nomadreader

In celebration of the first day of this year's Armchair BEA , participants are asked to answer five questions (from a provided list of ten.) Here are mine: Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Where in the world are you blogging from? I'm Carrie. I live in Des Moines, Iowa, where I work as an academic librarian. As the name of my blog indicates, I'm a nomad and a reader. By my count, I've moved twenty-times in my thirty-three years, but Mr. Nomadreader and I bought a house last spring, and we both hope we're living in it until it's time to move to the retirement home. I started blogging in March 2007, and I've moved many times in those seven years. I started blogging when I started working temping as a receptionist when I was applying to graduate schools. I had a lot of time to browse the Internet, and I initially started the blog as a place to write about everything I ...

I'm already up and enjoying this leisurely, holiday Sunday! Memorial Day weekend is my favorite three-day weekend all year, mostly because I work in academia and welcome the first post-academic year reprieve with open arms. It's also the only three-day weekend--with the sometimes exception of July 4th when it falls on a weekend--not during the academic year, which means I can just relax and read, read, read. As I wait for the cinnamon coffee cake in the oven to finish baking, I'm gearing up for two exciting bookish events coming up: Armchair BEA and the World Cup of Literature. I haven't been to a BEA in person for years, but I always enjoy the opportunity to participate in Armchair BEA , which starts tomorrow. There are daily prompts, giveaways, an Instagram challenge, Twitter parties, and so many fun ways to connect. I'll be participating in some of the prompts, but I'll also be posting reviews this week because I've been reading like a woman who soon wo...

When I first started book blogging, I admit, I didn't pay too much attention to who published books. From my days as an independent bookseller, I was more aware of which vendor it came from because then I knew what days  they delivered. There some go-to genre publishers I was familiar with (TOR), but mostly, I just didn't pay attention. Looking back, I'm struck by how odd that now seems. I was aware of movie distribution. In the late 1990's and early 2000's, I would see every Miramax movie. I paid attention to the kinds of movies they made, and I liked most of them. I didn't need to know the plot, the stars, or the director. If it was Miramax, I'd be there opening weekend. Now I'm more loyal to directors and screenwriters, but it's interesting to look back. I'm a loyal tv network viewer too. I'll try out most of the new shows on HBO, TNT, USA and AMC. They consistently air quality, scripted drama. I may not keep watching, but the networ...

When this year's interview swaps were announced, I was thrilled to see I get to interview Lyndsey (you may know here as teadevotee ), who blogs at Amused, Bemused and Confused . Lyndsey and I have quite similar taste in books, and I'm really enjoying getting to know her this year, as we're both serving as voting members for the Indie Lit Awards Fiction category (formerly known as Literary Fiction.) Let's start with the basics. Why did you start blogging about books? I was blogging randomly about any old blather for about a year before I decided I needed more of a focus. I went with books because my reviews used to get quite a lot of interest--and because there is nothing I like more than reading:-) You've been blogging for two years now. What has surprised you the most about blogging? I was hugely and pleasantly surprised to discover the whole community. I love the way that blogging opens up a whole world of connections to people with the same tastes and se...

Armchair BEA: Titles I'm Clamoring For If I were at BEA this week, I'd have my eye on a few titles. Last year, I thought I was conscientious and only took books I intended to read. I didn't read most of them. I've also clarified my reading goals much better this year. I rarely dabble in children's, young adult or popular fiction. If I were going this year, I'd keep the list to no more than ten. I also learned last year to pay attention to the titles picked for BEA Editor's Buzz (many of which I've included below) because some of my favorite reads were featured there last year. 1. The Leftovers  by Tom Perrotta Tom Perrotta might be my favorite author (it's so hard to choose!), and I already featured his upcoming novel on Waiting on Wednesday , but I'm still eagerly awaiting it (and hoping a copy just might find its way into my hands before it's published in August.) 2. The Art of Fielding  by Chard Harbach I love a debut novel, and ...

Happy Armchair BEA 2011! Last year, I was able to spend the week in New York City attending Book Expo America and the first ever Book Blogger Convention. This year, I'm thrilled to participate in Armchair BEA, a celebration for book bloggers who can't make it to New York this year. Why am I staying home? Because this time next week, I'll be loading the U-Haul and hitting the road to move to Iowa. Instead of rubbing elbows with bloggers, publishers, and authors this week, I'll be elbow deep in packing boxes and busy saying goodbye to the wonderful friends I've made in Albany, a city I've come to truly love. Yes, Armchair BEA will be a lovely distraction from this emotional week and remind me of all the wonderful bookish people who will still be there next week. Who am I? I'm an academic librarian in the midst of moving from the northeast back to my beloved Midwest. I love to read, and I'm mostly into literary fiction, literature prize lists and my...