Armchair BEA Interview with Jen from The Introverted Reader

I have the privilege of interviewing and getting to know Jen from The Introverted Reader for my Armchair BEA blogger connection experience. Jen is a fairly new blogger, starting just a few months ago. But it appears to me that she has it all figured out and is hosting features and getting tons of followers already! She's also been reviewing on Goodreads for years. Click here to find her profile there. And if you are into Twitter, she's there too!

One of the features she has going is called The Character Connection, which is a chance to post about your favorite character crushes! Click here for more info on that. I think I'm just going to have try this one soon! (Isn't that the cutest button?)

But anyway... on to the interview!

What is keeping you from going to BEA this year? Do you have plans to go some year in the future?

I only started my blog in late November, so I still feel pretty new. I hadn't even heard of BEA until the past couple of months, which was way too late for me to get time off from work and make plans to go. I would love to go in the future! I'm already trying to talk my aunt, who loves New York and books, into going along with me. She's willing! So hopefully I'll get to go as soon as next year. *fingers crossed*

What's the biggest thing you'll miss about not being at BEA?

It sounds like such a great experience in so many ways! I would love to meet other bloggers; sit in on the Book Blogger Con, because the topics they're covering are ones I have questions about; and of course meet authors, look at new books and scoop some of them up!

What's your favorite book you've read so far this year and why?

I read three close together that I just can't choose from. The Help by Kathryn Stockett was incredible. It was such an everyday kind of story about these women's lives at such an important time in history. I didn't feel like I was being hit over the head with the message but it still came through loud and clear. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake was great. I love WWII novels and this one was set right before the US entered the war, which is a time I haven't really read about before. I just loved the way that the novel was beautifully written and it tackled those "What if?" questions that we all have to live with. She-Rain: A Story of Hope by Michael Cogdill is set in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, which is where I live. The characters go through some incredibly dark times, but it truly was a story of hope. The setting and the theme hooked me.

Who is the most recent "new-to-you" author that you've discovered and added to your favorite list?

I just finished reading Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran and I loved it. She immediately went onto my "author_to_follow" shelf on GoodReads. That was great historical fiction.

What do you do with your non-blogging and reading time?

My husband and I like to travel a lot, even if it's just a weekend away. We're also usually working on some project around the house. We haven't made as much time for this lately, but we do enjoy hiking and camping. We love to see traveling Broadway shows, or really anything on the stage.

Describe what your perfect day would be like.

That depends on how energetic I'm feeling! Some days it's just heavenly to lie around in my pjs, reading, blogging, and watching movies, especially on rainy or snowy days. Now that summertime is here, I'm more likely to enjoy a nice breakfast with my hubby, heading out to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a drive and maybe a hike, having a picnic along the way somewhere and maybe squeezing in a little reading time there, then home for a nice shower and a divine dinner. My husband's the cook, thank goodness!

What's the best thing you've discovered about book blogging?

This huge, welcoming community, which I didn't even really know existed before! I had tapped into it a little on GoodReads (I've been on there for three years already), but I was surprised to find what feels like an even bigger book blogging community. I enjoy when people stop by and leave comments on my blog, and I love reading what others have to say on their blogs. I also have to admit that I enjoy having my own space on the web to talk about whatever I want and learning a little about html and how to make my blog look the way I want.

Tell us about a favorite reading/bookish memory.

Books have truly always been in my life, so it's hard for me to think of just one thing that stands out. Hmmm. Here's one. I love L.M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. My little local library only had a couple of her books. Every summer, my family used to spend a week at the beach, and there was one little bookstore that my mom always took my sister and I to. They sold every book Montgomery had ever written, I swear! So I looked forward to going to that bookstore every summer and getting a new book or two for my collection. I have all of her fiction now, as far as I know, and they almost all came from that little bookstore on the beach.

Non-bookish favorites:

- music/song: "Drops of Jupiter" by Train is my all-time favorite song. Other artists that make it into the player regularly are Sara Bareilles, Nickelback, and Michael Buble.

- food: That would have to be a toss-up between anything that includes cheese or chocolate.

- place to visit: Oh, tough one. I've been fortunate enough to go to Italy and Hawaii on vacation and I loved both. Rome and the island of Kauai were my favorite places. I also love this tiny little town on the coast of North Carolina called Emerald Isle. My mom's family used to rent a beach house together when we were all kids and I have tons of great memories from there.

- movie: My very, very favorite would have to be Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

- TV show:  I've worked the night shift for ten years and I'm hopelessly out of the loop on current shows. I've always loved Friends and Seinfeld though. Now all I ever see is whatever's on HGTV. Did I just date myself?

- candy bar:  Snickers, hands down.

Fun answers! Thanks Jen! I truly look forward to getting to know you better.