How many times have you participated in CBR?
I started with CBR 5; that year I read 53 books. This year I’m hoping to hit the double cannonball for the first time.
Has being a participant changed the way you read? If so, how?
Oh for sure. It’s changed the way I read but I think it’s changed me as person a bit, too. It’s gotten me to try out genres and books that I probably would have overlooked, and I’ve learned from those. The sheer volume of books I’m reading has helped me learn about topics that interest me. It’s made me become a regular (like, at least weekly if not more often) patron of our local indie bookstore.
Here’s how I think about CBR: When I was a kid I read ALL THE TIME. I lost that during college; joining CBR and this community felt like rediscovering part of myself.
Do you reread favorite books, or think life’s too short and there are too many new books out there?
I mostly read non-fiction and so find that they don’t lend themselves as well to rereads. That said, I have read Brain Droppings by George Carlin multiple times. Ah, so good.
What’s the first book that made you cry?
I’m pretty sure it was Atonement by Ian McEwan. No spoilers, but there’s a moment fairly deep into the book where the reader discovers something surprising and it absolutely gutted me. I remember I was walking to the subway from work when it hit; by the time I got up into my apartment I was basically sobbing.
What three books would you take with you if you were about to be stranded on a desert island?
Hamilton: The Revolution (so when I get rescued I could sing each song perfectly from memory)
Blindness by José Saramago (still my favorite novel)
Janson’s History of Art or something similar (I know nothing about art history, so now’s my chance to learn!)
Do you prefer a local hole-in-the-wall, a favorite chain, or cooking at home?
Local hole-in-the-wall for sure (although we have a few local chains that are delicious). I’m not so into cooking.
I was trying to think of the first book to make me cry and realized that it’s happened so often that I can’t pinpoint a single book that’s done it.
I’m pretty sure mine was A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Or Cold Mountain. Or maybe Persuasion.
I never used to cry while reading, and now I cry pretty much whenever anything at all happens.
I have enjoyed the purposeful way in which you are reviewing this year. I like your Best For section.
Agreed!
Thank you! I needed a way to mix it up – I’m glad you like that ‘best for’ bit! :)
Cannonball really does bring back a sense of reading self for so many of us. I didn’t realize I was missing it until I was back into it.
Right? I used to buy Babysitters Club and Christopher Pike books about ask quickly as they were released, and got out loads of library books. And then it stopped. And now I’m known to my friends as the reader / bookstore woman again. Thank you CBR!