Hi, G.D. Giant! Thank you for agreeing to participate in our Quick Questions series. Would you please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you found your way back to Cannonball Read?
A little bit about me; I am an avid reader and an avid gardener. I live with the love of my life in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. He and I don’t have any kids, but we have several nephews and a couple of nieces nearby.
I participated in Cannonball 9 because I had recently stopped blogging and missed writing. And then we bought our house and I got busy working on the house and the garden. Now, however, the garden is (mostly) done so I thought I’d re-join Cannonball Read!
What is your preferred method of enjoying a book? In an age where there are evermore options, why is that the method you prefer?
I only ever read physical books. I’ve never tried Kindle or any other e-reader or audio books. Even when I travel, I just haul around too many books.
When asked about your favorite book in your pre-interview, you mentioned that you have too many favorites to pick just one, but A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine is your favorite at the moment. Please tell us a little about this one and what makes it so special. In other words, have you read it more than once, and if so, what about it draws you back to it?
I have read A Memory Called Empire three times now. Once in 2020, again in 2021 because the sequel, A Desolation Called Peace, was published and I like to refresh my memory when reading a series. And I read it again last year just because I love it so much.
It’s a favorite of mine for a few reasons. One, it’s not like anything I’ve ever read. Author Rebecca Roanhorse calls it “The Aztec Empire in Space” and it is, and it’s fascinating. The world building is some of the best I’ve ever read. Which makes it very immersive and a way to escape the world.
The story is also pretty amazing. In it, an ambassador from a small space station at the edge of a vast, multi-planet empire is assigned to the imperial city of that empire. The ambassador is sent, in part, to solve a mystery, and what follows is political and palace intrigue, and a brilliant look at colonization, belonging, citizenship, and empire-building. It’s less action-driven than a typical space opera, but it’s brilliant and different and I love it.
It has become common for authors to include playlists with their books. What playlist would you put together for A Memory Called Empire?
I have never heard of this. Is it just with a particular genre? Or maybe just with audio books? I do read quite a few recent releases every year, and have never seen a playlist included. I wouldn’t even know where to start on something like that!
You also mentioned The Dark Tower series by Stephen King as your favorite series. King is an undisputed master at writing about good versus evil, often with a supernatural bent to it. Sometimes they make amazing movies or series, sometimes they turn out to be absolute stinkers. If resources were not a factor, do you think it would be possible to make The Dark Tower into something amazing? Would it be better as a trimmed down movie or an expansive series? Feel free to share your dream cast as well!
No, I don’t think it’s possible. The Dark Tower series may only be eight books, but it’s part of a much, much larger universe. Even with unlimited resources, I can’t see it being done right. Although, that might be my bias against adaptations. There have been some good ones, but if they took something I love, like The Dark Tower series, and it wasn’t amazing, I’d be very sad.
Your favorite movie is The Princess Bride. It is infinitely quotable. Do you have a quote (or five!) that you find yourself using all the time from TPB?
So quotable! I mostly just tell people to “have fun storming the castle”!
Circling back to music for a moment, Latin Jazz is a favorite genre of yours. As it happens, New Orleans is hosting their Jazz & Heritage Festival (aka Jazz Fest to the local) as I’m typing this. As a South Louisiana native, I grew up with jazz in the air. Whom would you recommend as an artist entry point for someone interested in learning more about Latin Jazz? Please include a link to a youtube video, if possible.
I mostly listen to mid-century Latin jazz, like Antonio Carlos Jobim and Astrud Gilberto. Gilberto famously sang “The Girl from Ipanema” and Brazilian bossa nova is probably my favorite Latin jazz subgenre.
Here is an Astrud Gilberto clip:
For more modern music, I love Cesaria Evora and Mayra Andrade, neither are Latin, per se, but the influence is definitely there, and their music has the same vibes for me.
Here is a Cesaria Evora clip:
Please allow me to share the joy that is Jean Baptiste in front of a hometown audience.
Love, love, love Jean Baptiste! Thank you for sharing this clip!
As our time together draws to a close, it’s time for the most dangerous time in the interview: KMK. You have to whittle your Pajiba 10 list to three and determine whom you would kiss, whom you would marry, and whom you would kill.
Here’s your original list for reference: Aldis Hodge, Adrien Brody, Virgil Van Dyke (Liverpool footballer), Oscar Isaac, Hector Bellerin (Real Betis footballer), Charles Melton, Lee Pace, Winston Duke, Dev Patel, and Achraf Hakimi (PSG footballer).
Kiss: Lee Pace
Marry: Aldis Hodge
Kill: Achraf Hakimi but only because of his antics during AFCON this year!
Now that you’ve learned all about G.D. Giant, head over and see what she’s been reading lately. Or swing by the interview page and meet some fellow Cannonballers!
