How many times have you participated in CBR? Has it changed the way you read?
This is my 7th CBR. I started on a whim in CBR3, just to see if I could actually read 52 in a year. And as we all know, the reading is easy, it’s the writing that’s hard!
And absolutely, it has changed the way I read. Now I read books that I never would have even considered pre-Cannonball (especially YA and Romance), and I take note of certain passages or paragraphs that I want to use in my reviews. I take a lot of pictures on my phone when I’m reading these days, so I don’t forget the important parts.
How do you decide what to tackle next from your To Be Read list/stack?
For my TBR pile, I usually go with something that someone else has recently given a great review to. I trust my fellow cannonballers completely, and I know that there are certain reviewers who have very similar taste to mine. If they like something, it gets bumped up the list. But the list is never ending!
What’s the first book that made you cry?
First book that made me cry was either Cold Mountain (the details of which I can’t remember), Persuasion (#teamwentworth), or A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. My ex-boss gave the Eggers book to me right after my mom had passed away. At first I thought she was a lunatic, but after a while, I really appreciated the cleansing it gave me.
Which do you find easier to write, the 5 star or 1 star reviews?
To be honest, I don’t find any reviews all that easy to write. I struggle to find the time (especially now that I’m back at work for the first time in 13 years!), but I guess if I had to choose, I’d say the one star reviews. There’s just something therapeutic about hating something so much that you need to share it with others.
Can you tell us an adorable book-related story about the kids you’re working with at your book-related job?
Yes, I have lots of adorable stories about my new job with Scholastic Signature Book Fairs! Just today, I went to a new school to set up their book fair, and walked in to the building with a few Scholastic boxes and my badge…a little boy saw me and ran up and hugged my leg, telling me that he LOVES THE BOOK FAIR and asking if I was bringing him his book fair! I love to see how excited these kids get about books!
Do you reread favorite books, or think life’s too short and there are too many new books out there?
Oh my god, I reread books all the time. This year I’ve done so many rereads! There’s just something so comfortable about falling back into a favorite book! I just reread Attachments for the first time in years, and it was SO GOOD. And of course, I can’t seem to ever stop reading the Dark Tower books. I might have a problem.
Breakfast food: sweet or savory? Pancakes/waffles or hashes/benedicts?
Hmmm. I don’t know what to say about breakfast. Just give me some coffee and whatever we have around the house. But definitely coffee. So much coffee.
