Thursday, May 23, 2013

Shannon from River City Reading

shannon from river city reading


Please welcome Shannon N., who blogs at River City Reading. Shannon's blog is know for literary fiction and non-fiction reviews.

Questions:



1.      NAME OF MY BOOK BLOG(S): River City Reading

2.      I HAVE BEEN BLOGGING SINCE: February, 2013 - I'm just a wee babe.

3.      GENRES COVERED MOST ON MY BLOG: I tend to focus on contemporary literary fiction, with the occasional bit of non-fiction. 

4.      FIRST BOOK I READ OVER AND OVER: Other than endlessly reading the Berenstain Bears books with my parents, the first book I remember really falling in love with was Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Looking back, it's also one of the first books I can recall recommending to friends, likely with the same geeky fervor I sometimes have today.

5.      MY FAVORITE PLACE TO READ: My husband and I bought a great old house a few summers ago and have been working on getting it back to it's 1914 glory. The best part of it is the big front porch that looks out on the neighborhood; it's absolutely perfect for putting your feet up on the railing and spending time with a book.

6.      MY BOOKSHELVES ARE: Sad. This great old house did not come with great old built in bookshelves and does not lend itself well to configuration with modern bookcases. We're pretty limited to the two we have and they are overflowing, especially since I started the blog. Taking a peek at the top half of one shelf should give you a pretty accurate view of this sorry situation.

7.   A BOOK I LIKE THAT NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO: I know that not everyone disliked it, but after a while it started to feel like I was the only person who enjoyed Herman Koch's The DInner. I can definitely see why it divided readers, though, it needs a very specific audience.

8.   A BOOK I DON’T LIKE THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO LOVE: I had a very hard time with Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I sobbed along with the best of us, but felt a bit manipulated by the novel in a way I haven't been able to properly put into words. 

9.   A BOOK THAT INTIMIDATES ME: Though I'm not sure if it's intimidation or not, I hate the fact that I have started Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall four times and never made it more than a third of the way through. Everything about the book points to me being head over heels in love with it and the fact that I can't finish it, when I very rarely leave books unfinished, drives me absolutely insane. 

10.   MY FAVORITE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION: Though it's TV and not a movie, I'm so impressed by how well the Song of Ice and Fire series has been adapted to Game of Thrones so far. It's such a huge undertaking and could have gone so horribly wrong. Luckily, it's one of those cases where most of the changes have actually improved, or at least been necessary for, the TV series.

11.   MY BOOK BLOG STANDS OUT FROM THE CROWD BECAUSE: Though I claim literary fiction as my main genre, I have pretty eclectic reading tastes and I'm most happy when I'm exploring as much as I can of what's being published. I think my blog offers a good mix, whether it's gushing about Game of Thrones or being upset no one told me about James Salter until I was 28.




Thank you for joining us today, Shannon! Remember to check out Shannon's blog and leave a comment or question.

10 comments :

  1. That big front porch sounds fantastic Shannon :)

    I wonder if you'd have better luck with Wolf Hall on audio?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was considering that. The strange first/third person thing has frustrated me every time. I did just buy a paperback copy (I had been reading on Kindle before), so I'm going to try again. Totally determined!

      Delete
  2. I love the sound of that front porch! I want one!!

    Now, please tell me about James Salter! (I think I'm out of the loop on this one still!!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had never read any of his books until I read All That Is earlier this year, which was his first in 30 years. I was totally floored by his incredible writing. And just so, so sad that I could have been reading him all along.

      I was able to snag a few used copies from his backlist, but have yet to read them. This is one of my favorite quotes, to give you a great sample:
      “There was a time, usually in late August, when summer struck the trees with dazzling power and they were rich with leaves but then became, suddenly one day, strangely still, as if in expectation and at that moment aware. They knew. Everything knew, the beetles, the frogs, the crows solemnly walking across the lawn. The sun was at its zenith and embraced the world, but it was ending, all that one loved was at risk.”

      Delete
    2. Very nice! Thank you for sharing!!

      Delete
    3. Very nice! Thank you for sharing!!

      Delete
  3. Woohoo! Loved reading your answers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It was fun to take some time and actually think about my reading a little.

      Delete
  4. Wait.. what?! I've been blogging longer than you? (only by a month haha) I had no idea!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.