Welcome to Literarily Reviewed!

This is only a welcome post. You can read it or not. There is a lot more to come, however, so make sure that you stick around!

Before I get into the whole review and interview and news stuff, let me introduce myself. My name is Brandy Winn. I have an Associate of Science degree in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor of Science degree in History with a minor in Anthropology, a Master of Arts degree in History, a Master of Arts degree in Museum Studies, and a Master of Public Administration degree. Obviously, I love school and am a lifetime learner.

Currently, I am the director at a small public library in rural Texas. I love my job, and as you may or may not know, there are many things that a public library does for the community in which they are located that are not traditionally what you think of when you think of libraries. For example, the staff often volunteer for other city- or county-wide activities, we hold events that have nothing to do with books, and we have a seed library and community vegetable garden. It is my belief that a library also must be a community center--a safe space for all that helps others, no matter the need.

I am often unable to read as much as I like (because contrary to what people think, a library director has quite a bit of administrative work to do). When I am able to read, I tend to gravitate toward historical nonfiction, fantasy, science fiction, and horror. That does not mean that I do not read other genres, however. I have instituted a small book club at the library, which usually has anywhere from five to fifteen participants each month. We read a little of everything, from classics to juvenile fiction to biographies and everything in between. This month we are reading James by Percival Everett. Next month will be The People of the Abyss by Jack London (it's an incredibly interesting story and you can get the pdf version of it on The Project Gutenberg site here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1688/1688-h/1688-h.htm).

I am often long-winded, so there may be quite a bit of content to get through in the coming posts. I want to eventually grow this site to become more than a blog. It is my hope that we all come together and exchange ideas, recommendations, and with a fervent need to express whatever is on our minds in safety and freedom of expression. Our discourse will need to remain respectful and courteous, but censorship will have no place here. I will moderate replies and discussion, and may ask that a response be reworded for courtesy, but your thoughts are welcome. Always.