Q: You mention having to scrub floors, child, animals, and husband, which seriously impedes upon your reading time. Exactly what kind of animals are roaming around your property?
A: Nothing too exotic, 2 cats and a dog. The dog is just 7 months old and still quite a trouble maker. At times it feels like a zoo, with dog chasing cats and cats fighting with each other.
Q: I have a romantic, idealistic vision of what Nova Scotia is like. Would it live up to my vision? How so? How not?
A: Nova Scotia is very beautiful, especially in the fall when the leaves change. We have every kind of scenery from rocky shorelines, dark woods, mountains and valleys. It’s a great place for people who are outdoorsy or want to be close to nature. There is so much to do when you can get outside and enjoy it! The weather can be unpredictable with lots of rain in spring and long winters but to make up for it we have lovely long falls. The people are generous and genuinely hospitable. Unfortunately, people who live where I do on the island of Cape Breton have had hard times with the collapse of the main industries resulting in a population decline (especially the young people). It’s been difficult to recover from that and opportunities aren’t as abundant as they might be in other places in Canada. Still, when I consider leaving, I can’t imagine living anywhere else!
Q: Have you always been a book lover? What was the first novel that you remember totally captivating you, and why?
A: I can’t remember not being a book lover, so definitely yes! The first ‘real’ book I loved was Little Women. I wished I had 3 sisters like Jo did and lived in 19th century New England. I didn’t know it was only Book 1, up until Mr March returns from the war. It wasn’t until years later that I found out that not only did Beth die but Jo didn’t marry Laurie. I was not very pleased with Louisa May!
Q: I read that big, fat book in 4th grade–and loved it! Okay, next question…If you had the chance to go to the real BEA conference would you go? And if so, what would you want to do/learn most?
A: If somehow I could go, I would even though I think it would be completely overwhelming!I’m not keen on the idea of elbowing my way through crowds to have books signed. Mostly I’d like to meet other book bloggers and attend the blogger panels at the Book Blogger Convention. There are also events put on by publishers for book bloggers that I would give my big toe to attend.
Q: What are the next three titles in your TBR stack? How and why are they in your TBR stack?
A: 1. Death of a Lesser Man by Thomas Rendell Curran. I was given this for review by the publicist. It’s a mystery by a Newfoundland writer.
2. Evelina by Frances Burney. I’m going to be reading this as a group read hosted by The Duchess of Devonshire’s Gossip Guide. I’ve wanted to read it for a long time now and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do it.
3. Don’t Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon. I requested this book from the publisher via Shelf Awareness and will read it for the Once Upon a Time Challenge. It sounds very spooky.
Q: What’s your favorite aspect of book blogging?
A: Being able to discuss my love of books with other like minded people. We might be very different in so many other ways but our passion for books is a common bond. I’m always surprised to find a ‘new’ book blogger only to find out they’ve been blogging for years. It just goes to show how many of us there are out there.
Q: What’s the #1 reason you read?
A: I read to live! Seriously though, I read because there is so much to learn and so many stories I want to hear. I know I won’t live long enough to read everything I want to, even if I live to be a hundred, but I’m sure going to try!
Thanks, Chris. Isn’t it nice to think that there are a bunch of great books yet ahead of us?
If you’d like to know more about Chris, check out her blog, chrisbookarama, or follow her on Twitter (@chrisbookarama).