I am still fairly new to blogging about my life as a writer, so please be patient as I make changes in my blog page as I learn new things. I’ve added a couple of new items this evening and will be working out the bugs in the coming days.

My first blog post each month will be about the books I read in the previous month.

Author Lee Smith’s latest book, Dimestore: A Writer’s Life, is an enjoyable book. It’s a memoir told through stories. Ms. Smith was born in the mountains of Virginia, and she has a lovely accent. As I read Dimestore, I could hear her saying the words.

In my “Some books I read in February” blog post, I reported finally starting to read Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series of novels. I plan to read them in order, so I read B is for Burglar in April. I’m on the wait list for C is for Corpse at the public library. Apparently, I’m not the only person who is 20 years late reading her series.

Raising Ryland: Our Story of Parenting a Transgender Child with No Strings Attached, by Hillary Whittington made a lasting impression on me. It is written by the mother of a young transgender child. Labeled a girl at birth, as a toddler Ryland started letting his parents know that he really was a boy — not a tomboy, but a boy. This is a wonderful book that taught me a lot about this topic which has been making global headlines lately due to the passage of House Bill 2 (HB2) by the North Carolina state legislature. Raising Ryland should be required reading for the North Carolina governor and state legislators. It helped me have a better understanding of transgender people, and I highly recommend it. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this book.

I ended the month by reading Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante, by Susan Elia MacNeal. A historical novel set in Washington, DC during World War II, the book introduced me to a new historical fiction author. You can be sure I’ll read all of Susan Elia MacNeal’s books. This is Ms. MacNeal’s fifth book of fiction. She has another one scheduled for release in October 2016 titled The Queen’s Accomplice. If you like historical fiction set in the World War II era, I suggest you give Ms. MacNeal’s books a try. If you’re like me, you’ll learn some history while enjoying a suspenseful story.

To be a good writer, it is said one must be a reader. I’m not a fast reader, but I try to read a variety of genres and learn what good fiction is.

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Janet