‘Q & A’ Category

  1. Booking Through Thursday: Interview

    January 5, 2012 by sassenach

    Booking Through Thursday If you could sit down and interview anyone, who would it be? And, what would you ask them?

    My first thought was to say Diana Gabaldon, but then I would feel guilty because I still haven’t read her latest Outlander novel. (I’m not a good fan lately!) Also, I met her back in 2007 and, in my starstruck state, couldn’t manage more than “I LOVE YOUR BOOKS I’M SO EXCITED TO MEET YOUUUU!!!” So yeah. Not sure I would do well in an interview with her.

    Actually, I think I’d like to interview Anita Shreve because I adore her books and I find her writing style very inspiring. There’s a distinctly dark quality to her novels and I get the sense that she’s gone through a lot of pain in her life. I don’t expect that she would talk about that with a complete stranger, but I would like to hear about her writing process.

    Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: , , , | No Comments

  2. Booking Through Thursday (on Friday): Gifts

    December 23, 2011 by sassenach

    Booking Through Thursday Any books you’re hoping to get for the holidays this year? How about giving? Are you giving any good ones?

    I never receive books as gifts–I think the people in my life know that I’m always reading, so they probably have no clue which books I’ve already read or already own! On that note, I don’t give books as gifts (with the exception of knitting pattern books; I’ve given those in the past). It’s just so tough to know what someone already owns and I wouldn’t want them to end up with extra copies.

    Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Booking Through Thursday: Character or Plot?

    December 15, 2011 by sassenach

    Booking Through Thursday What’s more important to you? Real, three-dimensional, fleshed-out fascinating characters? Or an amazing, page-turning plot?

    Interesting question. I think I prefer characters that stay with me long after I’ve finished a book. A book might have a great plot that keeps me reading, but if the characters aren’t memorable, then I pretty much forget about the book once it’s read. Some characters that have stayed with me over time are:

    • Charles and Sian from Where or When (so much hate for this on Goodreads, but I don’t care, I adore this book)
    • The father and son from The Road (before I read this, I was worried it would be too depressing [even for me], but I’m so glad I read it)
    • Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower (I read this pretty recently and loved it, so it’ll be interesting to see how I feel about it after some time has passed).

    Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: | 2 Comments

  4. Rewind: 12/7/2006

    December 7, 2011 by sassenach

    I’ve been going through my blog archives lately and ran across this post from exactly five years ago. I figured I would do the meme all over again and see how my answers have changed.

    (Note: with regard to #4, it’s neat that back then I hadn’t read any Stephen King books, and now he is one of my favorite authors!)

    10 random facts about you and/or your life:
    1. I realize that this is the pot calling the kettle black, but I don’t understand certain fandoms–Doctor Who, Star Wars, and anything involving zombies. Does not compute for me.
    2. I am far more snarky inside my head than you will ever know.
    3. I cried when Steve Jobs died.
    4. Whenever this T-Mobile commercial comes on, I could swear they’re singing, “Walking in an orgy wonderland.”
    5. That damn T-Mobile girl annoys me a lot.
    6. I am addicted to putting books on hold/borrowing books from the library. Sometimes I go overboard and have to return books unread. :(
    7. I hope to work on reading from my book stash in 2012.
    8. My toenails are painted teal right now (Wet ‘n Wild – Teal of Fortune).
    9. I probably need a nail polish intervention.
    10. I always feel tired.

    9 foods you could eat forever:
    1. pizza
    2. potato chips
    3. chocolate
    4. ice cream
    5. cheese
    6. Nutella
    7. Krispy Kreme doughnuts
    8. McDonald’s cheeseburgers
    9. omg, this list is disgusting. I have become so unhealthy again.

    8 bands/singers you really love:
    1. Foo Fighters
    2. Lady Gaga (DON’T HATE)
    3. Christina Aguilera (see above)
    4. The Black Keys
    5. Bon Iver
    6. Iron & Wine
    7. Adele
    8. Dead Man’s Bones (Ryan Gosling!)

    7 things you do on a normal day:
    1. work
    2. check my iPhone eleventy billion times
    3. give my dogs belly rubs :)
    4. watch local news
    5. read
    6. alphabetize something
    7. wear makeup

    6 fictional characters (tv/movie/book) that you wish you knew:
    1. Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower
    2. Melinda from Speak
    3. Kathleen from You’ve Got Mail
    4. ok, I’m drawing a blank and can only come up with 3.

    5 candies/sweets you looove:
    1. Hershey’s Cookies & Cream bars
    2. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
    3. Starbucks Mocha Frapps
    4. Other foo-foo coffee like Caramel Macchiatos, hehe
    5. birthday cake (this entire list is exactly the same, haha)

    4 favorite office supplies:
    1. gel pens
    2. notebooks
    3. Post-It notes
    4. notepads

    3 favorite drinks:
    1. water
    2. lemonade
    3. lately–orange soda (Fanta!)

    2 frivolous (or otherwise) wishes:
    1. To win the lottery so I could stay home all day, be a hermit, and read. Or knit. Or…whatever.
    2. To have the freedom to drop everything and go on a road trip across the entire U.S.

    1 good quote:
    “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
    ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

    Category: Q & A, Randomness | Tags: | 2 Comments

  5. Booking Through Thursday (on Saturday): Moods

    December 3, 2011 by sassenach

    Booking Through Thursday Do you find that your mood affects the things you read? Like, if you’re in a bad mood, do you tend to indulge in reading that will support it or do you try to read things that will cheer you up? Do you pick different types of books on dreary, rainy days than you do on bright sunny ones? For that matter, does your mood color what you’re reading, so that a funny book isn’t so funny or a serious one not so deep?

    I tend to drift toward depressing literature, which is why I love Anita Shreve and Edith Wharton so much. But sometimes I need a palate cleanser, so to speak, which is why I read so much YA–it’s usually fluffy and light and I don’t have to think too deeply about what it all means.

    Also, whenever I’m going through tough things in real life, I tend to seek stories that I can get lost in–paranormal and science fiction usually serve the purpose for me. I just looked back at my Goodreads library to see what I read in August when things were really crazy. My reading was kind of all over the place, but I was just grateful to have an escape.

    I think I’m more likely to ‘wallow’ in sadness through movies, rather than books. When I’m feeling down, I’ll watch a sad movie just to get it all out, cry, whatever–but for books, I usually try to take my mind off of reality for a while.

    Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: | No Comments

  6. Booking Through Thursday: Romantic

    February 17, 2011 by sassenach

    Booking Through Thursday What’s the most romantic book you’ve ever read? (Mind you, I don’t mean the hard-core stuff you hide in plain wrappers under your mattress. I mean True Love, Romance, deeply emotional, heart-tugging, and all that stuff.) And, secondly, did you like it? Is it your usual kind of reading, or did it take you by surprise?

    I’m a big fan of romantic books. Or, I guess I should say, romance *in* books. I went through a phase when I was only reading romance novels (you know, the cheesy stuff that Harlequin and Silhouette publish), but I got bored with that pretty quickly. As for romantic books, I have a couple favorites.
    Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

    Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

    It’s almost become a stock answer for me to say that Outlander is one of my favorites (and it is), but if we’re talking romance, Voyager definitely delivers. I don’t want to spoil it, but there’s a reason why the first three books in the series are at the top of my list. If you read it, do be sure to have a supply of tissues at hand because you’ll absolutely need them.
    The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

    The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

    I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did, but it stayed with me for a long time after reading it. I think the story is both beautiful and haunting. I was looking through some of my friends’ reviews on Goodreads and it’s interesting to see the variety of opinions about the book. Some, like me, loved it; others didn’t really connect with the characters or story. At any rate, this is another book that absolutely falls into the Romance category for me. Do yourself a favor–read the book but skip the movie. They did a very sloppy job adapting this story for the screen.

    Category: Q & A, Reading | Tags: | No Comments

  7. Friday Five: Hobbies

    February 11, 2011 by sassenach

    Friday Five–February 11, 2011

    1. What are some hobbies you would like to try, but haven’t done so?
    I’d like to try spinning yarn. I bought a drop spindle kit a while back, but haven’t gotten around to using it.

    2. Why did you not pursue these hobbies?
    Honestly, I’m worried that I’ll really enjoy spinning and I do not need to acquire another stash (roving, spindles, wheels, etc)! Maybe sometime in the future, when I have more disposable income.

    3. Do you often feel limited by your financial state with how you spend your free time?
    I’d feel way less limited if I didn’t have a full-time job! Think of all the knitting and reading I could get done…sigh. I need to win the lottery.

    4. Do your hobbies play a major part of your life, or help define who you are?
    I’d say my hobbies are a huge part of my everyday life. I’m always reading or knitting something. Sometimes, I crochet and sew. I’m trying to make photography a more prominent hobby, which is why I’m doing the Year in Pictures project. I think I’d be a much more depressed and stressful person if I didn’t have hobbies.

    5. Do you have any hobbies you have made income from?
    I ran an Etsy shop several years ago (my sold items are here), where I sold handdyed yarn. It was fun dyeing the yarn, but really time-intensive. I was working at the time, so it became a chore trying to stock and maintain the shop. I also had to make many trips to the post office to mail the yarn. It’s pretty tough to be a one-woman operation! Also, since I kept prices pretty low, I didn’t make much profit on the yarn at all, so it wasn’t a very lucrative endeavor for me.

    I’ve had inquiries from people wanting to commission me for knitting projects, but I’ve declined. There’s just too much pressure trying to worry about whether they would like what I knit for them. I’ve also had family members tell me I should try selling my knits, but…well, if you’re a knitter, you understand why I choose not to. :) I like to knit for myself and occasionally for other people, but I’m just not interested in knitting for pay. I think a lot of the joy of knitting comes from the fact that it’s something I LIKE to do, not something I HAVE to do. I don’t want to lose that feeling.

    Category: Knitting, Q & A | Tags: | No Comments

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