Welcome to Lori’s Book Loft
Lori’s Book Loft is my little corner of the internet dedicated to the books, authors, and stories that make me stop and think, remember, wonder, or simply want to turn one more page.
I’m so glad you’re here. Whether you’ve been reading along for years or have just wandered into the Loft for the first time, I hope you’ll feel welcome pulling up a chair and staying awhile.
I started Lori’s Book Loft in 2017, and my very first post was about The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. As it turns out, the timing was rather fitting. Around the same time, our county was under a state of emergency because of flooding.
Our county library sits just east of the creek bed, and when the creek rose and eventually toppled its banks, the library staff began preparing for the possibility of floodwaters reaching the building. At first, I remember hearing that they were going to start sandbagging. With more rain in the forecast, though, it became clear that sandbags alone might not be enough.
Eventually, the decision was made to move the books upstairs.
There was something about that moment that stayed with me. Books are such ordinary parts of our lives—we stack them on nightstands, tuck them onto shelves, carry them with us, and sometimes leave them sitting unread for far too long. But when water threatens them, suddenly you realize just how much they hold: stories, memories, history, imagination, and pieces of the people who have read them.
Perhaps that’s part of why I’ve always had such a love for old books. I love the worn covers, yellowed pages, handwritten names, inscriptions, and little signs that a book has had a life before it found its way to me. An old book isn’t simply something to read. It carries a bit of its own history.
Over the years, Lori’s Book Loft has become much more than a place to talk about what I’m reading. It’s a place to meet authors, share the books I discover, revisit old favorites, explore the stories behind the stories, and reflect on the ways books connect to our memories and our everyday lives.
You’ll find book reviews and recommendations here, but you’ll also find something a little more personal—my thoughts about what I’m reading and why a particular book has found its way onto my nightstand. Sometimes a book brings back a childhood memory. Sometimes it introduces me to a person, place, or moment in history I knew little about. And sometimes I simply fall in love with the story.
As a Gen Xer, I have a particular fondness for books, music, movies, and memories that shaped the world I grew up in. I love the nostalgia of revisiting something familiar just as much as I love discovering something completely new.
So Lori’s Book Loft isn’t meant to be a formal book review site. Think of it more as a conversation between readers—a place to talk about the books we love, the ones that surprise us, the authors who leave an impression, and the stories that linger long after we’ve finished reading them.
I’m glad you stopped by. Pull up a chair, bring your coffee, and browse awhile.
You never know what story you might discover next.