Portrait of a Reader: Pam K.

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

I have two children, ages 23 and 17. I work as a special education para at an elementary school and enjoy that very much.

Good for you! I’m sure you are making a difference in those children’s lives. 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 think I have probably always been a reader. Our home was full of books when I was a child (as it is now). My mom read to us a lot. We lived on a farm and didn’t see friends much in the summers so I filled the summers with reading. I love to read and always have a book to read. My motto is “A day without books is like a day without sunshine.”

Love that motto! Aren’t you clever! So what do you most enjoy reading now?

The last few years, I’ve been reading mostly Christian fiction, though there are some cozy mystery series that I still read that are mainstream. Within CF, I read historical, contemporary, mystery, women’s, and a little of suspense. Once in a great while I’ll read an Amish book if it’s an author I like. I like to change it up a bit, alternate genres. The one YA author I read is Melanie Dickerson’s fantastic fairy tale re-tellings. I’ve really enjoyed the two books of yours that I’ve read. I haven’t been able to read the latest yet.

Melanie’s books are so great. I have the latest one in my pile. Can’t wait! And like you, I like the alternate genres. What is the last book you finished and what are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading Joanne Bischof’s wonderful Cadence of Grace Series. I finished Be Still My Soul and Though My Heart is Torn and am in the early part of the final book, My Hope is Found. I’m so glad I waited till I had all three books so I can read them one after the other. I don’t like having to wait to find out what happens in the next book of a series. I highly recommend this series but urge readers to have all three books before they begin. Have some tissues handy too.

Good advice! I’ve heard great things about that series. Do you have a favorite time and place to read? 

I usually read in the evening, cuddled up on the loveseat in my living room. I also almost always read in bed. It helps me go to sleep easier (though not always earlier, especially if I’m reading a hard to put down book). I also read during my lunch break at school; I need that bit of peace in my day.

All great moments, but I know what you mean about reading in bed if it’s a hard book to put down! My husband gets so frustrated when I keep the light on late, reading. What is the most unusual circumstance/place in which you’ve been found reading?

I’m not sure I have an answer for this. After reading Lynn Austin’s delightful book, Wonderland Creek, I’ve thought about reading at a funeral but haven’t quite dared to do that! If you don’t know what I’m referring to here, read the book!

Lol! I loved that book! Do you read physical books, ebooks, or both

I read both. I post free ebook links on my book club Facebook page so some of my wonderful book club friends went together and bought me a Kindle for Christmas last year. What I like about it: the abundance of free ebooks, the speed of receiving them, the amount of books one slim device can hold, and being able to change the print size. What I like better about “real” books: I can see the cover (there are some really great ones), I don’t forget what I’m reading or who the author is since that is quite visible, it’s easier to look back if I forget some details (like what year the book is set in), and it’s easier to loan to a friend.

I agree on all counts! And how sweet of your friends to buy you a kindle. That is awesome! So do you buy your books, borrow them from friends or check them out of the library? (Or all of the above!)

I have a very limited budget so don’t buy many new books except as gifts for family. I do borrow some from friends and the library. I’ve also won some book giveaways on blogs and get free ebooks for my Kindle. I find some at our local thrift store and Friends of the Library book sale. I request specific books from family for gifts for my birthday and Christmas.

We readers can get creative, can’t we? Reading doesn’t have to depend on funds–or lack of them. Do you have any favorite foods or drinks that generally accompany your reading?

I usually just drink water but sometimes have hot chocolate or hot tea in the winter or a Diet Coke in the summer. Sometimes I eat my favorite snack (popcorn) followed by a chocolate.

Popcorn and chocolate. I love a salty and a sweet, too. 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? 

I don’t think so, but I have stayed up late reading, making it hard to get up for work the next morning.

Makes the next day hard, doesn’t it? But oh, the story is usually worth the exhaustion. 🙂

Thank you so much for sharing a little bit of yourself with us today, Pam. 

Happy Reading, Y’all!