meet my IRL bookish friends: amy, karen & stephanie

Today’s group of ladies are extremely near and dear to my heart: I met them all on Twitter before getting to hug their necks in real life! (If you’ve missed my two previous bookish friends posts, you can check ’em out here and here.)

You and your PRETTY BLUE EYES. Geez.

Amy

Y’all. I love me some Amy B-Hole. I’d be a liar if I denied that 70% of the reason why I love her so much is because of her snark. And if you don’t follow her on Twitter, you absolutely should. I originally found out about our reading interests via a few Hunger Games tweets, and I’m always curious to see what she’s got thrown onto her Goodreads TBR shelf. She runs a pretty fantastic blog over at Freaky Perfect, and I think you should go read it. Yesterday.

1) All-time favorite book (if you have one, or two…or three):

This is tough, because I really don’t have favorites. But I do have favorite authors, so maybe I’ll just choose my top books from them. There’s The Stand by Stephen King, The Drifters by James Michener, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy,  and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling.

2) Type of books you like to read:

I really love mysteries and thrillers. I can zip through them without thinking too hard, but they satisfy my desire to learn something new with each book I read. I also enjoy historical fiction and graphic novels. And I like what I consider classic “literature,” and by that, I mean books that really don’t fit a genre.

3) Type of characters/stories you like to read about: 

I enjoy characters who are very much like me. I like reading about women and families, and I enjoy the “slice of life” stories that revolve around such characters. Rachel Cusk and Joanna Trollope create some of my favorite characters.

4) The book you’re constantly peer pressuring your friends to read:

Twilight. I have a lot of book snob friends who won’t give this series a chance. Even worse, they pan it without even having read a page. They don’t know what they’re missing!

5) Covers you love (or hate):

I don’t pay attention to most book covers, because they’re bland and forgettable. But two I can always remember are the cover of London by Edward Rutherfurd and Ring by Koji Suzuki.

Bland and forgettable, eh?! I see what you did there, Amy. And as much as I love you, I DO NOT APPRECIATE IT.

 

Karen

I really don’t think you’ve lived until you’ve gone a little psycho at a library book sale with one of your book-loving friends. In this case, my book-loving friend (and cohort) was Karen. She always has something clever to say on Twitter, and as someone who works in a similar creative field as I do, I feel like we have an extra special (read: we can rant together) connection.

1) All-time favorite book (if you have one, or two…or three):

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Runner-up prizes go to A Confederacy of Dunces, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Alice in Wonderland.

2) Type of books you like to read:

Mysteries, thrillers, action/adventure, crime dramas, spy stories. Favorite authors are Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, Lee Child, John D. MacDonald, Patricia Cornwell. (I have had to limit myself from reading Ms. Cornwell’s stories about body farms and autopsies before bed.)

3) Type of characters/stories you like to read about: 

The reluctant hero is my favorite character – that average guy or girl who rises to the occasion in a desperate situation, despite fear and misgiving. They’re not in it for the glory or recognition; they simply want to do the right thing.

4) The book you’re constantly peer pressuring your friends to read:

Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover. It changed my life.

I’d totally jump on this bandwagon, too, except you know, book buying ban and all. I’m sure Dave would approve of that, though.

5) Covers you love (or hate):

Romance novels. I mean, puh-leeze! Who wears a lace bodice? They’re terribly uncomfortable.

Don’t go knocking lace bodices! I mean…yeah, they are terrible.

Stephanie

Okay, I think Stephanie was the first tweep I’d ever met that actually let me gush over books to her in real life. We met up for coffee one evening and I brought several books over for her to borrow (and she even reviewed some of them on her blog!). I remember going home that evening and gushing to Hubs, “She’s so nice! And she loves books! And she’s funny! And she works at X. And she teaches! And she has a farm! And she has MULTIPLE CHILDREN. She’s like Wonder Woman! Seriously!”

1) All-time favorite book (if you have one, or two…or three):

Before the Harry Potter series, I would have easily said Moby Dick.  I know that probably seems strange, but I took a seminar class on it in college and have been in awe of it ever since.  Recently, however, I’ve begun to think I don’t remember it as well as I should or that I’ve even romanticized its greatness. It deserves yet another read, I think. But, um, the short answer to the question (though it’s a little late for that, I realize) I think is the Harry Potter series, with number 7, of course, as the very best.

2) Type of books you like to read:

I feel like I just recently (within the last couple of years) “discovered” YA and wondered how much I’ve missed! I love reading YA books now! I also love sci-fi and superhero stuff. I have a healthy obsession with Superman.

YAngelism FTW. Superheroes are awesome, too.

3) Type of characters/stories you like to read about: 

I love reading dystopian-world type books, especially those that build off the idea of a utopian society gone horribly awry.  As for characters, I have a soft spot for underdogs, so I love to see the unassuming succeed. I also love to see a girl kick butt. 

4) The book you’re constantly peer pressuring your friends to read:

I think the “most recommended” by me would have to be The Hunger Games (I recommend the series mainly because the second one, Catching Fire, is my favorite). I also recommend Harry Potter when I learn that someone’s actually not read all of them (ahem, Capillya) and, of course, Moby Dick.

Way to call me out on the internet, Stephanie!

5) Covers you love (or hate):

Covers I love of books I’ve read: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Covers I love of books I’ve haven’t read (yet!): Eternal Eden by Nicole Williams, Tithe by Holly Black, and Tempest by Julie Cross that you “covered” (hehe) on your blog two months ago.

Twitter is the best, no? Hope you enjoyed reading about these ladies’ book loves as much as I loved having them on the blog. Only three more posts to go!