About the Queenies

There is SO much history here that it would be impossible to explain it all at once.  Instead, we'll start with where the site, and it's Queenies are now, in the 2020's.

If you want the history, scroll down, start at the bottom and read up!

Hey there!  I'm Desiree, at times Queenie D, and the founder and creator of The Real Book Club Queen.

Currently, I'm a SAHM to 4 (yes, they are all mine lol) wonderful little people. Max is 14; Chloe is 10; Gia is 5; and Franco is 4.  My hub and I have two totally different generations in our house.  All day long, I'm a baby momma -- storytime at the library, playdates at the park, diapers, pacifiers, and lots of soothing.  Evening rolls around and I have to switch gears to tween and pre-tween mode -- sports practices, homework, friend woes, girl trouble, and lots of talking about important things.  To say I'm mentally exhausted would be an understatement!

Enter, the RETURN of Book Club Queen.  When I first began this site in 2007, Max was a few months old, and I needed something to keep my mind active as I transitioned into the role of mommy instead of worker bee.  Once Chloe came along in 2011, and I was teaching regularly at the Community college, the site had to take a back seat.  Eventually, I phased it out, and jumped further down the rabbit hole of motherhood.  

Well, I REALLY missed the fantastic site I had built.  I was used to reading multiple books a week, interviewing wonderful authors, connecting with other readers out there, and building a really great home base on my site for all these things to come together.  When little Franco turned 1, after a good year of thinking on it, I pulled Book Club Queen off the shelf, dusted it off, gave it a new name and look, and went back to work!

I can tell you with 110% confidence that this revamp will be better than ever!  I can't wait to share all the exciting things I have in store with you, and get to know a whole new world of book lovers!

If you have questions, suggestions, or any other kind of feedback for me, I'd love to here from you!  Just use the contact form and I'll be in touch.

Happy Reading!




ABOUT the queenies -- years gone by...

If you are really interested in our history, you can continue on below and see the original story.  

If you are finished up with this page and want to continue your book club journey with us, click here!

The original team consisted of Queenie D and Queenie B.  When we couldn't keep up with the demands of the original site, we brought on Queenie C as a guest reviewer.  We also brought in a forum moderator, Queenie K.

Perhaps you will see them again!

Queenie D

Hi! I'm Queenie D. The first thing you ought to know about the queenies is that I'm the creator of this website and co-queen of books along with Queenie B, my mom. I became the Book Club Queen a couple of years ago when I got sick and tired of trying to have interesting and fun discussions about books but ended up gossiping instead (not that I don't love a little gossip - just not at book club!) That's when I realized that a book club had to have rules. The first time I started a book club with rules my husband would walk around the house joking "the first rule of book club is...you don't talk about book club!" By now, with my current reading group, he actually gives me a slap on the hand if I try to discuss the book before the meeting with any of the other members! 

I started this site with a goal in mind - to create a book club recommendation list for both current popular reading titles as well as old favorites, in hopes of helping the book club members of the world choose great reads for their meetings. If you aren't in a book club and just want to hear some thoughts on a book you might want to read, this works for you too! 

So a little background on me. I am not only a lover of books but a lover of school as well! I have a degree in English and a Master's in Education and I've been teaching English for the past eight years, first in middle school, now in college . I fell in love with Green Eggs and Ham, then moved on to The Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins at a very early age. From that point forward I became determined to "read every book in the world" as I used to tell my Grandfather. For a while in college I thought I was succeeding. Boy was I naive! But my goal remains. 

I moved home to Maryland with my husband in 2007 to have our first baby boy. Although life was good in Florida, we wanted to raise the baby around family so home we came! 

And when I say home, I literally mean home because we moved in with my parents so I could raise our son in his first year of life without putting him in daycare. Now that he's going on four, and our newest addition, a daughter is six months, I'm back to teaching and we've moved out on our own. We miss living with Grandma and PopPop but are glad to have our own space!

I've clicked through lots of book club sites over the past couple of years and always ended up feeling frustrated because they would rarely ever give a decent opinion about an actual book. I could possibly come up with some vague ideas but not a real voice, a real opinion from someone like me who had actually read the book. I didn't want to hear back of the book summaries, I wanted a juicy but solid judgment. Since I never really found that, I decided to make a book club recommendation list myself. 

As far as what type of reader I am, I would have to say I'm a lover of ALL books! I've only put three down in my life that I can think of without finishing them the first time around. Those were I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (who I usually love!), Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (which I ended up reading a year later for my book club!), and Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. As you'll see if you like my reviews and decide to follow up with me, there aren't any specific reasons for not liking these books - they just didn't speak to me at the time. I truly believe that any book deserves a second chance and I fully plan to give them one at some time in my life! 

I won't lie - I choose fiction over nonfiction every time! (But I promise to try to maintain some balance on my book club recommendation list!).

I read to escape, to become part of the story. When I'm finished a book I'm TRULY sad because I feel as if the characters have become my friends. I just can't get into nonfiction that way but I will still read it if a subject grabs me. 

I'm looking forward to reading with you!

guest reviewer --
Queenie c

Hi Everyone! My name is Candice and I am one of the new Guest Reviewers for the Queenies. I am so excited to be a part of this group.

I'll start by telling you a bit about myself. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Legal Studies and a Master's Degree in School Counseling. I do not believe that I would have achieved these things without my unfailing love for reading.

I can remember being read to as a child and then the joys of reading on my own. The ability to travel without leaving my couch was astounding. While my friends thought it would be cool to be locked in a toy store overnight, I fantasized about being locked inside a bookstore or library. I knew I would be unafraid because I would be surrounded by things that made me so happy...BOOKS! I have to admit, I still wish for a chance to spend an entire night locked in a bookstore. 

The Queenies, a mother-daughter team, have invited me to take part of this group and I have gladly accepted. My mother has passed on the excitement of reading to me and I have passed that on to my daughter as well. I hope that through my reviews, I will pass it on to you too!

Just like Queenie B, I love Chick Lit and along with Queenie D, fiction is my top choice, but I will read anything that comes across my path. I started a book club over a year ago and have read many books that I would not have normally picked for myself. I am glad that I read them too! Books have opened my eyes and mind to new and wonderful things.

Keep up with my reading on my BLOG -- Queenie C Reviews.

news!

The Queenie's are always doing something new.  Check out what's happening...

Queenie D is drinking lotssss of coffee these days.  Why? Because she has finally taken the leap and begun her MFA in Creative Writing at SNHU.  She hopes to publish her first book by 2023!

Check out Queenie D on Twitter
#QueenieDWrites

2021 Book Challenge

Goal: 110 books
by December 31, 2021

Check out Queenie D on Facebook for the full list!