I recently read a New York Times “By the Book” interview with Louis Sachar (for free with my library card!) and I found myself thinking how much I would love to ask my coworkers some of these questions. There were so many responses I decided to post it in two parts. Enjoy!
1. What kind of reader were you as a child?
Mary: I was a reluctant reader as a child. I much preferred to have my older sister read to me!
Juliana: I liked realistic fiction, even then. Dallas Winston from The Outsiders was my first crush. I loved Ameilia’s Notebooks and The Boxcar Children. Also, this one is fantasy fiction, but I was obsessed with Ella Enchanted. My grandma’s name is Ella, and so it felt special to me.
Hannah: If you found kid-me browsing the shelves, I probably thought I’d read just about everything in the Youth Department and visited most of the non-fiction. I loved moving from book to book, series to series, and following whatever topic caught my interest. The budding library worker in me kept a little notebook with titles, quotes, and notes.
Debbie: I was obsessed with animals! Charlotte’s Web, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Black Beauty, The Black Stallion, Where the Red Fern Grows and almost every book Marguerite Henry ever wrote.
2. Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine?
Mary: King Richard the Lionhearted
Juliana: Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders or Oskar Schell from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Hannah: I’m not great at picking favorites unless it’s food! Maybe Tori Dawson from Annette Marie’s Guild Codex series. She’s not perfect, but she’s relatable, clever, loyal, and sticks by her friends — winning people over with heart and grit rather than perfect skills.
Debbie: Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web!
3. Your favorite antihero or villain?
Mary: Cluny the Scourge
Juliana: Tommy Shelby
Hannah: Scrooge. He’s grumpy and miserly, but he’s human and his story of change is timeless.
Debbie: Hannibal Lector, so terrifying and elegant. But terrifying.
4. What’s the most interesting thing you learned from a book recently?
Mary: How to potty train my almost 2-year-old! Thank you, Jamie Glowacki for your book, Oh Crap! Potty Training.
Juliana: I recently read Pathological by Sarah Fay and learned about the controversy surrounding the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Hannah: Well, I picked up The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon, and am enjoying reading about the remarkable contributions of these individuals.
Debbie: One trick to remembering grammar from other languages is to assign it a picture. I’ll let you know how it works out.
5. Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
Mary: Any reading done while it’s raining makes the experience 10/10.
Juliana: Every morning, 6 am, lamplight, a candle, a cup of coffee, and my dog. It’s my favorite hour of the day.
Hannah: My ideal reading experience has to be outside. How specific do you want me to get? I’d like a nice day that’s not too warm—long sleeves and shorts are perfect. Maybe I’m sitting on a deck by the ocean, enjoying the wavy shade of trees, or on my parents’ porch, like it’s summer in the early 2000s. The wicker chair is leaving marks on my legs, but the breeze is just right… haha, pure nostalgia!
Debbie: In the Summer it is sitting outside in the shade, with a cool drink or in Winter sitting in a comfy chair in front of a fire with a snowstorm outside
6. What’s the last great book you read?
Mary: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Juliana: Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt
Hannah: I just read Fields’ Guide to Secrets by Julie Mulhern and thought it was pretty great for a summer read…
Debbie: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
7. What books are on your nightstand?
Mary: A Mother’s Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot
Juliana: The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savas, As You Were by Elaine Feeney, The Unwritten Book: An Investigation by Samantha Hunt
Hannah: A stack I like to look at: a joyfully yellow, chunky collection of Pablo Neruda’s work; a black rebound book on the history and mystery of cats; and the quiet blue reminder of Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton…
Debbie: Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari, Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV, Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It by Gabriel Wyner, Bad Guy by Ruby Dixon
8. What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?
Mary: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
Juliana: Aug 9–Fog by Kathryn Scanlon
Hannah: People hear of all the books I read.
Debbie: Academy Street by Mary Costello. A small book with amazing writing!
9. Do you count any books as guilty pleasures?
Mary: “Gentle reads” are my personal guilty pleasure. There’s not much substance to them, but they are admittedly fun.
Juliana: Is Sally Rooney a guilty pleasure? The internet makes me feel like she is. I adore her books regardless.
Hannah: I don’t feel guilty about any of the books I read.
Debbie: I don’t apologize for my reading choices, but I might not mention my addiction to steamy, science fiction romance first thing when I talk to folks.
10. What’s the last book you recommended to a member of your family?
Mary: The Virginian by Owen Wister (I recommended it to my younger sister, but I’ll recommend it to anyone who likes classics, westerns, and just a hint of good old-fashioned romance).
Juliana: Fair Play by Tove Jansson
Hannah: Oh crap! Potty training: everything modern parents need to know to do it once and do it right by Jamie Glowacki.
Debbie: On the Landing by Yenta Mash
Bonus Question: You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
Mary: Fulton J. Sheen, Beatrix Potter, and Nabeel Qureshi
Juliana: Patti Smith, Nick Flynn, and Donald Ray Pollock
Hannah: Oh my, my panic answer is gnocchi pomodoro with Charles Dickens, Kerry Greenwood, and Hailey Edwards.
Debbie: Marguerite Duras, Clarice Lispector and Jean Rhys