Quick Questions with a Cannonballer: badkittyuno

First to 52, badkittyuno is the winner of Cannonball Read 8! Judging by the Leaderboard, she’s not going to be a solo champion for long. Fifty-two reviews in two and a half months is a lot of words. Let’s see if badkittyuno has anything left to say about life, the universe, and everything.

You’re at 52 reviews, and it’s only March. Is this your competitive Cannonball spirit, or have you always read so quickly and voraciously?

I have always read like this. In school, I was the kid getting yelled at for reading under her desk while the teacher was talking. I read while walking home, during car trips, at the dinner table, wherever I could. In college, I majored in history because my two favorites things were reading and writing reports. I am the world’s biggest dork. Now, I listen to audiobooks during my lunch-time runs as well as during my hour-long commute, which adds up to a few a month. And I usually read for an hour or two before bedtime each night.

I will say that participating in the CBR has made me more likely to read new books — I used to reread the same ones over and over (I have had to replace certain Stephen King and Neil Gaiman novels from wearing them out). But reading y’all’s reviews and recommendations (plus my rediscovery of the magic of the library) has me seeking out new material as much as possible. Maybe one of these years I’ll devote myself to rereading all those paperbacks that I’ve been planning to revisit one of these days.

How many times have you participated in CBR?

I’m trying to remember…I think I started it in 2013. I read 101 books that year. Then 131 in 2014, then 260 last year. I started my new job with the new commute and time to run at lunch mid-way through 2014, so I guess we can see the increase there! I’ve also started reading a lot more memoirs over the last couple years (thanks to Caitlin_D) which can usually be consumed in one night.

What’s the story of your username?

I had a cat named Uno in high school — he was born in 2000 — and he was the first kitten I’d ever owned. My mom is huge into rescue, but she always took home the old cats with the sad backstories. Anyway, my dad named him Uno because he was the only one in his litter, and we used to call him Badkitty (all one word) because…well…he was. He was very naughty. I’ve been using “badkittyuno” as a username for EVERYTHING for … I guess sixteen years now. Geez. It was an AIM name first.

What’s the first book you recommend to new friends?

I always have people ask me for recommendations, and I try to get an idea of what they like before tossing new stuff out there. But Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere is one of my all-time favorites, and something that appeals to a lot of people. I also have been recommending a lot of Jojo Moyes and Liane Moriarty lately. And Mary Roach if you like non-fiction! And everyone should read Harry Potter.

What’s your favorite book-based movie?

Probably Stardust, one of the few movies that actually improved on the book (which I did like a lot). I also have deep, uncontrollable love for It. And more recently, The Fault in Our Stars — probably one of the truest book adaptations I’ve ever seen (at least from what I could tell through my tears).

Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme?

I actually cannot stand donuts — but DD has good iced coffee!