The Bitches
Why we think we're qualified to be the authority on our selection of books,
what to expect from us: tone, content, genres, review systems and all that jazz,
the birth of The Book Bitches, and all about Barb + Julie.
I didn’t learn to read until I was in first grade--I finally got a good teacher (and the fact that I needed glasses!) I still hated it throughout high school and getting my teaching degree though!
In the early 70s, I was a young mom, just married, and unemployed--so I got hooked on trashy novels. After a lot of Danielle Steele and Maeve Binchy, I discovered real books and have never looked back.
I taught elementary school for about twenty years before I got my my master's in literacy. Then I was a reading teacher before retiring in 2016. I loved seeing "the light go on" in the little ones.
After living in Chicagoland forever, I now live in sunny Greensboro, GA with my husband/Julie's dad, Chuck, where I'm either reading, golfing, or having a glass of wine.
I've been reading as long as I can remember; if the pictures above are any indication, I didn't have toys--only books and that was fine by me!
I received my bachelor's in journalism from The University of Georgia and master's in journalism from Georgetown University.
After working in communications for the government for a few years, I'm now putting all of my student loans and degrees to good use by being woefully unemployed (thanks, COVID) and using my time to write the next great American novel.
I tell people who aren't from Illinois that I'm from Chicago, but if you are, then hey! I'm from Libertyville.
I now live in Napa Valley with my awesome boyfriend, Declan, and faithful dog, Boone, who has been known
to eat books that I love most.
Meet the Your New Favorite Mom + Daughter
If you don't already know us, you might be wondering what gives us the right to proclaim ourselves Book Bitches in the first place. If you do know us, you're probably sick of hearing us say, "I just read this book..." and
"Ooh! You should read that!" But you also know you can rely on us for a solid recommendation.
We read nearly every day of the year, are not afraid to voice our opinions, and most importantly, love to share books and reading with others. We may be mother-daughter and best friends, but our voices vary, our opinions differ, and our preferences are wide-ranging, so you'll have lots from which to choose.
Barb loves her spy and cheap thrillers, and she's a sucker for Alice Hoffman and Anne Tyler. Julie likes all things narrative nonfiction, but one of her all-time favorites is an "underrated" Nicholas Sparks romance.
We're a millennial and baby boomer, love themes like girl power and current issues, and are always seeking out new female authors. Our most read genres are historical fiction, contemporary fiction, thrillers, nonfiction...basically we read everything but sci-fi and YA. But don't quote us on that either.
We think we're pretty funny and we like to keep things light--we can get a little sassy and as
Chuck (that's the husband/dad) would love to say, "unladylike."
So we'll try not to offend you, but we're the Book Bitches, not the Book Everyone's BFF.
At the end of the day--this is all about the books we love so much. So funny or not, these Bitches are going to help you find your next read whether you're looking for a life-changer or a beach-worthy distraction. Oh and our reviews are short. Like really short. We want you to decide for yourself without having to read a multi-paragraph plot summary.
Last thing, The Book Bitches is for everyone. A Book Bitch is a she/him/they/other and every lovely person/being in between. Haters of all kind can peace out. We're glad you're here!
Once Upon a Time...
The Book Bitches started on Christmas vacation in Mexico in 2018, when we showed up with about fifteen books between the two of us in our checked luggage. Most of our trip was spent poolside, and we gobbled up them all.
Bookshop Affiliates
We love to #shoplocal and #shopsmall, and for that reason The Book Bitches are apart of the Bookshop community.
Bookshop is an easy way to get your books online and support bookstores simultaneously (it's basically the anti-Amazon.
On the site, you can shop from a specific bookstore, or your purchase will go to an earnings pool that's evenly distributed to independent bookstores (even one's not on Bookshop!)
Every time we mention a book on the blog or our social media, we link to our page on Bookshop, where we've listed all of the books on our site by post.
Their affiliate program rewards us for book advocacy--while we do earn 10 percent of the sale, Bookshop by design gives away more than 75 percent of their profit margin to indie stores, authors and publications.
You can always find our Bookshop page in the menu under The Bookshelf, as well as in the individual posts.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Read about our disclosures and shit, then contact us !
