As ArmChair BEA continues my Google Reader and my TBR list are exploding with new finds.
Today is the day for networking with our fellow participants, although if you are like me you’ve already been doing plenty of networking.
Through this networking event we’ll be learning a bit more about
the participating bloggers. I had the pleasure of interviewing Margo from The Fourth Musketeer. The focus of her blog is on historical fiction and non fiction for children and teens. This is a niche that I haven’t really explored so I found perusing her site to be a real treat.
TRC: I’ve read that we fall into one of two categories, a book collector (those who resist e readers, like the smell and feel of books) and a reader (those who read books, but rarely keep them). Which would you say that you are?
TFM: I’m afraid I am both—like all of us book bloggers I’m a book junkie. I have so many books that I keep running out of space so most of the ones I get now I do give away, but I still wind up keeping some new ones. I especially like to collect autographed copies and have a small collection. I recently bought a Color Nook for my birthday a few months ago but actually haven’t used it yet! I bought it to mostly be able to read ARCS from NetGalley and I am still ploughing through hard-copy ARCS I collected from ALA-Midwinter.
TRC:. When did you know that you wanted to become a librarian? Are you enjoying the coursework? Are there any classes that would be surprising to someone who hasn’t gone through such a program?
TFM: Library work is a mid-life career change for me; I spent many years in the non-profit world in college fundraising, tried my hand at my own business as a children’s photographer, and then worked at our local independent children’s bookstore. It was while I was at the bookstore that I realized that my real passion was matching kids with books they love. There is so little opportunity in the independent bookstore sector these days that I decided to pursue library work instead, which would also give me the opportunity to work with kids and books. I’m doing an on-line program, which I am enjoying, although I don’t find it as satisfying an educational experience as in-person classes. I think some people might be surprised that in an on-line program we are required to do quite a bit of group work; most of the time we never meet in person and everything is done through on-line meeting programs!
TRC: Your blog is fairly genre specific. Do you ever read anything that wouldn’t fit your blog?
TFM: Oh, definitely! I like to read mysteries and thrillers, especially ones with interesting settings (I’ve especially enjoyed The First Ladies Detective series, for example), some fantasy (children’s fantasy, mostly–I’m a big fan of the Ranger’s Apprentice series) and humor. I’m really enjoy audiobooks as well and right now I’m listening to Tina Fey’s Bossypants during my dog walking.
TRC: What are the next three books you are planning to read?
TFM: I just checked out Geraldine Brooks’ new historical fiction title Caleb’s Crossing from the library; I’m also planning to read a new historical fiction title for kids called Bella Donna by Mary Finn, and another called Five Fourths of July, by Pat Hughes.
TRC: What question are you never asked in an interview but wish you were and what is the answer?
TFM: What’s the first book that made you cry? For me it was Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with the Circus, which I read as a little girl. I still have the book, and you can still see the tear stains on the pages!
TRC: Do you give books as gifts? What is your favorite book to give?
TFM: I love to give books as gifts, especially for baby gifts. My favorite books to give for babies are anything by Sandra Boynton! For other ages I try to give something according to the personality and interest of the particular person, so I don’t really have a “go-to” book for gifts for older children or adults.
TRC: What books would people be surprised to learn that you own?
TFM: That’s a hard one–I have a very old Settlement Cookbook (originally published in 1903 although my edition isn’t quite that old) that belonged to my grandmother. I can’t imagine actually cooking out of it but I just couldn’t give it away when she passed away!
Thank you so much Margo, it was a pleasure meeting you. While our blogs are very different, I think we have a lot in common.
© 2011, Teresa. All rights reserved.
Great interview. You asked a lot of really good questions. I think I’m gonna steal a couple of the for future interviews I give …
happy interview day! I posted your interview: http://proudbooknerd.com/2011/05/25/armchair-bea-teresas-reading-corner/
OOH wow I will have to check her blog out. right up my alley =)
Here’s my list of fave blogs.
Nice interview. I would have to say I’m both too like TFM. I have finally caved and purchased ebooks, but I still enjoy paper books and I have shelves and shelves full of them that I refuse to get rid of, which is how I got the ereader, hubby said no more bookshelves.
Thank you Teresa for stopping by my blog today. I added your blog to my Rss feed, so I look foward to staying connected.
Networking With My Favorite Bloggers
Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my blog again. Reading Aine Greaney’s post made me sad, too. Though, I struggled with cursive handwriting in school: it was the only “subject” I couldn’t ace (well, that and throwing a football)
Great interview! I love my NookColor! It was opened within 3o seconds of unwrapping it, and I think within the first hour I had way too many books on it already. NetGalley can be a dangerous place!
Thanks for participating in our round-robin interviews! They are randomly assigned, so one of my favorite things is seeing who gets matched up with whom. Sometimes the bloggers are complete opposites, and others find a ton of similarities, like in your interview. I hope you had fun and were able to make some new blogging friends!
One thing that I really liked about doing the interviews for Armchair BEA is that you do get to meet people that you wouldn’t have otherwise met.
Thanks so much for interviewing me and for the very thoughtful questions! I really enjoyed participating.