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Bookish Q&A

It has been a long day, so I’m going to take it easy on myself and answer random questions about my reading life. How would you answer these questions? Feel free to tell me in the comments. And if you have book-related questions for me, put them in the comments too! I’ll definitely answer!

What are my go-to genres?

  • Historical Fiction
  • Family Drama
  • Fiction
  • Memoir
  • Non-fiction Politics/History – written by journalists
  • Pop Culture
  • Books on writing

What book(s) are on my nightstand right now?

I went upstairs to look and realized it is the perfect representation of the go-to genres I listed above. I didn’t even plan that!

  • Unbelievable: My Front Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History, by Katy Tur (Political/Journalism)
  • Inheritance, by Danni Shapiro  (Memoir)
  • This Time Tomorrow, by Emma Straub (Fiction/Family Drama)
  • Writing is My Drink, Theo Pauline Nestor (Writing)
  • Directed by James Burrows: Five Decades of Stories from the Director of Taxi, Cheers, Fraiser, Friends, Will & Grace, and More (Pop Culture)

What is my favorite childhood book?

It’s a toss-up between:

  • Are You There God? It’s Me, Margret, by Judy Blume
  • Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, by Judi Barrett

Do I dog-ear book pages or use a bookmark?

  • I use a bookmark or something that acts like a bookmark. Right now, I am using the ticket from Andrew’s high school graduation. I’m not opposed to dog-earring a book, but I try not to do it often.

What is my ideal reading setting?

  • Depends on the season. In the winter, I love to sit on the couch with a warm blanket on top of me, wearing my favorite pajamas, drinking a hot beverage, and relaxing by the pellet stove.
  • In the summer, at the pool or on the patio.
  • I also miss my commute to work. I used to read on the train or listen to a book on Audible in the car. I read a lot more books that way.

What is my favorite indie bookstore?

  • How much time do you have? I don’t have a favorite indie bookstore because I love all of them. They are all so charming, and I love exploring them all. Besides the endless shelves of books, book-themed gifts, and staff recommendations, I mostly enjoy the people. They are a combination of random strangers and old friends who are book nerds like me. They come from all walks of life and are not shy about telling me about the book I’m holding in my hand and letting me know what they think of it. And, when there are kids in the store, I want to put a book in their hands and offer to pay for it. The saddest thing is when I see a child asking their parent for a book and is told no. It breaks my heart every time.

What book am I embarrassed to say I’ve never read?

Oy! Okay, here we go.

  • To Kill a Mockingbird (I know, I know!)
  • The Thornbirds
  • Anything by Jane Austen

The Lightning Round

  • What I am reading right now – Unbelievable, by Katy Tur and Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast (my first non-fiction graphic novel!)
  • First book I remember reading – One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
  • Last book I read – Playing with Myself by Randy Rainbow
  • Last book I bought – Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath
  • Paperbacks or ebooks – I prefer paperbacks, but I read both
  • Favorite classics – The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, Romeo & Juliet
  • Least favorite classic – The Old Man and the Sea
  • How many books do I read in a month – 4 or 5 books

That’s all I’ve got! Don’t forget to play along by answering any of these questions or ask me a question in the comments

XO,

Elisa

Book Signings

I’ve pictured myself attending my own book signing. I imagine sitting behind the table with a few hundred copies of y book in front of me and my favorite fountain pen at the ready, to sign the title pages of all the books sold. There’s a line of people waiting for their turn to say hello and let me know how my book resonated with them. At the end of the night, I feel satisfied knowing that I have produced something that will outlast me and help people for generations to come.

But, since I haven’t finished my memoir yet (only 25K-30K words to go!), I attend author events. I love listening to writers talk about their book and their creative process. Each person has their own story to tell, and I always come away learning something new.

A few weeks ago, I participated in a workshop centered around the book “The Gift from the Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Sadly, Mrs. Lindbergh couldn’t make it. She passed away more than two decades ago, but her book stands the test of time. A colleague gave me the book as a gift, and it took me years to truly appreciate its collection of essays about how to be a woman. Even though she wrote the book more than 50 years ago, her wisdom resonates as much today as it was first published. This book is one of the few I read repeatedly and has a permanent place on my nightstand.

Tonight, I’m adding another book to my nightstand – Rough Draft by MSNBC host Katy Tur. I’ve watched and enjoyed her show for many years. Her coverage of the Trump administration was must-see-tv, and her memoir about that experience is supposed to be excellent. Her new memoir is more personal, and I received a signed copy at her book talk tonight.

Being in a room of like-minded and politically aligned people is also nice. As much as I enjoyed the author portion of the program, the Q&A afterward made me realize I’m not the only person disturbed and saddened by the state of our democracy.

But I digress… author events are a terrific way to spend an evening with friends. I’m grateful to have people in my life who enjoy them as much as I do. And now, I need to start looking for the next one to attend.

Do you attend book signings? What do you like about them?

June Book Report

Summertime is my favorite time to read, but this month has been slow going as I make my way down my endless TBR pile. Between a busy work schedule and my son’s high school graduation (and all the festivities around it), there hasn’t been much time for reading. I typically average around four books per month but only managed to finish two. Too bad listening to podcasts doesn’t count toward my Goodreads goal because I’d be way ahead of the game by now. But, maybe there is something to be said for slowing down and enjoying some quiet time while sitting by a beautiful lake with a book in hand. Wherever you are reading this summer, I hope it is something that you love.

Here is what I read last month:

In Every Mirror, She’s Black

One of my 2022 reading goals is to pick up more titles written by People of Color. I want to learn about other people’s experiences, expose myself to different cultures, and – as always – dive into compelling stories. My first attempt at this was when I tried to read “The Other Black Girl” – a bestselling, genre-bending novel that everyone raved about last summer. Unfortunately, I had to DNF it more than halfway through the book. I tried to like it, but I was so confused by the storyline and couldn’t keep the characters straight. After a while, I became frustrated and threw the book onto the couch.* I had to physically and mentally let it go.

Thankfully, the next book I tried was a much better fit. “Black Cake” was released earlier this year, and I loved it. I also read, finished, and loved “The Personal Librarian” and “We Are Not Like Them.”  And then, I picked up this novel, “In Every Mirror, She’s Black,” and my winning streak came to a screeching halt. Set in Sweden, three women find themselves connected to one wealthy man in different ways – two work for him, and the other falls in love with him. The minefield of microaggressions they experienced was quite clear to me, even though it wasn’t as obvious to them. I wanted to yell at the characters, but I knew they couldn’t hear me. They aren’t real – after all.

The one thing I will say about this book is that it reconfirmed my philosophy about DNF-ing books. While I did finish this book, I only did so because I was invested in one of the three characters and wanted to see her story play out. The other two women made bad choices and constantly put themselves in no-win situations that annoyed me profusely. Because I felt compelled to finish this book, I wasted a lot of time not reading and enjoying much better stories.

Bomb Shelter

To me, a great memoir doesn’t necessarily have to be written by a celebrity. In fact, there have been many times that I’ve picked them up, hoping for all of the juicy details and have been either thrilled or vastly disappointed. But, they are fast and fun beach reads. If you need a recommendation, I have a few titles I can share with you.

Meanwhile, this memoir is written by a bestselling author who shares my sense of humor, level of parental anxiety, and positive outlook on life. We are both middle age and have two children who are about to launch into the world. We both are trying our best to support them and guide them without interfering in their lives – which is a thin line to walk sometimes. Her musings about motherhood and marriage validate my own choices while also looking optimistically at the future.

The other thing I liked about this memoir was the format she used. It isn’t often that a memoir is written in personal essay form – almost like a blog post. Each chapter tells a different story, and they don’t necessarily connect to each other or follow a timeline. But she weaves together a relatable series of moments that any woman of a certain age (or man for that matter) would be unable to put down.

In the Middle

I’m in the middle of a bunch of different books right now. Today, I downloaded Randy Rainbow’s memoir entitled “Playing with Myself” on Audible. Once I found out that he narrates his book, I could not merely download it on Kindle. If you are familiar with his work, you know that he is hilarious as well as charming and smart. I’m nine chapters in and have no doubt I will finish it tomorrow. And if you’ve never heard of this author before, I highly encourage you to visit his YouTube page – unless you are a fan of our 45th president, and then he might not be your cup of tea.

Another memoir I’m in the middle of is “Inheritance” by Dani Shapiro. I’ve been trying to finish it for a while. It is one of those books that I read a few chapters and then put down. I will finish it, but it is taking me longer than I thought.

Nonfiction books seem to be my jam lately because I am also just about done with “Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old” and “Can We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” More reviews to come next month.

Indie Bookstore Check-In

This month, I visited two independent bookstores. One was Reads and Company in Phoenixville, PA and the other was Inquiring Minds in New Paltz, NY. Both stores had plenty to choose from and were fun to walk through, but unfortunately, I wasn’t in the mood to buy anything. Knowing how long my TBR list was getting by the minute, it made more sense to visit and browse.

What are you reading lately? Recommend some books to me in the comments below. And if you are looking for something good to read this summer, let me know what you like. I’m happy to make some suggestions.

Happy reading!

Elisa

*No books were harmed while they were in my possession. 

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