Meet Our Team

MB, a mother of three and longtime school librarian, has spent years of her life lost in books—and bookstores. She is fueled by espresso, has tried for years to re-create a Secret Garden in her backyard (but deer and bunnies keep eating it), loves a good hike and a good cocktail, and (according to friends and colleagues) bakes the best salted chocolate chunk cookies on the planet.

She recently moved to Middleburg with her husband Michael, and puppy Bailey. While she has fallen in love with the town, she had little interest in living in a town without a thriving indie bookshop, so set about to open her own.

As a school librarian, she developed a superpower: selecting books that delight and engage children. She is motivated by putting just the right book into the hands of a reading skeptic and watching that love of books come alive.

Beware, when she meets you in person, she’ll likely start quizzing you about what you’re reading. Her family and friends are forever reaching out to MB for book recommendations. Her favorite grown-up reads so far this year have been Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Unlikely Animals, The Best Strangers in the World, We All Want Impossible Things and Black Cake. Her TBR pile is a wobbly tower of joy. 

MB is a recovering globetrotter. A few years ago (pre-COVID), she explored a dreamy, crazy list of places that had been on her must-visit list forever in what she deemed a “Grown-Up Gap Year.” (Her nest was sorta empty and she had banked a lot of frequent flyer miles.) She went on adventures with her parents to the Caribbean, her son to Athens and Jerusalem, her daughter in Mexico City, and entire family in South Africa. She visited college friends in Milwaukee, her brother in Chicago, and dear friends in Melbourne, Tasmania and Mumbai. She and her husband did big hiking trips in New Zealand and the Balkans—Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro. She gave her passport a workout, depleted the stash of frequent flyer miles (and the bank account) and had the time of her life. She’s now ready to stay in one place for a while and dive into starting an independent bookshop—a long-time dream.

MB loves to cook, loves to eat, is currently obsessed with The Bear, and has a low-key cookbook addiction—you’ll find her reading them for fun. Her point is they usually have happy endings in the form of a dessert chapter.

Reach out to MB on mbmorell@middleburgbooks.com

After a decade of doing life “by the book” and climbing the corporate ladder as a consultant to the federal government, Lauren chose to begin a new chapter, one that brings her back to a childhood dream of working amongst books everyday.

A self-proclaimed Renaissance reader, she is often in the middle of four or more books at once, spanning multiple sections of the shop. She is most often drawn to literary fiction, Stoic philosophy, and narrative nonfiction, especially anything set in Paris or written by someone who has spent time thinking deeply about how to live. She has a particular affection for travel writing and believes stories enable us to travel without ever leaving home.

Lauren knows that curiosity is the foundation of every great recommendation. What resonates in a story is deeply personal, shaped by the lived experience of each reader. She especially enjoys helping customers find the book that meets them exactly where they are (or where they’d like to go!)

You’ll often find her lingering in conversation with readers or encouraging someone to settle into one of the shop’s leather couches to chitchat about their latest five-star read.

Outside the shop, Lauren is accompanied by Loudoun, her English Labrador Retriever and constant shadow, and her husband William, whom she met while interning in Washington, DC during college.

She is currently working toward becoming an antiques appraiser, with a particular love for Georgian furniture, while building her business, Away Antiquing.

Clarissa has always loved books.  Even before being able to read, she'd spend nap times secretly sneaking peeks at picture books. Some of her most favorite childhood possessions were her bright orange record player and set of Disney Books on Records.  Clarissa comes from a family of bookworms, is married to a bookworm, and is the mother of a bookworm.  She also shares her home with two dogs, neither of which have shown any inclination towards books (even to chew, thank goodness!).

Clarissa joins Middleburg Books after thirty years in technology careers.  Her genres of choice are mystery (Rivers of London, Beekeeper's Apprentice, Thursday Murder Club, and Flavia DeLuce), science fiction (The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, The Martian, and Dragons Egg), and fantasy (Once Upon a River, Wee Free Men, and Ocean at the End of the Lane).  She loves her book club in part because they introduce her to great books she would have never picked up on her own volition (James, Bringing Ben Home, Miracle Creek, and Hunger).  Clarissa's other hobbies are making bobbin lace and traveling. 

New Orleans born and Texas bred, Tara spent part of her childhood on a cattle ranch in the hill country where she perfected her barrel racing, roping, and animal husbandry skills, while also curating the biggest Nancy Drew collection in the South. She eventually left Texas to pursue a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and holds a JD from the University of Texas School of Law. Life with her Navy husband included stints at multiple duty stations—her favorite being their time in Naples, Italy.

She and her husband raised three daughters who are all avid readers (because they would’ve been kicked out of the house if they weren’t), and took them all over the world, letting the pages from their favorite books come to life. Finishing the Percy Jackson series meant a trip to Greece on a military cargo plane; a visit to the French countryside meant running through the hills, waving sticks in the air, pretending to be D’Artagnan and the musketeers. As empty nesters, they eventually settled in Virginia with their golden retriever, Brick, where they grow apples, watch sheep, and are renovating an old turn of the century farmhouse—in perpetuity. 

When she’s not selling books, Tara works as an independent education consultant, and her hobbies include cooking, drawing, gardening, and travel. She’s expanded her range from Nancy Drew these days and reads across genres, although sci-fi, fantasy and romance are her standbys. Recent favorites include There is No Antimemetics Division, Katabasis and she’s still laughing about Princess Donut in Dungeon Crawler Carl!

Randi has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She credits her grandmother—who always read multiple books at a time, loved to discuss her favorites, and never missed a chance for a bookstore trip—with nurturing her love of literature from an early age. As a child, Randi joined an American Girl book club with friends that later evolved into a mother-daughter book club in middle school. These gatherings deepened her passion for reading and introduced her to the joy of a well-themed book event shared with others. Throughout every chapter of adulthood, books have remained a constant source of comfort and connection.

She enjoys books in all formats and often has a physical book, digital book, and audiobook in progress at the same time. Her favorite genres include fiction (Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame, The Five Star Weekend, The Correspondent) historical fiction (The Women, The Nightingale, The Rose Code, Lilac Girls, The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau, Eleanore of Avignon), and romance (Emma M. Lion, Holiday Romance, When in Rome). She also loves branching out into mystery (A Traitor in Whitehall), fantasy and sci-fi (Conform) nonfiction (The Boys in the Boat, The Widow Clicquot, Small Wonders), and classics (Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Pride and Prejudice). As the parent of two enthusiastic readers, she especially enjoys sharing books with her children—whether reading aloud together or diving into the same story to discuss later (Harry Potter, Ella Enchanted, A Place to Hang the Moon, Alice Eclair, Impossible Creatures).

When she’s not reading, Randi can be found spending time with her husband, children, and yellow lab; visiting friends and family; cheering from the sidelines at her kids’ many sporting events; hiking, gardening, and learning to needlepoint.

Shayne moved to Purcellville from Southern California five years ago. She has always been a reader and it was not uncommon for her to get called out in grade school for reading books while the teacher was talking. 

She is a native Californian and studied economics at the University of Redlands, a small liberal arts school, and at The London School of Economics. She has a masters from the University of California, Riverside. Shayne has three amazing daughters, the youngest of which just started her junior year in college at VCU. 

She has adapted to having an empty nest by working, stitching, traveling, and reading—lots of reading. Shayne loves all kinds of books—contemporary, historical fiction, family sagas, nonfiction narrative, and memoirs, but the genre she enjoys the most is mystery. This may go back to a shared love of Elizabeth George with her mom, who was also an avid reader. A few recent books she has adored include: James, The God of the Woods, Murder Road, The Curse of Pietro Houdini, and The Housekeeper and the Professor.  

These days she tracks her reading on a spreadsheet and shares about the books she loves in her monthly newsletter Shayne’s Bookish News. This started as a personal project to share her enthusiasm for all things books and reading when she moved. She is celebrating the newsletter’s five year anniversary this December. 

When not talking about books in the shop, Shayne loves to hand embroider while listening to books. She also participates in a women’s writing group. She visits California to stay connected to friends and family, and is usually planning a trip abroad with her husband. Their shared love of travel keeps them busy and their favorite city to spend time in is London. 

Shayne has had many jobs and working at Middleburg Books is her favorite!

For Caroline, being a bookseller at Middleburg Books is fulfilling the childhood dream of her 9-year-old self, who created her own card catalog for her small bookshelf.  One of her fondest childhood memories is listening to her mom read from page worn copies of The Great Brain books on the way to family beach trips (with her dad insisting on just one more chapter). These early stories and shared adventures inspired a lifelong love of reading, which she continues to share with her large, crazy family (including a gaggle of parents, kids, sisters, in-laws, nieces/nephews), who generously share books and recommendations, as well as an occasional literary therapy session (RIP Lady Helen Clyde).

It's no surprise to those who know her well that Caroline’s primary love is a solid British mystery.  She’s been reading and talking about many of her favorite series for so many years, the characters feel like old friends.  From Charlotte and Thomas Pitt, Charles Lennox, Thomas Linley, Armand Gamache, Flavia de Luce, Agatha Raisin, Ian Rutledge, Ruth Galloway (to name just a few), Caroline is passionate complex sleuths and will faithfully follow them book after book through their numerous crime solving exploits and character arcs! 

Caroline shares her love of books with her husband and three children, who have introduced her to some of her favorite YA series including The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, The Vanderbeekers, Mystery of Morrigan Crow, and Charlie Bone.

As a native Virginian and former museum curator, Caroline loves historical fiction and non-fiction, as well as visiting local historic sites and art museums.  Some of her recent favorites include The Frozen River, Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynesty, and Uproar!: Satire, Scandal & Printmaking in Georgian London.

When not reading, Caroline can be found working as a management consultant for the federal government; running and weight training; walking her rescue dog, Pax; driving to visit her college aged twins; doing puzzles; talking to a sister (or two) on the phone; and watching high school baseball games. 

Born in Mexico City and raised in sunny San Diego, Cristina spent her childhood chasing her two older brothers on skateboards and bikes rather than sitting indoors with a book like her mother would have preferred. Her father, however, was the ultimate bookworm. She can still recall the magic of his library—a sanctuary of wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with the scent of aged paper. He was a voracious reader who treated novels like old friends, frequently quoting masterpieces like One Hundred Years of Solitude and Don Quixote.

While she once preferred the outdoors, the call of those stories eventually found her. In her 30's she traveled extensively and met her husband in Hong Kong at a triathlon. After traveling for a few more years, they finally returned to the US. Cristina, her husband and two daughters now live in town. They are slowly building a wall to wall library of all their favorite books.

Her love of books began at Moran Elementary in Osceola, Indiana, where Haley remembers devouring rows of Bobbsey Twins mysteries. These days she dives into just about anything—from weird fiction and horror to memoirs and subtle sci fi/fantasy. Everyone in the shop knows poetry to be Haley’s desert island genre. The blessed order of syntax and grammar colliding with the brilliant alchemy of those same rules broke wide open in the service of a perfect line. Unrivaled.

At the age of seven, Haley attended the Young Author’s conference with her first book, A Trip to Grandma’s, and has been winding toward the dream of publishing her first book ever since. Haley proudly credits mentors at Purdue University and the Warren Wilson College MFA program for helping her lay the writerly groundwork. From tutoring journeypersons and teaching grant-writing to children in underserved communities to editing in downtown DC, she always found herself connected to the written word. 

Along the way, Haley forged a circuitous path—living as an expat in North Yorkshire, training as a doula, co-founding the first DEI committee at her children’s school, training as a facilitator for Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples—she believes each endeavor has led her to a deeper understanding of herself and to a fortuitous book chat with Mary Beth and Miriam on a sunny autumn day. 

At home, Haley lives in the woods with her husband, three fantabulous children, the family sheep dog, and baskets upon baskets of knitting projects just waiting for an audio book and a free moment. In her spare time, she collaborates with a dear friend on their theatre project, TagRagg Productions.

Melissa’s early knack for finding typos led her into a career in journalism and editing, which took her from the suburbs of Philadelphia to the British Virgin Islands and back, eventually landing her here in Northern Virginia. 

She’s most at home in the fiction section but reads across all genres. She loves traveling and visits indie bookstores wherever she goes, gathering inspiration for a store of her own that she dreams of opening someday in a small costal town.