Quick Questions with a Cannonballer: mathildehoeg

How many times have you participated in CBR? Has it changed the way you read?

I first participated in CBR6, so this would be my 4th Cannonball Read. I first signed up to motivate myself to get back into reading and my first year was a smashing success. The second and third year…we don’t speak of those. Last year I almost made my goal of 52 books, but fell short by one because Christmas and travel and other terrible excuses – I did actually read the book, just never got round to reviewing it.

CBR has definitely changed the way I read – I read a lot more genres now and I scoff a lot less about YA and romance genres. I used to be quite a snob, but now I read across genres and that’s pretty much down to some of the kickass cannonball reviewers who find good things in every genre. I’m even reading non-fiction which is, like, whoa-crazy. I basically didn’t even consider it to be a genre before.

Oh and also I started going to the library a lot more!

What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?

Matilda. It’s such a clichéd answer when your name’s Mathilde, but I loved that movie as a kid. I was an awkward book worm who felt misunderstood. And the movie has some wonderful shots in it as well. Little Matilda pulling all her books back from the library, beautiful Ms. Honey, the magic, defeating evil Ms. Trunchbull. It was such a delight to me. I read the book after I’d seen the movie and for some reason I still feel the movie is just a bit more magical.

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

The First Bad Man by Miranda July. I recently did recommend this to a friend! Book recommendations can come across a bit like a test and I’d be pretty gutted if it turned out they didn’t like it. Still if it’s someone with an interesting mind you’ll still get to discuss your favorite book with them and The First Bad Man absolutely floored me. I read the first page and it was like reading about myself. Even throughout the book when the events are completely unrelatable I still had this feeling like it was my mind on display.

If it’s just a friend looking for a good book I would go with Rat Queens. Most of my potential friends are nerds so I’d safely assume they’d enjoy that.

Do you reread favorite books, or is your TBR pile too demanding?

Life’s too short not to re-read books! Everytime you re-read a book there is something new in there, either because you have changed or the world has changed. If you truly love a book you owe it to the book to read it again.

This year I’ll be rereading The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner because I was too young when I read it the first time to properly enjoy it. I will also reread The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster because that book is a forking delight.

How many chances do you give an author? (He/she comes highly recommended, but you gave a few books a try and they’re maaaaybe not your style?)

The only author I’ve ever given several chances is Margaret Atwood. I absolutely loved The Handmaid’s Tale and eargerly started reading as much as I could by Atwood. Most of it was fine, but did very little for me. I still persevered for several years and even through the excrutiatingly long The Blind Assassin. I’m almost relieved that she’s saying some troublesome stuff now, because it means I can finally stop pretending I love her and just recognize her as a mediocre author who did one book really well.

Other than that I give zero second chances. Which is also great life advice, by the way: give zero second chances, there’s always another book.

Cats or dogs?

Puppers 5evver.