FCLS Monthly Book Reviews

I've been the Digital Services Librarian at Florence for over fifteen years now. If you can get to it through the library using your phone, tablet, or computer, I’m the one keeping it running. I’ve had a love of reading and books since I was a child, mainly through my father’s personal collection of comics and books, where I discovered my love of Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.P. Lovecraft, and Robert E. Howard, and my mom’s willingness to take me to the library whenever I wanted… and, boy, did she make a LOT of trips. My taste in books is all over the place, but I tend to gravitate toward comics, pulp fiction, cozy mysteries, westerns, and, lately, cozy fantasy and LitRPG. A perfect book for me is one that really sucks me in and you completely lose track of time, requiring copious amounts of caffeine to keep you going the following day!

I’m the marketing librarian for FCLS and I also work in reference. My role in Staff Writers is mostly behind the scenes, editing and publishing, but you may see my staff picks from time to time. I was born overseas and grew up on various military bases, moving every couple of years, but wherever we were, my father always took me along with him to the library and I’ve had a love of reading ever since. My seven year old self loved Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, and it’s probably why I still love to read detective novels, thrillers, and true crime. I also read a lot of fluffy romance, women’s lit, and some contemporary realism. Call me emotional, if a book makes me cry, it’s an automatic 5 stars!

Hi, my name is Leah, and I am the Law Library Assistant at the Florence Library. I have only been working at the library for 2 months now, but before that I interned in our SC Room for a semester while I attended FMU. I have always loved reading and remember my parents bringing me to the library all the time as a kid and reading a crazy amount of books to compete for A.R. points in elementary school. The books I read vary but some typical genres I lean towards are adult contemporary fiction, fantasy, dark academia, and I also love a good classic! You’ll also typically find me reading multiple books at the same time because I am such a mood reader and will swap them out depending on the day. Any book that I can’t put down or that I keep thinking about once I’ve finished it is a 5 star read for me.

I’m a Library Assistant in Circulation, and I’ve been here since May 2021. My older brother taught me to read back when I was three, and I haven’t stopped since! My favorite job was writing practice questions for Battle of the Books for my old elementary school- middle grades novels are my favorite, so getting paid to read them? Score! I read a little bit of almost everything, but I really love high fantasy. Reading is my favorite hobby and book recommendations are my favorite part of my job, so getting to combine them is going to be a treat!

Hi, my name is Julie, and I am the Teen Librarian.  I have worked at the library for over 20 years.  I was almost literally born in a library, as my mother was a Reference Librarian and went into labor one night after a full work day; so I guess I was always meant to be a librarian. I read mostly teen fiction, both for fun and also to help make recommendations to patrons.  I also love to read historical romances and contemporary adult fiction.  The best books are those that make me feel something, whether happy or sad, as I read them, and I have to take a minute to recharge once I finish them.

Hello! My name is Johnny, and I am a children’s library associate. This is my first year working at the Florence County Library System. I have loved reading since I was a small child. My parents often took me to the Chesterfield County Library after school, where I would read books about magic and mythical creatures. I still love reading fantasy books, but I also read horror, history, spicy, and picture books. A perfect book for me catches my attention in the first couple of chapters and has a whole world I could get lost in.