How Helen and Holly Came to be:
A shared love of our town, our beautiful beaches and mountains, diet Sun Drop, fun mediocre tennis, never taking ourselves too seriously, and most of all, BOOKS – reading them, talking about them, and sharing them with friends (and as is often true in the South, we admit to some familial connections too!)
About Helen:
Literary scholar, I am not! I graduated magna-cum-lordy from Denison University with a solid 3.0 average (maybe more like a 2.9 😕). I was a late bloomer in reading for pleasure. My love for it started by default during a semester abroad in Italy. The only English speaking television stations were MTV and CNN. I walked past an English bookshop everyday and would peruse the titles in search of some entertainment. Bridget Jones’ Diary, by Helen Fielding, had just come out. I devoured it. My obsession was born and I have been a prolific reader ever since.
About Holly:
I am a reader from way back. I’ve always loved everything about books – the stories and characters mainly, but also the way that books feel in my hands and the way they look on shelves and tables. The first book that drew me in whole heartedly was The Secret Garden – even thinking about it today takes me back to a different time. I think there is nothing better than roaming around in a bookstore. Don’t get me wrong, my Kindle definitely comes in handy, but I have a real affinity and relationship with a BOOK. I was the kid who always wanted to be reading inside in air conditioned comfort or outside with a calm breeze blowing rather than swimming at the local pool or playing neighborhood freeze tag. I started out as an English major at UNC-Chapel Hill because I loved books, but it wasn’t long before I was berated by an English professor who inferred quite loudly that I could “hardly call myself a student” – ouch! I admit that the social life of college and afternoons of “General Hospital” and Spades were often more appealing than class, but sheesh! Reeling from the criticism, I switched my major to Psychology, loved it, learned tons, and lived happily ever after. My English career was squelched, but not my love of books, so my obsession with wonderful (and not so wonderful) books continues…
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 