I had grand plans to attend BEA this year in Chicago (primarily because I have quite a few relatives living in Chicago and it’s a tad bit closer to me than New York City). Once again, these darn migraine headaches have wreaked havoc with my plans. Fortunately, I can participate via Armchair BEA (thank you to all of those behind the scenes at ABEA).
As with many conferences (virtual and IRL), there’s usually a meet-and-greet, so let me introduce myself.
My name is Vivian and my family refers to me as “the book diva.” I thought it was apropos to name my book blog The Book Diva’s Reads. I’ve been blogging for a little more than five years. I posted my first blog post on March 12, 2011, with a short post about what I was reading and drinking (an herbal tisane). I’ve participated in ABEA several times over the past few years.
One of the questions asked of us this year was “do you have a favorite book?” I have several favorites, but one of my all-time favorite books remains Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
“What is your favorite genre and why?” My favorite genre is probably mystery-suspense. I’m not sure why this is my go-to genre, but it started with Encyclopedia Brown books in elementary school. I enjoy reading all different kinds of mystery and suspense books, from cozies and romantic-suspense up to police procedurals and hard-boiled mysteries.
I read the following question and changed my answer about a dozen times, “if you could create a playlist that reflects your bookshelf, what would be the first song you choose?” Okay, the answer didn’t really change that many times primarily because I was waffling between going with classical music, jazz, or R&B. I decided to go with a mix of light classical and jazz with Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 1/Var. 1 by the Jacques Loussier Trio. I generally listen to only instrumental pieces when reading and classical and jazz are my go-to musical genres.
“How do I arrange my bookshelves?” With the exception of my signed books shelf and another few shelves set aside for my hardcover books, there is no rhyme or reason to my fiction shelving. If there’s a spot on the shelf and the book fits, that’s where it goes. Since most of my reading is done digitally, most of my fiction shelves are filled with ARCs. The following image shows one of the two 5-shelf bookshelves dedicated to fiction books. (I have three 5-shelf units dedicated to my nonfiction books and about 15 boxes of nonfiction books still in storage.) The top shelf shows all of my signed books. As evident by this picture, I need more shelves, as I’ve started quadruple-shelving my books (two standing rows, back to front, with a minimum of two horizontal stacks on top of the vertical rows).
I’m trying to decide how I can fit at least two more 5-shelf bookshelves in my tiny apartment. If I can, that will help with the fiction books, but I may have to continue to store those 15 boxes of nonfiction books. Thankfully, those books are in storage at my youngest brother’s home and I have visitation privileges.
The Book Diva's Reads 