Portrait of a Reader: Alice

Welcome, Alice! Please start by introducing us to yourself and your family.

Hi! Reading is my passion. One of them, that is, “for I dearly love to laugh.” I also enjoy blogging and drinking tea. I am so blessed to have an incredible family loves me and loves the Lord. My brothers and sisters are my best friends. My parents are my greatest role-models and encouragers. We’re a little crazy, but we have a lot of fun, and I like it that way. 😉

Isn’t she a cutie? I hope my young adult children would say the same about our family, Alice. So when did you first come to identify yourself as a reader? What do you most enjoy reading? Do you consider yourself a casual reader, a sporadic reader, a serious reader or an all-out bibliophile?

I’ve always enjoyed books–how they feel, how they smell, what they look like. I really got serious about reading when I was about 9. I read “little kid” books by the dozens and any chapter books I could understand and not get bored with.

I would definitely consider myself an all-out bibliophile! 🙂 Libraries and bookstores give me that random shiver-of-excitement that doesn’t really have an explanation. Giddiness?

Yes! Giddiness! I completely get that. There is just something about all those books in one place, just waiting to be read. What do you most enjoy reading?

My favorite genre is historical fiction, specifically regency, medieval, Tudor/Elizabethan, and early 1900s. I like a blend of mystery, adventure, clever wording, light romance, and loads of comedy!

A few specific authors: Nicole Sager (The Heart of Arcrea), Georgette Heyer (The Grand Sophy/Arabella/The Masqueraders), Jen Turano (A Most Peculiar Circumstance), Sandra Byrd (The Secret Keeper), Anne Mateer (At Every Turn), Chuck Black (The Knights of Arrethtrae/Realms of the Light), Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice/Persuasion), Sheri Cobb South (The Weaver Takes a Wife), Heidi Ashworth (Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind), Julianne Donaldson (Edenbrooke), Deborah Meroff (Coronation of Glory), Michael Philips (Stonewycke), AVI (Beyond the Western Sea/Traitor’s Gate), Louisa May Alcott, J.B. Cheaney… hehe- exactly. 😉

Hard to pick just a few! I recognize many of my favorites in your list and feel very honored to be listed among them. Thank you. And you’ve given me several titles to look for, too. I simply ADORED Edenbrooke. So glad you’ve read it as well. What is the last book you finished and what are you currently reading?

The last book I read was Mildred Keith by Martha Finley- I’ve always wanted to read it since I read quite a few of the Elsie books, and I really enjoyed it. I am currently reading Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay. I’m really enjoying it! It’s like an emotional roller coaster, and the characters are well developed and unique.

Oh, how I loved Dear Mr. Knightly! You need to find the book that inspired it, Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster, written in the early 1900s. It’s on my keeper shelf, too. Do you have a favorite time and place to read? 

Anytime is a good time to read! 🙂 In the evening is probably ideal as there is not as much to do, and I can get more read. But reading in the afternoon is also nice, so I can read outside. Reading outside is best when it’s not too cold and not too hot, with a nice cool breeze. I usually either read outside on our porch glider, in an overstuffed chair, or by a window.

All good times and places. But you are right–readers read any time, any place. So what is the most unusual circumstance/place in which you’ve been found reading?

Well, when I was younger I would usually stuff the floor of my closet with blankets and throw in all my dolls and read in there…but that’s not so unusual. I’m kind of picky about having good lighting, so I’m not known for reading in any strange/out-of-the-way places cause they usually aren’t well lit. (Why is this, I wonder? Nooks and crannies should always be well lit because they are the perfect place to read!) But if the book is good enough, and I’m helping out with dinner, I usually read while stirring something on the stove, or I read as many paragraphs as I can get in before the timer goes off, etc. Sweeping can get tricky. 😉 Haha.

Lol! Maybe that’s why I so rarely get to the sweeping! 🙂  Do you read physical books, ebooks, or both?

I never read ebooks or listen to audiobooks. I prefer paperback, but I’ll read a hardback if that’s all I have or if it feels more bibliophile-ish than the paperback. 😉

Do you buy your books, borrow them from friends or check them out of the library? (Or all of the above!)

Whichever gets it to me faster, depending on the book/circumstance! 🙂 Lately, I’ve been buying most of the books I want to read (if I know the author and they have clean content), and usually the friends that read the same style/genre as I do don’t live close enough to borrow frequently from. I’ll get it from the library if they have it… then, if it meets expectations, I may still buy it. 😉

I hear you. When a book is a good one, there is something in me that just has to have it on my shelf. Gets a little tricky, space-wise, after many years of collecting books. Do you have any favorite foods or drinks that generally accompany your reading?

Oh yes! Tea or coffee is usually close at hand (or IN my hand). I like hot teas like Constant Comment, Chai and Black. Iced tea or raspberry lemonade is a favorite in Spring/Summer. And I never turn down a good cup of coffee! 🙂 I don’t usually eat while reading- unless I’m eating a meal alone for some reason–or there are cookies made. 😉

What is it about a drink and reading? They just go together. And cookies? Oh, yes! Finally, it’s true confessions time: have you ever forgotten something important (to fix dinner or that dinner was in the oven or an appointment, etc) because you were lost in the pages of a book? 

Well, I consider cookies in the oven important, so, yes! 🙂 (They didn’t really burn…they were just a little more done than usual. ;)) And I’m always losing track of time, so I may not forget about needing to go somewhere, I just may be late…or need someone to ask “Um…do you know what time it is?” :}

You are a reader after my own heart, Alice! Thank you so much for sharing a little bit of yourself with us today. 

Happy Reading, Y’all!