Thank you, Stephany, for the inspiration!

Have you always been a reader? Do you have a distinct memory of when you truly fell in love with reading?

I remember I had a hard time stringing the sounds together and learned to read kind of late – 8 years old. But once I understood the decoding, I started to read. I read with my mom, I read alone. I was home-schooled after 3rd grade and was extremely lonely. Books helped me create a different reality and helped pass the time. Books were friends. Books are friends.

Was there any time in your life when you were not reading as much? Yes, there were many instances when my reading came to a halt. The newborn stages of both of my kids. Doctoral classes which were intense. Dissertation writing. I was reading back then but, mainly, scholarly pieces.

What parts of your reading taste have changed dramatically over your reading life, and what has stayed consistent? I used to read SO MUCH MORE non-fiction books! Mainly, self-help and wellbeing. Now I am into fiction since, in my 40s, I am more confident and don’t need/want the “advice.”

How often do you talk about books in your day-to-day life?

I do not circulate with big readers in real life. My husband is not a big reader, at least not as much as I am, and the kids… The kids don’t really care about what I read. I do tell my husband about my books, especially if they are very, very good, OR very, very bad. I like to read the book reviews on the blogs I follow since that gives me inspiration. But because I am such a slow reader/don’t have time, I rarely talk about books on my blog.

What is the primary reason you read? The escape aspect of it. I often get attached to characters if the book is good and then go through sort of a “withdrawal.” Reading is fun, reading is deep, reading activates something in me.

I am surprised that I do not belong to a book club. I honestly don’t know how people join one- Meetup? Word of mouth? A neighborhood announcement? A local library?

How about you? Any of the above questions you want to answer?