I'm so excited to host fellow Utah blogger, Lorren today! Lorren was the first person to ever comment on my blog, and is seriously one of the nicest people. If I could describe her blog The Story Girl in one word, it would be cultured. You will feel smarter just by visiting.
Get to know Lorren better!
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| Lorren is in the middle & her husband is on the right. Sorry I don't have a better picture! |
Why
did you decide to start The Story Girl?
I
actually had no idea that there were other book bloggers. My sisters-in-law had
this really cool craft blog (beeinourbonnet.com) and because I liked to
write, I started thinking of what I could ever blog about, not really thinking
I would seriously do it. I read a lot and thought that it would be fun to write
about the books I read so I started to blog about them.
What's the hardest part about blogging? The best?
I
think the hardest part is justifying the time that I spend doing it. Because I
am so busy with school and everything else in my life, at times I think maybe I
should just let blogging slide and focus on the other responsibilities that I
have. However, I find blogging really rewarding. It is combining two things I
love -- reading and writing -- so taking the time to do it is actually relaxing
to me even though it takes time.
You have a good mix of adult/young adult and new (netgalley) books and classics. Do you have a favorite genre? Have you always read a variety of books?
I
think I go through phases with my favorite genre. When I was in middle school I
only read fantasy and when I was in high school I only read classics. Now I
think I have discovered a wider range of books and really like experiencing all
of them, although I definitely have phases (right now I am in a fantasy
phase).
Is there a book or series you like that you wish more people knew about?
My
favorite book of all time is Kartography by Kamila Shamsie, and not
many people have heard of it. I think for me it might be kind of like the
fictional book The Imperial Affliction that Hazel in The Fault in Our
Stars loves -- I don't know if it is a good book or just an okay book,
but for some reason I had a huge emotional connection with it and I absolutely
love it. I wish more people would read it (and love it, of course).
What book character do you think is most like you? Your husband?
My
husband is easy to characterize -- he has a lot in common with Peeta in The
Hunger Games (but think book Peeta, not movie Peeta, because my
husband is 6'4"). He is really sensitive and caring, but also really
strong and willing to defend me. :) Also, he loves to cook, although I can't
say I've ever seen him decorate a cake.
For
me, the only one that is coming to mind right now is Kvothe from The Name ofthe Wind, which is maybe a weird choice since he is male and I am not.
Also, he is very heroic, and I am not -- but he is also obsessed with learning
and books and has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, which I could really
relate to.
If you could have any author write a story based on your life, who would you
choose?
If
Madeleine L'Engle was still alive, I would choose her. Most people haven't read
her adult books, which are contemporary, rather than the fantasy that she is
known for in her YA books. She writes with a lot of sensitivity and beauty, and
the topics that she tends to focus on are music, science, and religion, which
are all really big focal points in my life, so I think she would be a perfect
choice.
If you could assemble your own Ocean’s 11 of fictional characters, who wouldyou pick and why? (Yes this question is from Forever Young Adult)
I
don't know if these 11 would be good at breaking into a casino, but 11
characters I think are awesome are:
1.
Liesl from The Book Thief
2.
Kvote from The Name of the Wind
3.
Lyra from The Golden Compass
4.
Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone
5.
Andi from Revolution
6.
Harry Potter
7.
Anne from Anne of Green Gables
8.
Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter books
9.
Finnick Odair from the Hunger Games books
10.
Hawkeye from The Last of the Mohicans
11.
Briony from Chime
Kind
of a motley crew and mostly from YA fantasy novels, I'm noticing... but they're
the ones that came to mind. :)
Thanks to Lorren for answering my questions! You can find her online at:
I feel you on sometimes letting it slide. You have to I think. To survive.
ReplyDeletePeeta? Nice! :) My husband is way more Gale. :)
Awesome interview! I'm heading off to check out KARTOGRAPHY. I love finding out about people's favorite books!
ReplyDeleteI love your Ocean's 11 team, Lorren. I knew most of the characters! Yay! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd, I know what you mean about justifying the time to spend blogging. But, like you, I can't let it slide. I love it too much.
Great interview, Kathy! Loved your questions! :)
I love that you two got paired up. And I still need to read Kartography!
ReplyDeleteI love your questions, Kathy. They're much more fun than the ones I came up with. :( I agree with you about Lorren, she's so sweet and very smart. I always feel like I should read better books after visiting her blog.
ReplyDeleteSo much fun! She has Peeta for a husband? How awesome is that? :) And I love the team that's been created here too... what a bunch of great characters! I need to add Kartography to my pile for sure. Sounds great.
ReplyDeleteAwesome interview! I think that it is wonderful that you interviewed the person that first commented on your blog. It was such fun to learn about Lorren. I think her Ocean's 11 list is fantastic! I also liked hearing why she started her blog. I have never read Kartography- but considering all that Lorren had to say about it- I guess I should add it to my list. :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
I love the Ocean's 11 question! Fun interview. When I started blogging I didn't know about other book blogs, either. I had no idea that Madeleine L'Engle wrote adult books. I'm really curious know to go check them out. Wonderful interview.
ReplyDeleteJessica @ Books: A true story