Day One of the Armchair BEA

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads

Hi! I’m participating in the Armchair BEA this year. While I enjoy reading and reviewing books, I’m fairly new to the book blogging community and I’m looking forward to meeting new book bloggers and participating more. Here are the five questions I picked from the Armchair BEA introductions lists (and, of course, the answers!)

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 real name is Cathy, I am a student and I work with children. I started this blog in 2009, although it was mostly unused until March/April of 2011. I started this blog because I really enjoy reading books and I wanted to be able to share books that I loved, complain about books that I hated and have a place to talk about books and books news with other book lovers.

2. What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy. It’s a great book so far. I love Binch’s writing style, and she writes the kind of book that you read while curled up in a comfy chair with a cup of tea. I have been reading a lot of dystopian novels lately, as well as other books where animals/people are being hurt or dying and other sad events and I need a break from all the depressing books I seem to be picking up lately.

3. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

I really enjoy creating things.  I make and sell chalkboards on Etsy and I enjoy other hands on activities like creating homemade play dough and doing science activities with kids (day care/babysitting/niece). I’m much better at using the kitchen to make a volcano than to make a meal!

4. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?

I would want to eat dinner with Frank McCourt, the author of Angela’s Ashes. Though he was born into poverty he worked incredibly hard to get an education and become a teacher and author, his life is very inspiring. He lived such an interesting life and worked hard to get through so many hardships that I think it would make for a fascinating  conversation. Unfortunately he’s passed on but his books really make me feel as if I knew him.

5. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?

I have a very eclectic taste in books and have been told frequently that I like “weird” or “random” books (Co-worker:”What are you reading?” me:”A book about Russian orphanages” Co-worker: *long blank stare* “That’s so…weird”)

Since I started blogging I have been reading far more YA fiction- there are many quality books in YA and I have been finding some great reads. I have been picking up a lot of dystopian novels recently, this is a genre that I wasn’t very interested in before blogging.

Thanks for visiting!