An Interview with Moi

Today is my birthday. I thought it might be fun to share a little bit about myself, so I took a post I saw on Lenore's blog and changed it up a little. Enjoy. :-)

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1. What is your all-time favorite book?

I don't know if I could list just one... I think I could list my top 10 favorites. My current most favorite book is The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett, but that is likely to change as it has in the past. I have also read and loved: Bleak House by Charles Dickens, Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell, and Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. To see my other favorites please click here.

2. What's your all-time favorite book cover?

I love books that are hard cover with dust jackets. The more classic/old-time the book looks the more I love it. My set of Jane Austen novels are like this, they are almost as nice as some of the old classics I have been lucky enough to find. On the other hand, the ugliest book I ever bought was the paperback copy of A House to Let that I found online. It was pictured with one cover, which I liked, but arrived looking totally different. Instead of a picture of a house the cover was all white with the only text being the title and author in black type on the front. I was very disappointed. What was the publisher thinking?!

3. If you could meet one author who would it be?
Another difficult question. I think it would be Robert Lawson, the children's author and illustrator. I've always loved his books and think it would have been fun to meet him in person. Although I'd be happy meeting any of my favorite authors. Unfortunately almost all of them are dead. Of the current authors I enjoy, I think it'd be fun to meet Shannon Hale.

4. What book would you love to be able to read again for the first time?
Hard choice. There are so many wonderful books that are amazing as first time reads, but if I had to choose I think I'd say the Harry Potter series. Not a classic, but a series I did enjoy. Now that the movies are nearly finished I wish in a way I could re-read the series and be kept in suspense and surprised once again at how things end.

5. What TV shows do you like to watch?
I don't dedicate a lot of time to TV, but I am hooked on LOST. I also enjoy The Office. From time to time if there is a good adaptation I will watch PBS/BBC's Masterpiece Classic and Masterpiece Mystery. I enjoy re-runs of The Gilmore Girls (now on DVD). The two shows I enjoy watching with my husband include Good Eats (Food Network) and the BBC show Top Gear, both shows are very funny and educational.

6. What are your hobbies?
I love reading and I belong to a book club. I also love to write. I like being out doors, especially swimming and hiking during the warmer months, but they aren't exactly hobbies more leisurely activities. I do participate weekly in kickboxing, yoga and pilates classes at our local gym and I love them. And I guess you could say remodeling is a hobby. We've been remodeling our house inside and out and from top to bottom for the last four years, so I guess that should count.

7. What is your dream destination?
I want to go to Europe, more specifically England. I made my husband promise to take me before I'm 50. So there's plenty of time for it to still happen.

8. What is your favorite trip ever?
Probably the 5 year wedding anniversary trip my husband and I took to Hawaii. It was the most relaxing trip I've ever taken... short over our honeymoon.

9. Where will you be on your birthday?
At the beach with family.

10. What are a few random details about you?
I spent the first 20 years of my life living in upstate NY, never moving once. I then moved to the Washington, DC area where I've since lived (but moved within the area four times).

I enjoy coffee (particularly the "foofy" drinks like a mocha or a latte), but I also love a good cup of tea and some fresh scones. Perfect on a dreary day when I have some quiet time and a good book... something that doesn't happen very much anymore, so it is a real treat when it does.

I've been married for 7 years in July and we have a daughter who will be 2 years old on our anniversary.

I work part-time from home as an office manager/HR/accountant/payroll manager for a non-profit organization. This requires a lot of patience, creativity, and ingenuity from me as I juggle the details and take care of my house and family.

I am a born again Christian - have been since I was a young child. This fact definitely impacts my worldview

I was born on Memorial Day (when it was still celebrated on the day (May 30th) vs. the last Monday of the month). I rode in my mother's arms during the car ride home as infant car seats weren't widely used or required by law.