Armchair BEA 2012, Day 1: An Introduction
Today begins BookExpo America (BEA) in New York City, and for those of us who are unable to attend "in person," there is www.armchairbea.com . The first event we armchair participants will experience is the introduction to ourselves and our blogs. I
hope that the following questions provided by the Armchair BEA will help to acclimate people to my blog and encourage you wonderful fellow readers to become a follower and participant on my blog. I know I'm already finding fantastic new blogs through these introductions.
1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?
My name is Kathy, and I'm in my fabulous fifties, which most days really do seem like the new 30s, well ok, 40s. It's a great time in my life, with my two children being grown and having two granddaughters to spoil. As it so happens, they both love books and reading, so I'm having the time of my life with that. My 11-year-old granddaughter calls me up to talk about what she's reading, and we sometimes read the same book. My 2 1/2-year-old granddaughter wants me to read to her or she (pretend) read to me every time we see each other. I live in the western part of Kentucky on the Ohio River. I am no longer working outside the home, having worked in my husband's retail business, taught, and substitute taught. So, I have plenty of time (but could always use more, lol) to read, which is my passion outside my family. I obtained my Masters in Library Media a few years ago and would love to use it by working in a library, but that hasn't happened yet. I actually started this blog a few years back, but I've just become active in keeping it updated recently. I am still learning a few things and hope that I can make it one other book lovers will frequently visit and enjoy. I got into the blogging because I just can't stop talking about books, and I thought the blogging forum would allow me to do that, sharing my reading experiences and reading about others' experiences.
2. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?
I love mystery series reading, and I have just started the Aunt Dimity books by Nancy Atherton, currently reading Aunt Dimity and the Good Deed. After that will probably be S.J. Bolton's new book that comes out tomorrow, Dead Scared, or Matthew Pearl's latest, The Technologists. My favorite read thus far in 2012 is a tie between The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney, Emma by Jane Austen, and Stormy Weather by Carl Hiassen. It's just to hard to pick one when they are all so different. I read a lot of young adult and children's books, too, so I pick my favorites there as Unwind by Neal Schusterman and The London Eye by Siobhan Dowd. Books that somewhat fall inbetween adult and young adult that I thoroughly enjoyed were Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart mystery series.
3. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.
I secretly want to get a tattoo and probably will for my 60th birthday, as I feel that I should plan something bold and daring for that milestone. It may not be completely non-book-related, as I have found a wonderful little book tattoo in which I might indulge. Of course, it might still be a little mermaid, as that is what I've always thought I would get. As I am a bit shy about it (probably the only thing I'm shy about), it would be somewhere on my body that could be covered if I want. Then again, I might just not care by 60 if it shows or not.
4. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?
It is just impossible for me to choose one favorite book or one favorite author or one favorite character with which to dine and converse. So, here is my solution. Picking only one author, it would be Karen Maitland, author of favorite books of mine, Company of Liars, The Owl Killers, and The Gallows Curse. Her historic fiction is so well-written and researched, it has been one of my most delightful discoveries in the past few years. Also, Ms. Maitland is a first rate person, who not only sent me an autographed copy of her latest book when I couldn't find it in the United States, but she also sent me a postcard depicting her hometown of Lincoln and a personal note on it. She appreciates her fans. I do, also, have a fondness for British fiction. The second part of my answer (my, how I do go on) is that I would love to have a group dinner with the following authors--Alan Bradley, Neil Gaiman, Maggie Steifvater, Paul Jennings, Pat Conroy, Anna Quindlen, and Carl Hiassen. The reason is that these authors have some of the best senses of humor I've ever encountered, and most of them are quirky, which I value very highly.
5. What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?
I have long wanted to go to England and Scotland and visit quite a few literary locations. However, the one location to which I dream of most is the wild and wooly moors of Devonshire from The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I adore books in which the setting becomes a living, breathing character, and nobody did that better than Arthur Conan Doyle in this gripping tale. I have to read this book every so often and ensconce myself in that atmosphere of fog and hills, ever careful of the Grimpen Mire.
6. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?
My tastes have not really changed, but I have discovered so many wonderful new titles and authors in the genres which I enjoy most. I usually pride myself in being aware of a wide variety of authors and titles, but I definitely had to put that pride in check after reading different blogs with access to informative reviews and introductions to titles that I may have missed or did miss. Each blog is like a treasure chest that when opened astounds me with the riches therein. Of course, when I read about a book that a fellow blogger loves and adores, I take a closer look at it, and it usually moves up on my TBR list.