BBAW Blogger Interview

Due to a miscommunication on my part I was privileged to interview TWO bloggers. Jessica & Melissa.


Jessica of Mountains of Books is a SAHM (25 – 30) with a wonderful husband and an adorable 9-month-old boy…that they wish would let them sleep more. There are no pets. She has been blogging since March of this year.

Jessica explains her blog title on her site.


I understand the "Mountains of Books" and I'd love to have Belle's library but why blogging?
I truly love reading, but it had been a few years since I had read regularly...your life happens (work, wedding planning, babies,etc) and I was finding I was really missing it. So, Mountains of Books was a way to put some reading goals down for myself, keep track of what I've been reading, share with others, and discover so many other great books from other book bloggers!


Do you have a favorite book?
Um...it's hard to pick. I'd usually say A Room with a View by E.M. Forster. I read it first in high school and it really left an impression on me.


Author?
Jane Austen.


Okay, you want to read every book you find but what genre do you usually reach for first?
Usually, it's the classics. It's what I started with, I mean, after Berenstain Bears and American Girl books.


Own or borrow?
Depends on the type of book. If it's something I really enjoyed, then own. If it's a quick read, like chick lit, then borrow.


Paperback or hardcover?
Either.


How do you feel about ebooks?
I'm not opposed, but I prefer to hold something.


What do you do when you aren't reading?
Take care of my son, cook, scrapbook, blog (!), and work on my Montessori studies


Have you joined any challenges?
The Everything Austen Challenge from Stephanie's Written Word


How do you feel about them?
I'm enjoying it. I had a few Austen related books on my to read list this year, so it's helping me out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melissa of The Betty and Boo Chronicles is a married 40 year-old working mom of twins, more about her family at the end. She has been blogging since August 2008.


My niece couldn't say my daughter's name Sam so for a very long time she was Ham. With that in mind, I've got to ask, is there a story behind Boo?
I wish there was some funny story, but it's just what we've always called him, ever since he was born. It fits him. I did get an email awhile ago - I'm not sure if that person still follows my blog or not - who also had a son named Boo, and his real name is the same as my son, and my husband's. Kind of freaky in that small-world-Internet way.


Why blogging? What is your favorite part of blogging?
Like many bloggers, The Betty and Boo Chronicles started just over a year ago as a way to keep relatives updated with photos, the funny things my kids say, etc. I'd thought about starting a blog for awhile, but just ... never did.

At the same time, I had been trying to figure out how to get back into writing, which I love and had missed from my days pre-kids. And then I discovered the world of book bloggers and thought it incredible that someone would even be interested in reading what I thought about books. And then I couldn't resist commenting about the Presidential election ... and it just evolved from there.


Favorite book, author, genre?
Oh, gosh ... so hard to name just one! :) Two of my all-time favorites, Lorrie Moore and Rachel Simon, both have newly-published books, so that's a great literary treat. I also loved Ursula Hegi's "Stones from the River," and several of her others (with the exception of her latest). Beth Kephart is also a favorite, and has been long before she became a blogging friend. And I also love Jay McInerney. From these, you can probably tell that my favorite genre is contemporary literary fiction.


Student of... or Profession
Let's just say that I work for a non-profit and that my job involves doing something that a lot of people say they could never do or are afraid to do. {side note: I’m guessing public speaker!}


When was the last time you were able to scrapbook? What else do you do when not reading? (besides work, twins, etc...)
My best friend and I treated ourselves to a scrapbooking weekend retreat earlier this spring, in celebration of our 40th birthdays, which are just a few days apart. It was decadent - the food, sleeping late, no kids .... We're trying to make it an annual thing. I've been digital scrapbooking for almost two years now, and since all my photos are on my computer, that's so much easier.

Aside from working, reading, writing this blog and reading other blogs, I enjoy cooking. I'm also a calligrapher - I do people's wedding invitations, so you could find me doing that on occasion.


How is your novel coming?
Novel? Oh, yeah, I did blog that I was writing a novel, didn't I? Well ... does a page of notes count? I do think about the story a lot, and I know, I know, I just need to get writing. I'm considering doing NaNoWriMo this year to help with that.


Own or borrow?
Borrow - from the library. I love the library.


paperback or hardcover?
If it's a book I'm buying, 99% of the time it will be paperback. But my library books are generally hardcover.


How do you feel about ebooks?
I'm intrigued. I'd like to try a Kindle. I like the idea of always having a book with me and not lugging it around in my cluttered purse. But, I'm somewhat old-fashioned in that I could never give up reading actual books.


Have you joined any challenges?
I'm hoping to complete Dewey's Books, and I had joined Just for the Love of It (?) this spring. That was only 5 books, and I think I only read 3 of them. :(


How do you feel about them? Have they pushed you to read outside your comfort zone?
I like the idea of challenges, but I also like being able to read what I want, when I want. At the same time, though, I would like to try reading more outside my comfort zone and there are challenges that I think I could have completed this year, had I joined. Next year ...


Any family/pets you'd like to share with us?
My husband is The Dean, as I refer to him in the blog, and my kids are, obviously, Betty and Boo. We just got a new cat a few weeks ago named Mrs. Douglas. That was her name at the shelter, and it actually has significance to our family, so we kept it. (Blog post about getting her - Meeting Mrs. Douglas.) I'll post a few pics of her soon.


Anything else you want to share?
Can't think of anything else! It's been fun chatting with you ... thanks for the interview!



Me again, don’t forget to stop by both of these blogs and check them out!