Who Are We?

Written by Jennifer (5 Minutes for Books)

Staff Reviewers:

5 Minutes for Books Managing Editor Jennifer Donovan grew up reading. She took books with her to sporting events, in the car, and when she went out to eat with her parents. In college she read and wrote her way to earning a degree in English.

A few years ago, she realized that she had strayed from her love of books. Her hobby welcomed her back with open arms. Recently she's explored different types of non-fiction and especially enjoys memoir, along with a steady steam of fiction.

Jennifer lives in Connecticut with her husband, ten-year-old daughter (who takes books with her to sporting events, in the car, and out to eat), and five-year-old son (who apparently learned to read by absorption).

She is a contributing editor at 5 Minutes for Mom, where she also authors the 5 Minutes for Books column. She has been blogging at Snapshot for over two years.

Carrie developed her love of reading from a young age. One of her favorite memories growing up is of her own mother taking her to the library, where she would max out her library card limit each visit. Her favorite memories involve Berenstein Bears and Nancy Drew Sleuth books. Her tastes have developed a bit more over the years, but she still has sentimental thoughts about the books which fueled her imagination. The authors who have inspired her the most over the years are C.S. Lewis and Lucy Maud Montgomery.

These days, if she is not otherwise engaged in home making, running a photography business with her husband, filling out mounds of paperwork to pursue an adoption out of South Korea, and making sure her toddler stays alive, you can find her at her home in Oregon with a book in hand. Always.

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know.

Lisa is a stay at home mom of four sons, ages 14, 12, 10, and 8. She resides in Alabama with her husband and children where she spends her days doing laundry and getting in and out of the van. Lisa loves the Lord Jesus and finds great delight in studying and teaching His Word. A few of her favorite things include coffee, books, dark chocolate, or a combination thereof. She is sometimes on her back porch enjoying all three.

As a young girl, Lisa would more often than not have her nose in a book, and all these decades later, not much has changed. Though she most enjoys a good Southern story, Lisa likes books of all kinds. Her favorite novel is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, a literary delight which Lisa believes ought to be indulged in at least once or twice a year.

Wife and mother, Bible teacher and blogger, Lisa loves Jesus, coffee, dark chocolate and, of course, books. Read more of her reflections at Lisa writes….

Lauren is a wife and mother from Tennessee. She has been married almost 14 years, and she has an eight-year-old son and five-year-old daughter. Before having children, Lauren worked as an elementary school teacher and reading specialist. She now spends her time caring for her family; but she also enjoys volunteering at her son’s school and teaching Bible classes.

For as long as she can remember, Lauren has loved to read. She especially enjoys historical fiction and children’s books.

In addition to reviewing books, Lauren blogs about her daily life at Baseballs and Bows.

Melissa is a working mom who resides in Virginia with her husband and daughter.She has been captivated by books for as long as she can remember, and considers Jane Austen and Laura Ingalls Wilder to be old friends. When not caring for her family or preparing to teach her adult Sunday School class, Melissa can often be found on her favorite sofa with a good book. She enjoys classic literature and contemporary Christian fiction, with a smattering of children's books for good measure.

Melissa chronicles her journey of faith in Jesus Christ at her blog, Breath of Life.

Dawn is that kid you saw sitting by herself under a tree with a book at summer camp. Yes, there were thick glasses involved, but thankfully no braces. Now, a few decades later, the glasses have been kicked to the curb by contacts, and the relative loner status has been replaced by Wife to one very cute hubby and Mother to the three kids running amok. The book in her hands, though, is still a constant theme.

She is a former preschool teacher, currently trying to master this whole stay-at-home-mom thing in the Maryland suburbs, and she counts among her hobbies (beyond reading, of course!): blogging, consuming chocolate, making lists, vacuuming, and changing diapers. Her reading tastes run the gamut, from best seller fiction to memoirs to parenting resources, with a ton of picture books thrown in for good measure.

Dawn blathers on about her wacky life, things that make her laugh, and other general nonsense at My Thoughts Exactly.

Guest Contributors:

Marie provides us with a monthly "Book and a Craft." She loves to read with her kids, and is crafting up a storm at her blog, Make and Takes. She is also the editor of Blissful Kids, where you can find more kid-friendly fun.

Carrie Kitzmiller is a homeschooling mom of four and a freelance writer in her "spare" time. When she's not correcting grammar and math papers, reading aloud, scaling mountains of laundry, keeping her house clean (enough), or writing, you can find her with her nose in a book.

You can read her blogs at Mommy Brain and Books and Movies.