Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Book Confessions



I was chatting with Rissi, Kara and Jamie on twitter and they had done this, so I stole it

(with the exception of "picture of your bookshelf thingy; because I cannot CHOOSE a favourite. Last night i was kinda tied between my Patrick O'Brian sea-faring shelf, my Sherlockiana and my LM Montgomery scholarship. They are all special ).

super excited with books!!!!

What are your top three book pet hates?


1.) Italicized prayers: in CBA fiction when there is a break in narrative to have the character thinking a prayer, noted by italics--- often it seems forced and often silly ( are you really praying for God to help you find feminine hygiene products in the work bathroom) and often it is the tell-tale sign of a book that is not organically a faith journey; rather a secular book that with the inclusion of a few throwaway prayers is targeted to the Christian market


2.) Love triangles: like, serious love triangles. Not the heroine or hero naturally finding themselves attracted to a person clearly wrong for them as they undergo a journey toward the person they are meant to be with.




3.) Children: precocious children with childish dialect to emulate the way a toddler talks. URGH



Describe your perfect reading spot

As I mentioned to Anne Mateer here, I can read anywhere. I do like reading in coffee shops or outside (in philosopher's walk in Toronto), I read on the subway to work every morning, I read in bed a lot every night and I love reading with a glass of wine or a pint on a patio (now that it's summer ) or curled near a fireplace in the winter. I have a few favourite pubs in my city I frequent. One in cabbagetown, One near the Elgin theatre and a few in the West End. I am a nomad reader. I got a massive sunburn reading by the river in Etienne Brule park last weekend.

Tell us three book confessions.

1.) I don't really like first person present unless it is super well written (holla, Christa Parrish)


2.) I have trouble embracing books that have become super big or popular --and that it is the "Thing" to read. I am wary of them


3.) It will take a lot for me to read a book that only has four or five stars on amazon. Honestly, if there is not some variance of opinion it cannot have sparked debate and if it hasn't sparked debate or variance of opinion, it might just be too rosy-coloured for me.


When was the last time you cried during a book?

I was reading an author friend's yet-unpublished (SHAME) manuscript over the weekend and I bawled.


How many books are on your bedside table?

A Place in His Heart

Paris Letters

the galley of Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer

Saving Amelie

Washington's Spies




What is your favorite snack while you’re reading?


I drink copious amounts of tea. I like microwave popcorn or jelly bellys. I live by myself so I often eat dinner while reading


Name three books you would recommend to everyone.

This is hard. But here are three books that during my long and established career as a bookseller really garnered the most enthusiasm:

1.) Deafening by Frances Itani

2.) The Blooding of Jack Absolute by CC Humphreys

3.) That Summer in Paris by Morley Callaghan


and, of course, I recommend Horatio Lyle and the Blue Castle to every kindred spirit....


What is your biggest reading secret?

I will give every author two chances. Just in case there was a book of theirs that didn't sit with me, I wasn't in the mood, or the subject matter was off. After that, nope. Strike out ;)





6 comments:

Amber Perry said...

This is so fun!!! I think I might copy you and do this on my own blog because this was just SO entertaining!!! (I'm feeling bad... my book had italicized prayers. gulp... )
I found we had more "book" things in common after reading this post. *sigh* Love it!
More please! ;)

Rissi said...

Rachel, yay! You joined in the fun. :)

What fun book confessions.

Agree with the whole love triangle thing as well as the whole first person prose. If it's well done, I don't mind. But sometimes... it just doesn't work.

Also, I smiled at your thought about the bookshelf picture - I couldn't pick a favorite so I just went with a picture of a bookshelf. It worked. ;)

...and three cheers for the giving an author's work a second chance. All you say is SO true - sometimes it's just the setting or a mood. Sometimes I even try a book by one a third time! ;D

Unknown said...

How did I not know Montgomery wrote that?! Obviously I downloaded it immediately. Washington's Spies awaits on my kindle :) I'm waiting for Turn to finish on AMC and then I'll dive in.

So if I ever find myself in your part of Canada, can we please grab a pint and chat books and life?!

Karen Barnett said...

Mmm, jelly bellies. I need to head to the store now! :)

Kara said...

I pretty much read anywhere. If I have a book, and free time, then wherever I am, that's where I'm reading! If the story is really good, I'll completely forget where I'm at. (Has even happened in the airport, where people are everywhere.)

I've had The Blue Castle on my tbr for a long while thanks to you! No idea why I haven't read it yet. I hadn't heard of Horatio Lyle, but am intrigued by the synopsis. I'll definitely check it out now.

Glad you joined in the fun with us! :)

Rel said...

We are kindred spirits in so many ways, my dear Canadian friend, and not just with regard to the Blue Castle! Here we are sisters of the best kind:

1. BOO to love triangles - blech!
2. First person present is befuddling
3. Christa Parrish can write however she likes and I'm there!
4. Tacked on faith stuff, like, oops, better toss in something of the divine...
5. "I wan't my wittle dolly, pwease!" - ugh, shivers just writing that, and not the good kind!
6. Is there ever someplace unsuitable to read?!
7. I refuse to read the "next best thing"!

We'll just ignore the tea, wine, and pint stuff. Gosh, I don't even drink coffee!

Loved this! Hugs xo