All About Books discussion

1. Have you always loved books? Who, if anyone, in your life has most inspired you to read?

I have always loved books! My parents read occasionally while I was growing up, but I don’t exactly remember them encouraging me to read. I was one of those kids that loved school, so I didn’t need encouragement. My dad liked non-fiction, about history and wars, while my mom read romance, like Danielle Steele. I do have memories of going to the public library with my dad. My relatives knew to buy me books or gift certificates to bookstores for my birthday or Christmas.

2. What was your favourite childhood book?

The first book that I can remember loving was Little House on the Prairie (and the rest of the series). After that came Anne of Green Gables (and the rest of the series). I was raised in North Dakota, on the Minnesota border about 80 miles south of the Canadian border, so I probably liked that these stories took place in similar landscapes and settings. I can’t remember much about the story anymore, but I do remember Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry making an impression on me. And of course, The Baby-sitters Club was awesome.

3. Which books do you remember studying at school? Did you enjoy them?

The first book that ever made me cry was Where the Red Fern Grows. We read The Whipping Boy, The Indian in the Cupboard, Hatchet, Bridge to Terabithia, Johnny Tremain, and The Outsiders. I remember disliking Flowers for Algernon. We read books by Roald Dahl and Gordon Korman. In high school I read My Antonia; The Crucible; Cry, the Beloved Country; Great Expectations; Hamlet, and something by Henrik Ibsen that I disliked. Somehow, I never had to read Of Mice and Men or To Kill a Mockingbird or Catcher in the Rye in high school. As a chemistry major, I didn’t get a chance to read much literature during college. I did take a Shakespeare for Non-Majors course to fulfill a requirement, which was a lot of work! I think we had to read a play every week. I also had to take a sociology course, and I was quite moved by two non-fiction books Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools and No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court. I didn’t enjoy all of the books that I have listed here, or maybe I just don’t remember enough about them after all this time. I’m sure that I have forgotten many titles.

4. Where do you most enjoy reading? Do you need silence to read, or can you read almost anywhere?

I don’t really have a favorite place to read. Silence is preferred, but I can ignore some types of noise. I get so irritated when someone can clearly see that I am reading but tries to start a conversation with me anyway. Sadly, I can’t read in moving vehicles. I don’t spend a lot of time actually reading in them, but I do love libraries. The Library of Congress in Washington DC is one of my favorite buildings.

5.Choose five of your favourite books and tell us why you loved them so much!

I’m only going to list four, because I can’t decide on a fifth! I can think of many that I’d recommend, and that I rated 5 stars, but I’m not ready to commit to the favorite category. If I had to choose, maybe I’d pick The Son from my #10 answer.

Oryx and Crake - This was my first Margaret Atwood novel. I loved the premise, as I’m apparently a big fan of speculative fiction and I work in the biotech industry.

Cloud Atlas - This book was complex and quite a challenge! I can’t imagine the effort that must have went into it’s creation. There were sections that I didn’t care for, but as a whole I thought it was well written and came together beautifully. I enjoyed the movie that came out last year, even though the layout of the book couldn’t be replicated.

Atonement - This was my first Ian McEwan novel. This is probably a weird reason to like a book, but I like that it made me uncomfortable. The plot and the characters and the twist were well developed. I have read several novels by him since then, but this has remained my favorite. I don’t even like most of his books, but I keep reading him because of his ability to make me feel something (always uncomfortable!). I read this right about the time that the movie came out, but it had already been highly recommended to me by a good reading friend.

Three Junes - I read this book ten years ago, and I’m not sure that I would still love it if I re-read it, but it made a big impression on me at the time. I loved the different settings, and the characters really moved me. I met Julia Glass at a book reading, and I’ve read most of her books published since then, but so far I haven’t loved any but Three Junes.

6. Do you prefer reading fiction or non fiction?

Fiction!! I feel pretty proud of myself when I can finish the occasional non-fiction book.

7. Are you fond of a particular author and what attracts you to their books? (You can pick a few if you can’t choose!)

Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors. I haven’t loved everything that I’ve read by her, but I can always appreciate her inventiveness, intelligence, and foresight. I am most interested in her speculative fiction, but she is also known for feminism and poetry. I have had the pleasure of meeting her at a book reading, and she is quite involved on social media. Someday I hope to have made it through all of her novels, and maybe even given her poetry and short stories a try.

8. Is there an author you haven't yet tried but you'd really like to?

There are a couple contemporary authors that I would like to try, such as Donna Tartt and Henning Mankell and Junot Diaz. There are a few authors of classics that I would like to try as well, such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Alexandre Dumas and Thomas Hardy.

9. Do you rely on goodreads to keep track of your reading or do you have your own method?

I use Goodreads in addition to a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is mostly used for upcoming books and reminding myself of library due dates.

10. What's the best book you've read so far this year? What are you reading at the moment? What will you be reading next?

My favorite book so far in 2013 is The Son by Philipp Meyer. It was really violent, but I was so impressed with the story that I was able to look past that. The story is told by three different generations of a Texan family. It encompasses the Comanche raids in the mid-1800s, border issues in the early 1900s, and the oil boom. I enjoyed Meyer’s first novel, American Rust, but this new novel is quite different in scope. I’m still upset that I missed a chance to meet him at a book reading in Denver this past summer.

Runner-up for favorite book would have to be The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty. It’s based loosely on the silent-film star Louise Brooks and her chaperone in New York in the 1920s. I’m a sucker for 1920s New York! I did meet this author at a book reading this past summer.

I am currently reading The Lowland and Room. I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Jhumpa Lahiri, and I’m liking The Lowland a lot so far. I’ve only just started Room, but I’ve been nervous to read it because of the premise. However, it’s told from the point of view of a child, so that has helped me get into it.

Next up:
The Gate to Women's Country
We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Atonement was akso my first McEwan and I had exactly the same impression, loved it even if it made me almost sick.
And I love both The house on the prairie serie and Anne of green gables, but I discovered them in adulthood!
And unother similarity is our preference with fiction: I feel the same as you when I manage to read some non fiction book!
Really liked your Reading Journey.

Great answers! And I see one of my all-time favorites is next up for you (The Gate to Women's Country) which makes me happy! :-D Now I am doubly tempted to reread it!!

I haven't read any of your favorites (at least not so far!) but I saw that our school reading had a lot of overlap (and I had a similar reaction to Flowers for Algernon). And I have added The Chaperone to my mountain, as I like Louise Brooks (great silent movies!).

Great mix Kristi. You have several books that I've never heard of and a few that I've enjoyed too - mostly your school reading list, plus Cloud Atlas and Room.

I really didn't like Atonement (book or film) and it's put me off trying anything else by Ian McEwan. I'd really like to try some Atwood though!

Awesome answers Kristi. I enjoyed the outsiders too!

Great journey Kristi - I'd like to read The Son too.

The son sounds like a really interesting boom. I also loved the babysitters club. I used to love Stacey, she made me almost want to have diabetes at school because her life was so cool. My favourite book was probably the 1st summer special where they went to Disneyland!

Hi Kristi, thanks for sharing your reading journey with us! You seem quite similar to me in the books you have liked, notably Atonement - I remember being completely sucked in by this book and did not see the ending coming. The Son sounds like a great read, I shall have to try that sometime. I'd also like to try The Chaperone and The Lowland.

I have also read Room - it's very different as it's told from the perspective of a small child - I found it quite compelling reading.

It made me laugh when you said you get irritated when someone interrupts your reading. I'm the same!!! It's like being pulled back to reality when you just weren't ready for it.

I read my first Atwood book this year, and definitely want to read more.

I hadn't heard of Three Junes, so thanks for bringing that to my attention, it looks good - I will now add to my ever-increasing to read list!!

Thanks everybody! My Reading Journey is more complex than I knew, this took a long time to write. This was really fun, and I look forward to reading all the other Reading Journeys! Good luck on everybody's TBR lists:)

Dostoevsky, Dumas, and Hardy = YES. Read them! Reeeead them! Three of my faves. :)

Babysitters' Club, Little House, Anne of Green Gables... sounds like your childhood was far from wasted! I loved those series, too. Couldn't have lived without them. :)

Hi Kristi, I have enjoyed your reading journey. I too am a fan of Margaret Atwood and envious that you have met her. Are you planning on reading MaddAddam this year? It's on my 2014 challenge.

Tweedledum wrote: "Hi Kristi, I have enjoyed your reading journey. I too am a fan of Margaret Atwood and envious that you have met her. Are you planning on reading MaddAddam this year? I..."

Thank you! I read MaddAddam in October 2013, after re-reading the first two in the series. I have to say that it was my least favorite of the trilogy, but of course it is still good.

Kristi wrote: "Tweedledum wrote: "Hi Kristi, I have enjoyed your reading journey. I too am a fan of Margaret Atwood and envious that you have met her. Are you planning on reading MaddAddam as there was so much detail in them I've forgotten.