Portrait of a Reader: April F.

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

My husband and I were born and reared in our hometown of Huntingdon, Pa. We met at kindergarten registration when we were almost 5 and I proposed to him on the spot in front of our parents. While we did not date in high school, we were best friends and began dating six months after graduation. We have been married 19 years and have two children, Rachel, 17, and Sam, 15. As a family, we love to laugh, speak sarcasm fluently and probably spend too much time enjoying the antics of our pets.

I love y’all’s story! Like something out of a novel. 🙂  And isn’t her little reading companion, Fiona, so cute? She said she often reads from the kindle app on her smartphone, so she took a selfie. So creative! Ok, April, 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?

My mother read to me every night before bed and because of that, I learned to read well before I began kindergarten. From then on, I was rarely without a book in my hands. My reading level typically was above my grade level, so my teachers’ solution to the “problem” was to buy me books to read (typically out of their own pocket) so that I was reading material that was challenging and interesting to me. I credit their generosity and commitment to education with instilling a lifelong love of reading. I would classify myself as an all-out bibliophile – I devour books.

What great teachers you had! I love that they had such a tangible hand in your love of books and reading. So what do you most enjoy reading now?

I enjoy an eclectic assortment of genres. I enjoy historical fiction, especially Christian historical fiction, dystopian fiction, young adult fiction, biographies, Bible studies and encyclopedias.

Great cross section of material. What is the last book you finished and what are you currently reading? 

The last book I read was Insurgent and I am currently reading Allegiant, the second and third books in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth.

Those sound interesting. Do you have a favorite time and place to read?

Anywhere, anytime, but preferably with a stretch of uninterrupted time, a cat, a couch and a blanket.

Ah, yes. Perfect reading time, though I don’t usually have a cat. What is the most unusual circumstance/place in which you’ve been found reading?

I once stayed up all night to finish a book just so I would not be interrupted.

Ha! Reminds me of a pin on Pinterest that says “I decided staying up all night and finishing my book was more important than being mentally present today.” Do you read physical books, ebooks, or both?

Both, but I’ve been buying more ebooks recently because of the convenience.

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

All of the above!

Good for you! Do you have any favorite foods or drinks that generally accompany your reading?

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans – especially popcorn flavored.

Sounds yummy! 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? 

It has happened, but I try hard so it won’t happen.

Hope you keep up your good record on that! Thank you so much for sharing a little bit of yourself with us today, April.   

Happy Reading, Y’all!