booklist, Strange Horizons, and Lady Business, among others. She is a blogger and podcaster at Reading the End, named after her disconcerting (but satisfying) habit of reading the end of books before she reads the middle. Her reading enthusiasms span from academic monographs to fanfiction, and everything in between. [Adult Books]

Amna Haque holds a BA in English and is currently a law student in Chicago. Introduced to Booklist magazine after completing an internship with YALSA, she gets to indulge her love for YA fiction as a reviewer. [Books for Youth]

Carol Sue Harless is a retired public school librarian and grant writer, but continues to review for RBB and for the published journal articles of the International Reading Association. An avid reader, Carol now enjoys Chinese brush painting, weight training, yoga, and volunteers at the Georgia Aquarium every week. She remains active by walking 3.5 miles every day. [Reference]

Lindsay Harmon is an Adult Services Librarian at the Naperville Public Library in Naperville, IL. She has also been an academic librarian with subject liaison ranging from business to visual arts and an editor of medical and professional books. Her undergraduate degree is in English and Journalism. She knows a little about a lot of things, which is useful for librarianship and trivia contests. She reviews fiction and art-related reference books. [Adult Books, Reference]

Suzanne Myers Harold works part-time as the Youth Services Librarian at Astoria (OR) Public Library. Her other part-time job is Outreach Coordinator for Libraries ROCC (Reading Outreach in Clatsop County), a non-profit that provides free library cards to rural youth and a coordinated countywide Summer Reading program. She lives in Astoria, Oregon, overlooking the Columbia River. [Books for Youth] 

Laurie Hartshorn retired as head of reference at Pekin Public Library after more than 30 years on staff. She has also logged time as a school librarian, college cataloger, and community college teacher. She and her husband enjoy searching for antiques, beachcombing in Florida, and visiting their daughter and son-in-law in Chicago. [Media]

Muhammed Hassanali works as an engineer during the day, developing novel products and processes.  Outside work hours, he indulges in his other interests, which include photography and an insatiable appetite for learning (and sharing knowledge).  He has led wildlife photographic expeditions, written encyclopedia articles on Muslim civilizations and cultures, and given presentations to general and specialized audiences on cultural and scientific topics.  He also teaches science, mathematics, business and economics courses part-time at the college level. [Adult Books]

Maria Hatton is the director of administration for a Chicago-based restoration company, which can be a highly stressful occupation. To relax, she reads romances, a habit that has made her an expert reviewer for Booklist, and which inspires her to write: "I am lost without a book in my hands, especially a romance novel which takes me away to another time, another place, and someone else's stress!" [Adult Books]

LaParis Hawkins is a lover of laughter and books. When the two intersect, it feels like the sun beaming on her face at the perfect 45 degree angle. She has an extensive resume, having written for both print magazines and digital media. LaParis is a freelance writer, currently living in Brooklyn, and working on her debut novel. [Adult Books]

Valerie Hawkins has worked in libraries for over 25 years, including 19 years at the library at the American Library Association headquarters. A lifelong writer, her enduring interest in pop culture, including film, TV, music, radio, comic books, and theater informs her historical take on race and politics, and led to an Interdisciplinary Studies degree. Contributing to ALA’s website, virtual world, and social media properties stemmed from a competing interest in computer technology. Hawkins is currently overseeing social media for Rebellious Magazine for Women, when not writing reviews for Booklist. [Adult Books]

Public librarian Summer Hayes has been flip-flopping between teen and adult services in the Seattle area since 2004 and has been reviewing books for nearly as long.   When she’s not buried in a stack of graphic novels, she can usually be found far from the noisy city, preferably near a mountain lake. [Books for Youth]

Having worked in three different departments at Rocky River Public Library, Stacey Hayman is now the Outreach Coordinator and is responsible for community engagement, supervising services to homebound patrons, and selecting digital materials. Being accepted as a reviewer for Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) and Library Journal, in 2006 and 2007 respectively, and Booklist in 2015, has made this avid reader quite happy. Stacey was selected as the Committee Chair for VOYA's Nonfiction Honor List in 2008 and coauthored, with Cherie Pandora, Better Serving Teens through School Library-Public Library Collaborations (2013). Stacey has served on ALA's Notable Books Council (2013-2017), Sophie Brody Medal (2019), and the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (2020). [Adult Books]

Carl Hays is a University of Illinois graduate in English and creative writing. He has been a computer technician, a technical writer, and has reviewed sf and non-fiction science books for Booklist since 1992. [Adult Books]

Anne Heidemann serves as the Tribal Librarian for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, where she is responsible for a public library, a community college library, and an elementary school library. When she's not at work she spends her time designing knitting patterns, gardening, and striving to dismantle oppressive systems. [Adult Books]

Jack Helbig is a journalist and playwright. He regularly reviews theater for the Chicago Reader and the Daily Herald. He is currently working on a new musical with Mark Hollmann based on Menander's The Grouch. He lives in Oak Park, Illinois, with his wife, Sherry, and his spunky daughter, Margaret. [Adult Books]

Dona J. Helmer, currently a librarian with the Anchorage School District in Anchorage, Alaska, is a former university librarian and professor who wanted to get back to the real world of working every day with real children and real books. She has served on the Newbery, Caldecott, and Outstanding Fiction for College Bound committees for ALA. She reads, quilts, and rarely exercises. [Reference]

Pat Henshaw is a retired Los Rios Community College librarian from Sacramento, CA. She has reviewed adult fiction for Publishers Weekly, the Houston Chronicle, and other publications. [Adult Books]

Diana Tixier Herald, a collection development librarian for Mesa County Libraries in western Colorado, has had a lifelong passion for fiction writing and editing several readers' advisory guides, including Genreflecting, Teen Genreflecting, Fluent in Fantasy, and Strictly Science Fiction. A recipient of RUSA’s Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award, she has been active in many book award committees and judging panels. Di lives on the edge of a remote canyon in a sustainable off-grid home made out of tires, cans, and bottles with her spouse of several decades. She reviews romance and occasionally other genres for Booklist. [Adult Books]

Jason Hess is a librarian and writer based in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife, the essayist Jillian Weiss. He holds an MLIS from Valdosta State University and an MFA in creative nonfiction writing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His creative and critical writing has appeared in Camas, December Magazine, Kenyon Review Online, The Los Angeles Review, OregonLive.com, and Whitefish Review. [Adult Books]

Alan Hirsch, reviewer for books in classical music, has sung in choruses since age 9, including 26 seasons in the Chicago Symphony Chorus. In his mountaintop home in Southern Colorado, he listens to opera, symphonic, chamber, solo, and choral music, and seasons those with sprinklings of folk, jazz, and popular music. [Adult Books]

Neil Hollands is an adult services librarian, specializing in readers' advisory, at Williamsburg Regional Library (VA). The author of two books—Read On . . . Fantasy Fiction and Fellowship in a Ring: A Guide for Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Groups—he has also contributed chapters on readers' advisory to the Jessica Moyer-edited Research-Based Readers' Advisory and the Diane Zabel-edited Reference Reborn: Breathing New Life into Public Services Librarianship. He serves on Booklist's Advisory Board and contributes regularly to Booklist's Book Group Buzz blog and WRL's Blogging for a Good Book. [Adult Books, Reference]

Pam Spencer Holley is the retired coordinator of libraries for Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools, a past president of the Young Adult Library Services Association and founder of the "Audiobooks, It Is" column for VOYA. She served on YALSA's Amazing Audiobooks Committee and chaired the 2009 Odyssey Award Committee, all of which has led to her inability to cook, drive, iron or walk without an audiobook playing in her ear. [Media]

Erin Holt is a Teen Librarian at the Williamson County Public Library outside of Nashville, TN. When she's not reviewing titles for Booklist (or BookPage, or Library Journal, or School Library Journal), she enjoys going to the gym, getting fitness in through HIIT and weight-training classes, being a wife to her amazing husband, and mother to her two feisty kiddos. [Adult Books]

Terry Hong created Smithsonian BookDragon, a multi-culti book blog for Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, where she was media arts consultant, then board advisor. She was the writer wrangler for the film Girl Rising, taught for Duke University’s Leadership in the Arts, and co-authored two books, Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture from Astro Boy to Zen Buddhism and What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature. She’s served on various award committees, including USBBY’s Outstanding International Books, Audies, Hans Christian Andersen Award U.S. nominations, We Need Diverse Books’ Walter Awards; she remains WNDB’s Walters co-director. [Adult Books, Audio, Books for Youth]

Carol S. Holzberg, PhD, is an educational technology specialist, computer journalist, private technology consultant, and anthropologist. She coordinates the technology program at three schools in Western Massachusetts and teaches in both the Licensure program at Hampshire Educational Collaborative (Northampton, MA) and online in the School of Education at Capella University. When she's not solving tech problems (or causing them), she goes for long country walks, reads poetry, bakes fabulous chocolate brownies (recipe available upon request), and copes stoically with the dust fluffs that have taken over her empty nest. [Media]

Brad Hooper, former Adult Books Editor, is the recipient of the 2015 Louis Shores Award and is the author of Writing Reviews for Readers' Advisory (2010), Read On . . . Historical Fiction (2005), and other books. He is Booklist's expert on history, geography, royalty, and the art of the short story. [Adult Books]

Danise Hoover recently retired from Hunter College library.  BA, University of ILL, MA, MLS, Indiana University. Reference Librarian in Public and Academic Libraries.  Member and chair of Notable Books, Sophie Brody Medal Committee, and the Listen list. Member of the first Carnegie Medal Committee. A happy freelance reviewer of trade fiction and nonfiction, and reference books since the mid 1990s. [Adult Books]

Molly Horan is an associate editor at Refinery29 and an adjunct professor at Fordham University. Her writing has been published on Buzzfeed, Flavorwire, Mashable, Hellogiggles, Femsplain and many other sites. [Books for Youth]

Erin Downey Howerton is currently the Youth Services Manager at the Wichita Public Library (KS) and a member of the Booklist advisory board. She has contributed chapters to The Readers’ Advisory Handbook, The Official YALSA Awards Guidebook, and Crossover Readers’ Advisory. In past years, she has served on the Printz Award and Edwards Award committees. Her favorite genres are science fiction, horror, and “unique” nonfiction titles. [Adult Books]

Sharon Hrycewicz is a children's librarian at the Downers Grove Public Library. She began working with children's literature when she started working in a kid's bookstore in the early 1990s, not knowing anything about the books. Someone quickly handed her a book and she's been reading it ever since. Sharon loves listening to children's books on audiobook during her 20 mile drive to work. [Audio]

Jennifer Hubert is the middle school/coordinating librarian at Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School, located in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village. She is a closet quilter obsessed with the color pink, all things Target, and reality television. [Books for Youth]

Kathleen Hughes reviews all sorts of different books for Booklist. She also is manager of publications for the Public Library Association (PLA) and editor of Public Libraries.  [Adult Books]

Kristine Huntley began her career as a publishing assistant and freelance reviewer at Booklist. She left Chicago for Los Angeles, seeking a warmer climate and employment in the entertainment industry. Kristine is now a television writer with credits on shows for ABC and Hulu, but she's still a big fan of curling up with a good book at every opportunity. [Adult Books]

Krista Hutley is the Teen and Adult Services Librarian at Wilmette (IL) Public Library. Specializing in sf, fantasy, and young adult books, she has also written reviews for the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books and Library Journal Xpress. Her hobbies are reading, watching too much TV, everything horror, all kinds of gaming, Critical Role, funny cross-stitch, and yoga. [Adult Books, Books for Youth]

Longtime middle-school teacher and occasional librarian Kathleen Isaacs has worked in schools and colleges in Baltimore, Washington, British Hong Kong, and China as well as the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. She has served on and chaired a variety of book award committees, writes reviews and articles for professional magazines, and teaches children's literature at Towson University. [Books for Youth]

Grace Jackson-Brown holds a Ph.D. in mass communication and a master’s degree in library and information management. In addition to writing reviews for Booklist she writes reviews of books for a professional journal, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator. She is an academic librarian who loves to coordinate library programs to promote literacy and diversity. She currently serves as a Research & Instruction Librarian for Missouri State University. [Adult Books]

Merle Jacob is currently retired from her job as Director of Library Collection Development for the Chicago Public Library. After retiring she was a consultant to libraries and publishers on collection development, readers’ advisory, marketing, and mysteries, and wrote mystery reviews and articles for NoveList. She is a past president of CODES section of RUSA where she established the Readers’ Advisory Committee. She was also on the executive board of the Adult Reading Round Table and has given numerous talks on collection development, weeding, Readers’ Advisory, and the mystery genre for librarians. [Adult Books, Reference]

Barbara Jacobs is Booklist’s longest-serving reviewer. She is a former librarian and a professional journalist who regularly reviews publications on home design, arts and crafts, and business. [Adult Books]

Jenna Jay is a Collection Development Librarian in South Louisiana. She reads literary fiction with quirky, unlikable characters and anything about food. She also writes for Foreword Reviews. When she's not preoccupied with all-things-books, she's playing tennis and mostly winning. [Adult Books]

Kristi Elle Jemtegaard is a youth services librarian in Arlington, VA (it's more than just a cemetery, she is quick to note) who divides her time between her laptop and her lap cats. When she's not reviewing audio materials for kids, writing articles, conducting story hours, or teaching teachers, she's out in the garden giving pep talks to her plants. [Media]

Since 2017, Jennifer Koenig Johnson has reviewed a wide variety of topics in adult nonfiction (social sciences). She holds a B.A. and M.A. (history) from the University of Arkansas and a M.L.I.S. from LSU. She is a Reference Librarian at the Springdale Public Library and is the selector for adult fiction. Jennifer leads two book clubs, one as a library program and the other as a community non-library affiliated group. She is an avid reader of suspense, ghost stories, and thrillers. Jennifer resides in Arkansas with her husband, fat orange cat, and two dachshunds. When not doing book-related activities, she enjoys running and barre. [Adult Books]

Sarah Johnson, head of collection management at Eastern Illinois University’s Booth Library, has been reviewing for Booklist since 2005. She is the author of two readers' advisory reference books, Historical Fiction: A Guide to the Genre (2005) and Historical Fiction II (2009), and is a recipient of the Louis Shores Award from ALA/RUSA. She also oversees book reviews for the Historical Novel Society and writes her own blog at Reading the Past. Originally from suburban Connecticut, she shares a house in rural Illinois with her husband, too many cats, and a large collection of books. [Adult Books]

Courtney Jones reviews multicultural youth titles, adult fiction, non-fiction and celebrity biographies. She's a former books for youth editorial assistant for Booklist, and currently serves as the Awards Coordinator for the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). [Adult, Books for Youth]

Sara Jorgensen studies archives and records.  She also holds a Ph.D. in History, focusing on connections between the United States and southern Africa during the nineteenth century, and likes to write about shady characters and sketchy behavior during this period.  Outside the world of research and records, she enjoys apartment gardening, snarky singing, museums, and anyplace with a beach. [Adult Books]

Currently Associate Director, Community engagement at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, CT, Elizabeth Joseph has served on both the Notable Books committee and the selection committee for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. Her favorite genres include immigrant diaspora fiction and creative nonfiction.  Elizabeth’s hobbies include watching foreign films, completing the NYT Crossword puzzles, and visiting museums and bookstores around the world. [Adult Books]

Alice Joyce reviews gardening books for Booklist, where her writing life took root as a garden travel author, photographer and speaker on destinations and design. A new website, Alice's Garden Travel Buzz is a resource enjoyed by garden tourists and armchair travelers, along with her award-winning regional blog, Bay Area Tendrils. [Adult Books]

Kat Kan fairly wallows in graphic novels as most of her work for Brodart and H. W. Wilson involves reading and reviewing them and selecting them for monthly lists and the Graphic Novels Core Collection. In her spare time she's a pastor's wife and works part time as a school librarian in a private preK–8th grade school. [Graphic Novels]

Jesse Karp is a librarian and teacher at LREI, a pre-K-12th grade independent school in New York City.  He is the author of the young adult novels Those That Wake and What We Become and the non-fiction Graphic Novels in Your School Library.  He has served on the Eisner and Great Graphic Novels for Teens committees and taught classes on comics to various age levels ranging through graduate school.  He's been a reviewer for Booklist since 2005. [Books for Youth]

Chris Keech is the managing editor of ALA Production Services. He has a BA in journalism from Columbia College and has been a freelance writer for 15 years, focused primarily on film, music, television, and pop culture. He reviews adult nonfiction and fiction titles for Booklist and is a huge fan of both David and Amy Sedaris. [Adult Books]

Nell Keep is currently toiling away in a call center, which, while draining, gives her plenty of time for reading and writing. In addition to her work as reviewer she reads voraciously, particularly genre fiction, “experimental” fiction, LGBTQ fiction, and poetry. Favorite authors or poets include Kathy Acker, Samuel R. Delany, Frank O’Hara, and Bernadette Mayer. Located in Pittsburgh with her partner and one very beautiful but spoiled cat, Nell hopes in the near future to either resume her pursuit of an MLIS or enter a Ph. D. program. She has also knitted several scarves of varying quality. [Adult Books]

John Keogh is a Branch Manager for the Johnson County Library system serving the Kansas-side suburbs of the KC metro area. Prior to this, he was a librarian in the Digital Branch of the Kansas City Public Library.  When he was five years old, he decided he wanted to live in a library when he grew up. Libraries are his third career, after being a professional theatrical technician and then a general office jockey. He loves dogs, interesting music, well-told stories, compelling characters, bad puns, and dad jokes. He wants to be an actor someday. [Adult Books]

Eloise L. Kinney has worked for Booklist since 1987, in Chicago and now as a freelancer—copyediting, proofreading, and writing book and media reviews. She also copyedits books for ALA Editions and other publishers, recently, happily, branching out into true crime (copyediting, that is).  [Adult Books]

Meg Kinney runs a small campus library at Indiana University, where she is a SLIS student. Previously she worked in publishing at several small indie presses. [Adult Books]

Liz Kirchhoff is an adult services librarian at the Barrington Area Library in the Chicago suburbs. She is a longtime book reviewer, and has read for the American Library Association's Notable Books Council. After her first book came out last year, Liz swore she'd never do that again (even though she probably will). Now she happily reviews books written by others. In her free time, Liz will read just about anything, although finishing is quite a different matter. [Media]

Mark Knoblauch was graduated from Valparaiso University and earned an AMLS from the University of Michigan. He started his professional career as a cataloger at the Chicago Public Library in 1970 and eventually became Coordinator of Collection Management. He also wrote regular restaurant reviews and feature articles on food and dining for the Chicago Tribune for fifteen years. He contributed articles to Library Journal, American Libraries, Editor & Publisher, and others. [Adult Books]

Carolyn Kubisz has been a librarian for 18 years, is currently a reference librarian for Takeda Pharmaceuticals and occasionally teaches in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University. She started writing reviews for Booklist back in 1999 when she was the associate director of ALA's Library and Research Center. [Adult Books]

Dawn Kuczwara is a plate spinner. She spends her time balancing her love of reading, a full-time career, cohosting a podcast, parenting, and fostering a budding desire to be a writer. She’s Chicago born, but a recent move has her learning to love Austin, Texas. She identifies deeply with the area as it strives to balance quirkiness, tradition, rustic beauty, and high-tech influences. Having graduated with a major in computer science and a minor in English lit, Dawn reminds herself daily of her favorite Morticia Addams quote: “What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly”. [Adult Books]

Abbie Landry, director of libraries at Northwestern State University Libraries, started reviewing reference books in library school and has continued ever since. She especially enjoys reviewing titles on history, sports, hobbies, and animals. [Reference]

Bethany Latham is an avid reader, as well as a professor and librarian at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. She serves as Managing Editor and a regular review for the Historical Novels Review, and as a regular contributor to EBSCO’s NoveList database. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Academic Librarianship, has published in a variety of scholarly journals, and authored three nonfiction monographs. She is currently on the selection committee of the David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction. [Adult Books]

Michele Leber - Soon after I started reviewing 45 years ago, I determined (after agonizing over my early efforts) that for me, a review is one person’s reaction to one book at one moment in time. So, I keep that in mind and try to do my best (and was LJ’s first Reviewer of the Year for fiction in 1997). Now that I’m long retired from Fairfax County Public Library, VA, reviewing is my greatest pleasure, after my husband of almost 60 years and our six grandchildren (and their  parents), and I’m fortunate to have the incomparable Bill Ott as my editor at my back. [Adult Books]

Angela Leeper, the director of the Curriculum Materials Center at the University of Richmond (VA), has a small but growing collection of ceramic libraries. When not reading to, playing with, or carpooling her active identical twin daughters, she enjoys swimming, walking, and traveling. She hopes to visit the chateaux in France's Loire Valley one day. [Books for Youth]

Ilene Lefkowitz is the Head of Adult Services at the Denville Public Library in NJ and has been reviewing romance novels for Booklist since 2014.  She is the coauthor, along with C.L. Quillen, of Read On . . . Romance: Reading Lists for Every Taste and the chapter on romancein Crossover Readers' Advisory: Maximize Your Collection to Meet Reader Satisfaction.  When she isn’t reading just about anything she can get her hands on, Ilene can be found in her tiny kitchen cooking for her friends and family who somehow always seem to be coming over for dinner. [Adult Books]

Craig Lefteroff has performed library work in Louisiana, Nebraska, Kentucky, and Indiana.  He currently serves as the Adult Services Librarian at the Parkersburg & Wood County Library in West Virginia.  When not reading, he watches old horror movies and makes sure that his cat is sufficiently entertained. [Adult Books]

Susan Dove Lempke is the Head of Youth Services and Assistant Library Director at the Niles Public Library in suburban Chicago. She began reviewing at the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, and currently also reviews for Reading Today and The Horn Book Magazine. Despite their noise and their mess, she still finds working with children far preferable to working with the grownups. [Books for Youth]

Mark Levine is a former publishing (sales) executive and New York City double-decker bus tour guide, a job for which he was better suited. He alludes to books that no one remembers because of his tastes and age. He is a graduate of the State University of NY, with an MA in History from the University of Missouri.Although I'm sure he has been quoted because of confusion, he is not the commentator Mark Levin, the jazz pianist Mark Levine, or anybody else by that name. [Adult Books]

Janice S. Lewis is the associate director at East Carolina University's Joyner Library. She has been an RBB reviewer for nearly 20 years. As a former attorney, she enjoys reviewing legal and criminal justice titles. In her spare time, she bicycles and helps run her local public library's used book sale. Favorite fiction authors include John Sandford and James Lee Burke. [Reference]

Amy Lewontin has worked in many types of libraries over forty years, starting at a museum with the National Park Service and including a school library in New Hampshire, and public libraries near Boston, then at Bentley University in Waltham.   She has also worked as a library consultant for the State of Massachusetts as well as a librarian for Metlife.  Currently, Amy is the Collection Development Librarian at Northeastern University in Boston.  Reading and talking about books is her passion. Amy received her BA in History from Boston University, her MLS from Simmons University and studied the history of Roman slavery at UMass Boston. [Adult Books]

Art A. Lichtenstein is a reluctantly retired academic librarian living in the frozen wastes of Western Maine along with the bears, turkeys, coyotes, and lord knows whatever else may be out there.  He has been happily reviewing for Booklist since 1988 and plans to continue doing so until the editors make him stop. [Adult Books, Reference]

Donald Liebenson reviews DVDs for Booklist. He has written about the home video industry since the days of VHS. He has been published in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, and Huffington Post. Before he becomes an empty-nester, he is desperately racing against time to share all of his favorite old movies with his son. [Media]

Elaine Lindstrom has been a suburban branch manager for much longer than she was a reference librarian at the Dayton, Ohio main library—but doing reference is still the main reason she enjoys being a librarian. Another is leading a monthly mystery book discussion group at the branch since 2000. She has a part-time job as a minister's wife. [Reference]

Erin Linsenmeyer is a youth services assistant at West Chicago Public Library District. When she isn't busy telling people that no, we are not located in the city of Chicago, or entertaining toddlers with countless voices, she is working on her MLIS at Dominican University (IL). [Reference]

Lucy M. Lockley is Lead Collection Development Librarian for St. Charles City–County Library (MO) and co-teaches an introduction to readers’ advisory class. She is a member of the Panorama Project Readers’ Advisory Impact Committee, has served on various ALA-RUSA award committees and has presented at state and national conferences. She authored chapters for The Readers’ Advisory Handbook (2010) and Crossover Readers’ Advisory: Maximize Your Collection to Meet Readers Satisfaction (2017) and has acted as an APA Audie Awards judge. Lucy and her family are HUGE fans of trivia, animation, special effects, action-adventure films, and all forms of reading. [Adult Books]

Ellen Loughran works as a part-time reference librarian at N.Y. CityTech and Hunter College of the City University of New York, as well as being a visiting professor in the Pratt School of Library and Information Science. She reviews with great interest and pleasure: literary fiction, bildungsroman, and historical fiction—the weirder the book, the greater the pleasure. [Adult Books]

Wes Lukowsky - I began reviewing for Booklist in the summer of 1978. A Booklist associate who lived out in Geneva saw my work in the local paper covering sports and contacted me. Alan Moores had me “audition” by reviewing an as-told-to autobiography of baseball star Rod Carew. In those long-go days I would type reviews and bring them down to ALA on Huron Street along with the galleys. I’d pick up new galleys and some finished copies. Martin Brady was my contact for a while, and he’d forget I was coming so I’d toss pebbles off his third-floor window to get his attention. The electronic age is much less challenging, especially since Booklist discovered the USPS. In real life I’ve been with VWR Scientific since 1982, including 25+ as purchasing manager. [Adult Books]

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Reviewers M–S

A second-generation Booklist freelancer, Elliot Mandel reviews adult nonfiction and documentary films on music, history, and New Orleans. Additionally, he reviews classical music in Chicago, plays the cello, takes pictures, and badmouths the Cubs with Media Editor Sue-Ellen Beauregard. [Adult Books, Media]

Sara Rofofsky Marcus is the electronic resource/web librarian at the Kurt R. Schmeller Library of Queensborough Community College in Bayside (NY). When not working as a librarian or reviewing books, she is busy teaching information literacy courses and reading with her children. [Reference]

Sara Martínez was the founding coordinator for the Tulsa City-County Library's Hispanic Resource Center where she hosted a myriad of Latinx writers from Gustavo Arellano to Rubén Navarrette to Matt de la Peña.  She currently manages the Nathan Hale branch, the smallest but one of the busiest branches in Tulsa. Sara chairs the Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic Affairs Commission for Tulsa City and County, and her recent projects include a Know Your Rights Forum for immigrants in Spanish and English as well as the annual Tomás Rivera Recognition Ceremony for Latinx Excellence in Education.  Sara edited ABC-CLIO’s genre guide, Latino Literature: A Guide to Reading Interests and wrote The Chicano Movement: Historical Explorations of Literature.  After receiving her BA in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Berkeley, Sara moved to Mexico City to do graduate work in Latin American Studies and Literature at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.  She received her MLIS from the University of Oklahoma. [Adult Books]

Ivy Mason is an aspiring young adult librarian, currently working in higher education. An avid book reader (and listener)—from graphic novels, to fiction, to biographies and memoirs, she'll tackle any book that comes her way. When not reading she spends her spare hours cooking, gardening, and hiking in the vast forests of the Pacific Northwest—and building more bookshelves. [Media]