
I love books and reading, so when I discovered (this morning) that I can participate in the Book Expo America (currently happening in New York City) through the glory of the Internet, I was just thrilled. Honestly, I’m all about experiencing humanity through the buffer of my computer, and it’s about books! (Yes, that is an absolutely appropriate use of the exclamation point.) Anyway, being rather neurotic, I’m all aflutter with nerves. Am I doing this correctly? Am I supposed to wait for a confirmation email before I jump on the bandwagon? Did I make the right decision in choosing this moment to pop my Twitter cherry, having carefully avoided it (Twitter, that is) for so long? Will my utter ignorance of Twitter and/or blogging culture be immediately obvious to everyone (well, now you know…)? Enthusiasm overcomes caution, however, so I proceed.
What’s Armchair BEA? Click on the link and read all about it. You may even feel compelled to join up. The first activity in this event is an introduction. The folks at Armchair BEA provided a list of 10 questions (click here to see the full list) from which participating bloggers can choose 5 questions to answer. Keep reading to see which questions I chose to answer and how I answered them!
Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?
My name is Kelly, and I always have a really hard time answering these types of questions. I’m just too literal. I know how I’m supposed to answer (I’m a reader, writer, and mom, not necessarily in that order), but then I get distracted by all the different meanings that question could have–Who am I, really? Do I know? Is it possible for me to know who I am? Can I truly be identified by the things that I do, or does my concept of self go deeper than that? Would I actually be the same person if I did not do the things that identify me? Do we really know ourselves better than other people know us because we are privy to our internal dialogue, or does that internal dialogue actually distract us from who/what we are?–and I spin off into crazy land. So here are some things that are true about me: I never stop reading. I love romance novels and classic literature, but I read far more of the former than the latter. I am completely neurotic (but you knew that). I get unaccountably annoyed by homonym switch-ups (e.g. “She had the reigns in her hands!”). I’m a mom, and I love my kids. I’m a wife, and I love my husband. I drive my husband nutty. I work full-time.
I’m very new to blogging, having just started this blog in February of this year. A good friend of mine started a blog two years ago about drugstore makeup, and, since I was in desperate need of a creative outlet, I decided I should get one going as well. I’m very glad I made that choice, but it cracks me up that my blog is essentially a celebration of neurosis.
What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?
I just finished (this morning) One Week as Lovers by Victoria Dahl. I enjoyed the book, but I’m still working through what I really think about it. It’s strange: there wasn’t anything about the book that put me off, precisely, but I’m not sure that it’s accurate to say that I liked it. Have you ever experienced that before? My favorite reading discovery (so far) of 2012 has been Elizabeth Hoyt’s canon. Golly, her books are good.
Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.
I was a cheerleader for one awful year in 1992-93. It was horrifying (both for me and for any spectators, honestly). I have (had, even then) too much self-awareness to have a good time prancing around in a short skirt pretending an enthusiasm for men and sports when I’d much rather be reading a book in a corner of the room.
What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?
I really love how scattered my blog is. I try to plan out my posts, but I usually fail. I know I should be a wee bit more specialized, but I really enjoy thinking that a wide audience could find enjoyment in my blog (the potential is there, anyway… time will tell if I am able to follow through).
Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?
My reading tastes haven’t changed at all, but I started out viewing my love of the romance genre as a guilty pleasure, a quirk of my character about which I was supposed to feel ashamed, and I’ve decided that it’s a waste of time and energy to feel ashamed about something that I really love. Romance novels are fabulously fun, and my blog has helped me to be a bit more honest with myself and with the world.