The lovely Florence at Miss Darcy’s Library has nominated me for the Liebster Award.

What is the Liebster Award?  This is from Florence:  ”From what I can find out, the Liebster Award (from the German, meaning “dearest” or “beloved”) is granted by fellow bloggers to new blogs with fewer than 200 followers and deserving of recognition and encouragement. The rule is you answer the questions put to you by the person who nominated you, then make up your own set of questions which you send on to those you, in turn, have chosen to nominate.”

I love answering questions about my reading life. And isn’t it a great way to connect with other bloggers and get to know more about them? Thank you, Florence, for nominating me!

1. What is Your Favorite Reading Spot?

Well, I’d love to say on a deck chair on the beach at San Diego, a cabin porch overlooking the lake or in my cozy garden reading nook, but these days I seem to do my best reading on the floor of my bedroom! There’s a little spot in the corner where I like to sit or lie and read my heart out. It is right below a window and gets incredible light and is mercifully quiet in the evenings. I should really get a plush reading chair to put in the spot, but for now the floor is where I do most of my power reading.

2.What do you think of movie adaptations of famous books? Do they enhance or hinder your appreciation of the book?

It really depends on the movie, but I would say the majority of book adaptations don’t live up to my expectations. It really isn’t the fault of the movie makers (well, I guess sometimes it is), it is just that every reader has their own vision of what the book looks like – character, setting, everything – that there is no way that anyone can ever film the conclusive version. Some of my favorite book adaptations are the 1994 Little Women, the 2011 Jane Eyre, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and the 1995 Persuasion.

3. Has a book ever made you want to travel to a particular place?

Yes! I’ve been wanting to travel to England for twenty years now because of all the British books I’ve read. Lately, however, the book that gave me the strongest wanderlust was Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather. Cather’s descriptions of Santa Fe and the wild New Mexico desert filled me longing to see them for myself. I only live about an eight hour drive away from Santa Fe so as soon as the snows are over next spring I am going to plan a trip to this gorgeous city.

4.What is your reaction when someone you know dislikes a book you are especially fond of? Have you ever quarrelled over a book?

I usually feel disappointed, but understanding because this happens to me a lot! There aren’t very many people in my everyday life who like to read the books I (we) do so I have learned the art of suggesting books with no expectations. And I usually can’t suggest the classics to my friends and family. They either don’t read at all or only read young adult books (Nothing wrong with it, just not my style these days). That is why I am so grateful to have you!

5.Do you like knowing all about an author before you start reading their work or do you think biographical details aren’t necessary to understand and appreciate a book?

It doesn’t affect my reading to not know anything about the author and I usually prefer not to when I first start reading their books. It’s usually after I fall in love with an author that I want to know all about them. For instance, I didn’t know anything about Barbara Pym when I first started reading her books this year, but now that I know about her life I can see the threads of her personal experiences woven through her lovely novels. It does make me appreciate them more.

6. In your opinion, what makes an excellent book review?

I relate to things on an emotional level so a good book review for me is when the reviewer tells me how it made them feel instead of a highly technical dissection of the themes, arguments, concepts, etc. Though I do enjoy reading critical reviews, my favorite reviews tell me what the book is about, what its special qualities are and if the reader loved it.

7. And just for fun: Mr Darcy or Mr Rochester?

Tough question! In my younger days I would’ve chosen Mr Rochester because of the mystery and drama that surround him, but now I would choose Mr Darcy. Kindness and generosity are more important to me now.

I am going to break the rules here a bit and decline to nominate a few of you – I am going to nominate all of you! You all deserve the Liebster award so if you feel inclined I’d love to see your answers to Florence’s questions on your own blogs.

Thank you so much for reading! I love writing Gudrun’s Tights and cherish my friendship with all of you.