Elaine Lolli 1951-2022

"May 27, 2013, marks the start of a blog that I have been discussing with friends and co-workers for quite a while. As an avid reader, I'm often asked, 'What book are you reading now?' or 'Can you make a recommendation?'

 And so, TheEZBookNook was born!"

In 2013, my mother requested help to start a book review blog.  She was an avid reader, but unfortunately technology challenged.  We discussed the nature of the blog, its title (all her idea), how to make posts, and how to format pictures and text (something she never really figured out).  On May 27, 2013, she sat down at a computer for the first time and wrote the words you see above.  

My mother devoured books.  She made weekly trips to the library, constantly exchanging old books for new ones (She had 27 books on reserve at the time of her passing - a list which would likely be entirely replaced in a month).  For almost eight years, she tread a well worn path from her chair in the family room to her computer in the office to draft and re-draft reviews.  Initially, she would agonize over each sentence, sending my brother and I copies to ensure that each word made sense.  She was critical of her writing regardless of how many read it.

She quickly developed confidence.  I stopped receiving drafts, she posted more frequently, and her friends read her work.  My mother called me, and with child like excitement in her voice, shared where in the world people read her reviews.  She was enthralled with the idea that others listened to her opinion and it provided new vigor for her writing.  She made business cards, passing along copious amounts to anyone that would take them and always keeping a heaping pile in her purse.  

At some point, others noticed her work as well.  My mother periodically published condensed reviews in the Columbus Dispatch.  Despite her repeated publication, it never stopped her from sending a picture of the article to my brother and I .  Eventually, publishers sent her advanced copies of books for reviews.  What started as a fun way to pass the time became a passion.  Her only wish was to get paid for one review, even if it was just $20.  I desperately wish I could have made that happen. 

The homepage of her blog tells me that she had 273 posts.  I have no doubt that number would have swelled if she was given the chance.  At the time of her passing, my mother was in the middle of Gytha Lodge's "Lie Beside Me."  I never discussed the book with her, but I heard she enjoyed it.  I plan to finish it in her memory.  I hope you will too.  

I could write pages and pages on what my mother meant to me, but my brother described her better than I ever could.  I loved her dearly and miss her immensely.  More than anything, I am proud to be her son.