Mark Ahmad, Children’s Fiction Profiler

Mark says: “I have been reading books since I was a small lad, from Highlights, Berenstain Bears to Hardy Boys and my life hasn’t changed much since. I used to work in a public library in the children’s department helping children find the books that interest them, but my current job consists of researching new, different, and some forgotten children’s books and writing about them.

“When I’m not in front of a computer (rare), sports is my life and I play all kinds of sports, but lately tennis has sparked my interest, but I’m always up for a pickup game of basketball. I would love to hear other people’s opinions as well as sharing some of my own, so feel free to express yourself about any children’s books or just about anything in general. P.S. My favorite TV show of all time is The Simpsons.”

Ralph Coviello

“There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.”

That quote by noted sports writer Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith sums up Ralph Coviello’s own relationship to writing and the respect he has for the efforts of all authors. Although a lifelong reader, in recent years Ralph has found too many good books going unread on his bookshelf, so he has joined the team of Bowker Reads reviewers to “bolster my motivation to whittle down that stack”. In recent memory Ralph has enjoyed reading “Descartes’ Bones” by Russell Shorto, “Guests of the Ayatollah” by Mark Bowden, “Under the Banner of Heaven” by Jon Krakauer as well as new translations of the Dumas’ classics “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo”. As an enormous movie fan Ralph has read and reread “Guide for the Film Fanatic” by Danny Peary and is especially proud to have supported the publication of “Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark” by Tim Lucas, possibly the greatest and most beautiful book on filmmaking ever created.

Ralph’s own writing experience includes co-writing several unproduced screenplays and working as a news reporter for a radio station. Ralph currently volunteers as a reader at EIES of New Jersey. Ralph has worked at Bowker for 18 years and recently transitioned to Publisher Relations after many years of manufacturing and shipping books and CDs. Ralph has a BA in History from Syracuse University and an MBA from Centenary College.

Suzanne Franks

Suzanne says, ”Growing up as an only child helped to promote my love of books.  I always had one in my hand and two others on the shelf to read next.  Books expanded my world and my creativity.  My love of books continued throughout the years and I was lucky enough to pass this gift down to my own three daughters. ”

Suzanne works as a Data Quality Analyst for Bowker.  She has a Journalism degree from NYU.  She says that the seed for her editing career was planted long ago while reading Highlights each month and eagerly turning the pages to the “Find the 10 differences between these two pictures” page.   When she is not at work, Suzanne enjoys reading at home with her family close by.  She also makes time for her daughters’ soccer, lacrosse and swimming activities.  Her favorite books are fiction books about other cultures and personalities.  “This helps me to know more about why people are the way they are.” Some of these include:  The Great Gatsby,  A Thousand Splendid Suns,  Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Red Tent, The Giver, Those Who Save Us.

Lynda Keller, Fiction Profiler

Lynda says:  “Books have always been in my life since I was a child. I would always have a book with me wherever I went and I would ask for books instead of toys as I got older. Books are a journey to the imagination. Fantasy is my all-time favorite genre but I also enjoy literary classics, Shakespeare, and a good mystery from time to time. My husband says my favorite spot is curled up on the couch with a book and a cup of tea.

“I am obsessed with fairies and the color blue. I love animals and hope to have a house full of them one day, including a lemur. My dreams are to travel one day and live in a real castle but with heat and electricity. I am a big history buff and swear I was born in the wrong time period.

“Along with books I love music with the 80’s being my all time favorite. Rainbow Brite was my hero. I enjoy meeting new people and learning new things and I think books are a way to bring people together.”

Diane Kinney

Diane began working at Bowker in the Fall of 2007 and recently received her M.L.I.S. from Rutgers. In addition to working as a data quality analyst for the Books in Print database, on a voluntary basis she shelf-reads the children’s section of her local library and works on a number of projects in a Special Collections and University Archives.

In her spare time, she enjoys practicing Tai Chi, yoga, and gymnastics; traveling domestically and internationally; reading; and spending time with her husband Rich and two adorable kittens, Jade and Oatmeal. Diane’s reading interests typically rotate randomly between history, travel essays, lyrical fiction, children’s literature, and etymology.

Leo Dos Reis

I always thought that the cheapest way to discover exciting places, relate and understand other cultures is by reading. No matter what topic you read about, you’ll always find something new along the way that will enrich your knowledge and interest. I hope sincerely that the books that I’ll recommend in this blog will provide enjoyment to you.

I’ll be reviewing mainly Spanish speaking authors and their publications trying to showcase the expectancies that they can bring to the table in our multicultural country.

I’m a bachelor in science with a hotel management degree from the Simon Bolivar University in Venezuela.

At Bowker I’m part of the sales team that works very hard every day in trying to provide our products and services to librarians, publishers and students; so they can benefit from the different resources that we have to offer.

My personal interests are music of all kinds, books, independent films and art. I love to travel and meet new people every day.

Stacey Stegmann

Stacey is a Data Analyst for Bowker, but don’t let the title fool you, she’d rather play in the dirt than fiddle on the computer any day. The only thing Stacey loves more than playing in the dirt (aka gardening) is reading. She always has a book somewhere on her, and browsing the sci-fi/fantasy shelves at the bookstore is an ideal way to spend an afternoon. Stacey also really enjoys Young Adult Fiction and retold Fairy Tales. There aren’t many of the classics that she hasn’t read, but she prefers a book to take her on an adventure, and to be as far from real life as possible!

Stacey’s favorite books are anything by George R.R. Martin, Guy Gavriel Kay, E.A. Poe, Robert Jordan, J.K. Rowling. Her favorite poet is ee cummings, her favorite Shakespeare play is The Tempest, her favorite book turned into a movie is The Last Unicorn. She hopes one day to own a home that has both a library and a greenhouse, and find a cat that won’t sit on her book when she’s trying to read.

Rosemary Walker, Non-Fiction Profiler

Rosemary says:  “Reading has expanded my knowledge and understanding of people, places and events. Discussing a book is neutral territory for people to meet and get to know each other. I enjoy the variety of genres within non-fiction. But there are some areas that are of special interest: History (to know the events and people that have influenced where we are today); Psychology/Self-help (to gain some insight into human behavior) and Science (because I love a good mystery).”

Leigh Wright

Leigh currently serves as Metadata Manager for Bowker’s PubTrack Higher Ed, which reports sales data for the higher education market. Though her primary client base is members of the publishing community, Leigh has a special fondness for libraries, her favorite being the St. Edmund’s library at Oxford University, and like Melissa, holds an MLIS from Rutgers University.

A lifelong reader and bibliophile, Leigh’s personal library numbers well over 500 books. Among her favorites are Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte), A Grief Observed (C.S. Lewis), Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell), The Giver (Lois Lowry), Flowers in the Attic (V.C. Andrews), and Much Ado About Nothing (William Shakespeare). When not reading, Leigh has a wide variety of interests, such as watching classic Hollywood films, with Cary Grant being her favorite legend of the silver screen. She also enjoys crocheting, musical theatre, and traveling. The most interesting place she has ever visited is Budapest (where she saw the mummified right hand of St. Stephen I, Hungary’s first king) and her dream trip is a cruise around the world on the Queen Mary 2.