This week is Book Bloggers' Appreciation Week, and today we get to interview a fellow participating blogger. My interviewee is Amanda from Fig and Thistle. Amanda is a librarian who not only loves to blog about books, but crafts, baking, and thrifting. Read our interview to find out more!
Tasha: I can tell from your favorite books that you’re an Anglophile. What do you find most appealing about British culture and who is your FBP (favorite British person)?
Amanda: It is hard to say what I find most appealing about British culture. I think I was first hooked when I was a child and obsessed with Sir Francis Drake. I read every children's non-fiction book I could find about Drake and that led me to reading about Queen Elizabeth. When I exhausted the non-fiction books at the library I turned to fiction and my love grew from there.
T: You collect NYRB Classics and Virago Modern Classics. What are some of your favorite books in your collection? Any that you really really want and have never been able to find?
A: I don't think there is a particular NYRB or Virago that I haven't been able to find. I think I started collecting those as more of a challenge for myself. I work in a library, so books are always easily accessible, but I adore going to thrift stores and used book stores and hunting for Viragos and NYRB. Their titles are not as plentiful on library shelves and in large bookstores. I'm currently working on a project to read the first 100 Viragos on the LibraryThing Virago group list.
T: I never got into journaling, but I’m impressed by the journaling I saw on your blog! What’s your favorite type of journal and do you have any tips for someone trying to get organized with journaling? Do you keep track of your reading with a journal, or with a website like Goodreads?
A: My favorite type of journaling is Bullet Journaling. prior to that I had a planner, a notepad for random lists, a reading notebook, a three-ring binder with blog plans and a diary-type journal. Way too much stuff to keep up with. Now everything is condensed down to on Leuchtturm1917 book. I do have a Jane Austen-themed five year diary. I write down what I read that day in the dairy and then I get a five year snapshot on what my reading looks like on a particular day. I don't do this for any practical purpose, really it is just because I like to be dorky about my reading. I also keep up with my reading on GoodReads.
T: Do have any favorite bookish items, like a t-shirt or mug?
A: My favorite book accessory has to be my collection of owl and literary coffee mugs. I drink gobs of coffee (and sometimes tea) and I usually always have a mug of something when I read. I really like owls, but I'm also gaining a decent literary mug collection. Other than that I would say that my cat is a great reading accessory!
T: What’s your favorite book you’ve read this year so far?
A: My favorite book so far this year is the one I'm currently reading, Kate Atkinson's Life After Life. I love magical realism and this book is set during one of my most favorite time periods (WWI - the end of WW2).
Thanks for joining me today, Amanda! Be sure to check out my turn at being interviewed over at Amanda's blog.
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