Welcome friend! I shared about interviewing in the latest Blogging Shelf. In today’s post, I will continue that thread but with a different perspective – how interviewing supports my reading. It may not come as a surprise at all but author interview opportunities are sometimes the best reason for me to pick up a book. It’s not that I want to meet a deadline or read the book before I write the questions – it’s just the chance to make a connection that deeply resonates with me.
That is how The Escape Game found me. The outreach email said Marissa Meyer was available for interviews and how could I say no to an author who has been part of my blogging journey from the start? The Lunar Chronicles and Renegades were one of the first series I discussed at length, not to mention with different readers!
I’m the kind of fan who doesn’t need to meet the person. I would rather spend hours reading and writing questions for them and then sitting with their answers later. This is quality time for me with the author. I don’t reach for YA stories often and the last I read Marissa Meyer was in 2021. I am happy to report that she continues to write immersive stories!
I no longer keep a ‘start next’ list or ‘a TBR of the month’. I have been following my instincts rather than checklists. This means that more than ever I have many books going at any point in time – multiple e-books, physical books and audiobooks. I read what I am drawn to until I find a book I want to consistently return to. The Escape Game was that book.
But just because I am reading a book, doesn’t mean I won’t look for others to read next. 😉
Here are a few books that had been on my mind but more specifically in front of my eyes when I wasn’t reading.
Where I live, unemployment is on the rise and it is a sad reality that new graduates are not getting jobs. I joke to my husband that while right now it is common for 25 year olds to stay home, by the time our daughter is older, maybe she will stay with us till 30. Who is to say what will happen?
J P Lacrampe’s upcoming debut, Valet, is a science fiction novel about a robot and his 35 year old ward. It is an ode to PG Wodehouse. This book’s concept makes me smile. As a 30 year old, I didn’t want to hang out with my parents but a helper robot would definitely have been more appealing. I am looking forward to reading this book and chatting with the author.
A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon showed up in my mailbox as one of those gifted copies that were at hand at the publisher’s office and while they were packing some I had requested, my lovely publicist snuck this in! Oh the magic of finding a book you didn’t ask for but might enjoy! It’s really something! My dad is trying to convince me to pursue my PhD so academia has been on my mind. After The Escape Game’s fast paced plot with YA characters, a YA story about a scholar (ahem) and a betrothed demon actually sounds appealing. I am surprised by the YA in my life, particularly this one because I don’t read YA fantasy but Marissa Meyer wrote some amazing books in the genres and it is maybe time to give someone else a chance. This book led me to put a hold on Coffeeship in an Alternate Universe by C. B. Lee that Ariel has already read and recommended when I mentioned it to her. I may have a soft spot for scholars…
Speaking of holds, let’s talk about some books borrowed from the library. I love Hwang Bo-Reum. Her non fiction essay collection, Every Day I Read, was written for me. She and I would be best friends if I ever met her. She is well known in fiction circles for Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop. I finally have my library copy. I recently finished The Astral Library by Kate Quinn and this one is another book inviting me into the world of reading.
Another library hold that came through while I was reading The Escape Game was Oliver Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals. A short book meant to be read a chapter a day for 28 days, in this collection, Oliver shares mindset shifts that have helped him make time for what matters. I read his first book, Four Thousand Weeks, while I was pregnant and though I didn’t take notes and definitely marked it as “to return to”, it is lovely coming to this book and seeing how many of his ideas are part of my life. I could write essays on the quotes I have highlighted and that brings me so much joy.
What is next for my reader hat? I haven’t decided.
There are books I could continue reading or I could start a new one or like I’m doing right now, I could think about books instead. Do you do that too?
A week later…
Annotation # 1 April 2026
It’s been a week since I wrote the above and it will be longer still when you finally read it. By then, I would have shared about The Escape Game on the blog, my conversation with Marissa Meyer would be live and maybe I would have gushed about Every Day I Read. The number of books that are semi-permanent residents in my home library would have grown. Which of these would I have read? For now, I can say two.
Four months later…
Annotation # 2 August 2026
So about those books…
The interview with Marissa Meyer never came to be. The answers were never returned and that was disappointing. The Escape Game was a good book but I didn’t have much to say about it so I won’t be posting about it either.
My long review of Every Day I Read is ready to share with you.
I read and adored J P Lacrampe’s debut, Valet and had a fantastic chat with him. You can read the interview here.
I haven’t returned to complete my thoughts on A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon and The Astral Library.
Lastly, Coffeeship in an Alternate Universe is a long suspended library hold for me. One day I will get to it. Right now, cozy fantasy is not my cup of tea.
Such is reader life in the midst of everything else…
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