Introduction: Nanette

During our blogiversary, we put out the call for new members to join Historical Tapestry. Marg, Kelly and Ana are very pleased to announce that two fabulous people have volunteered! Today they will be introducted themselves. First up, welcome Nanette!

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Hello, readers! I'm excited that Marg, Kelly, and Ana invited me to contribute to Historical Tapestry. My name is Nanette Donohue, and I'm a librarian at a public library in Illinois. I have a seven-month-old daughter, a husband, and four (!) cats, and I'm a voracious reader. I read in a lot of different genres, but historical fiction is my favorite.

I've been reading historical fiction since grade school, when a favorite teacher gave me a copy of Sydney Taylor's All-of-a-Kind Family. I made my way through all of Taylor's books, as well as the novels of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved anything that gave me a different view of the world, something unlike my not-so-exciting suburban life. I loved reading about different cultures and about people who "made do" in difficult times.

In my teens, I moved on to the Sunfire romance series. Other American children of the 80s may remember these--they were big fat mass-market historical romances, each named for the female main character and set in an "interesting" American historical period. I devoured these books, one after the other, when my hometown library purchased the whole set. These books felt so adult--perhaps it was the length, perhaps it was the love stories. I vividly remember sitting on my bedroom floor in a nest of pillows, reading about Roxanne's Hollywood dreams and Danielle's adventures with pirates. I have a few used copies in my library--I may need to dig them out and re-read them so I can write about them.

My favorite settings include ancient Rome, Restoration England, and Gilded Age New York, but I'm a sucker for anything exotic and unique. I like strong female characters and an enjoyable love story. I appreciate a well-written timeslip novel. Sagas are a favorite of mine--I love immersing myself in the history of a family--and books about royal mistresses are my weakness. Some of my favorite authors include Susan Holloway Scott, Kate Quinn, Karleen Koen, Jo Graham, Michelle Moran, and Jennifer Donnelly.

When I'm not reading, I enjoy knitting (if you're on Ravelry, I'm "nanette"), sewing, embroidery, and quilting. I enjoy the process of creating, and feel that handwork connects me to my ancestors. I'm fortunate in that I have a job that I absolutely love. I can't say that it doesn't feel like work--being a librarian can be surprisingly difficult in that you have to meet the varied information needs of a lot of different people--but I enjoy what I do.

I look forward to sharing my reading life with all of you!