Ask the Reader #4

It's been a while since we did an Ask the Reader post. This one comes from my pal Kristen (If you missed her great interview about Judy Garland and writing historical fiction/memoir, check it out here)

Favorite book/author?
I am a huge fan of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, as well as just about anything by Edgar Allan Poe. Oh, and I have loved Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland my entire life. Talk about a frightening villain {The Jabberwocky}. Guess I can’t pick just one!

Where do you typically get your books these days?
I recently received a Kindle, which I have fallen in love with. It’s great to be able to get books quickly, and I love that classics are offered by Project Guttenberg. It’s already getting me to read more, which I’ve been missing out on lately.

Have you ever had a “throw the book across the room” moment? If so, why?
I definitely wanted to throw Wicked across the room. I made myself finish it because I have a hard time just giving up on a book, but that one was really a struggle to get through. The narrative voice was unpleasant and unlikable. The play is far better than the book. I’m glad I saw the play before reading the book, because if it had been the other way around, I probably wouldn’t have went to the play.

I totally agree on this one!

What do you look for in a good story?
It seems to be that I either like a horror, a fantasy or a love story. A mix of all three is even better. The voice needs to be interesting and the sentences varied. I need something to grab me in the first few pages and make me care about what happens to the characters. I’m also trying to get through some classics that I’ve never read. Right now I’m reading “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” by Oscar Wilde.

Anything else you want us to know?
Among the first books I wrote were those for my “Girl of Today” around age 9-10. This was an American Girl doll that came with six blank books so you could write her stories. From what I can tell, this is no longer done with this line of dolls, which is really too bad. I loved writing those stories. They were 20 pages long. With the last story I wrote, I couldn’t stop writing at the 20 page mark. I had to cut out additional pages and glue them into the book. This was a great idea that they had, and it really expanded my mind and encouraged my creativity at a young age.

Aww, that's awesome! I remember doing similar things with "Make Your Own Newspapers" and a bunch of short stories I made up as a kid. Thanks Kristen!

If you missed out on previous Ask the Reader interviews, you can always find them in the sidebar under that label.

14 comments:

  1. Having dolls come with blank story books in such a cute idea! It's a shame they don't do it anymore. Children need things to get their imaginations going.

    I've avoiding reading Wicked because I've heard that it's not at all like the play. I've heard this of many of the Oz books, that they're weird and difficult reads, They make for great adaptations though.

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  2. The Kindle is definitely reshaping the reading landscape. It's great, too, that they offer so many classics for free. Love that.

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  3. Great interview! I'll be getting a Kindle soon. I have a Nook, but it's turned into something more I play Angry Birds on than anything else. More books I want to read are only on Amazon.

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    1. Hi Christine!
      That's part of the reason I got the Kindle Paperwhite instead of the Fire or something else. I wanted it just for books without any other distractions. I didn't want to be able to play games or search the Internet.

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  4. I liked Wicked, but I can see how it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.

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  5. I had a hard time with Wicked, too. Still haven't seen the musical, but I want to. I know it must be a lot different than the book, it would have to be!
    I didn't know American Girls used to do that! That is so cool, I wish they still did. My daughter would love that. :)

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    1. It was really cool! I found one of my books the other day and read it. It was funny and so much like a soap opera!I should really see if I can find the rest. I'm hoping they're still around my parents' house somewhere!

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  6. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has felt like throwing a book across the room in frustration. :D

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  7. I love that doll idea! Great way to inspire kids.

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  8. When I was five my brother threw a book across the room and hit me in the eye. My parents took me to the hospital and I had an eye patch for a while. Glad I was able to keep the eye as it was very serious.

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  9. I really wanted to throw Breaking Dawn across the room after ready the climax...if you can call it that. But it's a thick book and I figured I'd end up breaking something.

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  10. what a fantastic idea! wonder why they stopped?
    dorian gray is a great book!

    enjoyed the interview!

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  11. I've had a book thrown at me...does that count? :)

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  12. Love all these comments, guys! I almost threw Mockingjay across the room near the end.

    Thanks for stopping by Kristen!!

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