Over the past few weeks, I've had an email correspondence with a girl named Jessica and a subject line that reads: An American Living in Copenhagen. Jess found me via the blog and we've had a lovely time discussing life in Denmark from an expatriate's perspective.
photo source |
As a fellow book-lover, I'm thrilled to feature Jess in this week's Book Blog posting.
~~~ SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:~~~
...
What are you reading right now?
I am
reading a book called Divergent by Veronica Roth.
Do you like it so far?
Love it! It
is a little like The Hunger Games trilogy, but a bit darker, in a certain
way. They are both about corrupt societies, but the intentions of the people in
this book can be more sinister. I would also say that it is more violent, in
that you really feel the violence the way it is described.
What would you consider your
favorite book?
Hm... that is a really tough question! I own about 300 books, so
picking one is so hard, but I have to say that the book that I can always read
over and over again is Twilight. I know, so lame, but the story is sweet and
easy to get sucked into. If we are going by the most well written book I love,
then I would have to say Harry Potter. The way that Rowling's imagination works and
the way she is able to weave the storylines together is incredible!
What book(s) made the biggest
impression on your life?
Well Twilight again. When I met my husband, I was so
into the books. My friends made him promise to read all 4 before he proposed,
and he used Edward's words (I promise to love you forever. Every single day of
forever.) to propose. We used the Eclipse book as our ringholder. ::makes
sheepish face:: Also, it is amazingly easy to bond with new people over a love
for a book. I have made many good friends through Twilight, especially in
Denmark where it can be hard to make strong connections.
What is one of your least favorite books and why?
I kinda hate Wuthering
Heights. I feel it is so overrated, for a 'love' story. I guess maybe I have
never experienced that turbulent love where you are so infatuated with
each other that you continuously try to sabotage each other's happiness. I
thought they were both such mean & selfish people, but to each their own. I
have some friends that rave about it, but it's not my cup of Victorian tea....
What five books would you recommend to a stranger?
I would recommend The Hunger
Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, but we will count that as one for now. I am
almost done Divergent by Veronica Roth, so I would recommend that as well. I
really love the Vampire Diaries series by Richelle Mead, and I think there are 8
of them. I love supernatural books, but also some great fiction. I
love Emily Griffen. Something Borrowed and Something Blue are great
as a pair. Baby Proof is another great one. There is a biography of Patti Boyd
called Wonderful Tonight that I would recommend to any fan of The Beatles or
Eric Clapton. It is a really intriguing read. As you can see, I have only
chosen books I think are 'fun'. I am not too into deep soul searching when it
comes to reading, since it is my escape from the everyday, and I just wanna
have fun...
Where do you usually buy your books?
Well, since I live overseas, I usually get them from Amazon.co.uk.
However, there are 2 bookstores in Copenhagen that have English books: Arnold
Busck, and Politiken Boghandel. I also read books in Danish, so sometimes I can
pick up some cheap ones at the local grocery stores...
Do you like your Nook better than an actual Book (asked Dr. Suess)?
No way! There is something
so sweet and nostalgic about holding a book. If you can go to a
second-hand bookshop and find some really old ones? Sometimes I don't even read
them, I just like the smell of old paper.
Do you have any favorite children’s books from your childhood?
Where the Wild Things Are was always one of my favorites. Also Angelina Ballerina, about a
dancing rat. I actually owned 5 rats in my childhood that were probably
seriously influenced by that little pirouette-ing rat...
What’s on your reading list for 2012?
Well, Insurgent comes out in May, which
is the next book in the Divergent series, but I would also like to start
reading some more autobiographies about rock stars... I like Russel
Brand's Booky Wook for instance...
What book made you laugh the hardest?
To be completely honest, it was a British
book I was reading about 5 years ago that was called Angus, Thongs and Full
Frontal Kissing, about a girl with tons of unfortunate problems. The
first chapter revolves around her shenanigans dressed as a green
cocktail olive...
Cry the most?
Any Nicholas Spark's
book makes me cry hysterically at some point or another... don't read too many
of those for that same reason.
Which author do you quote most
often?
Yikes, does Will Ferrell in Anchorman count as an author? Otherwise I
don't... I am not a quote kind of person, but I do have the Hans Christian
Anderson's quote 'To travel is to live' tattooed on my ribs in Danish...
If you were to write a book, what would the genre be?
Hmm... I actually started
writing about 5 books, but I always get about 10 pages in and have to stop
when my imagination dries up. I thought about publishing a book of unfinished
short stories, but for some reason no one was interested. But they are all
fiction stories with a little bit of my own life thrown in.
Do you like to read books out loud?
Yuck, no. Only kids books should be read
aloud, or books to kids, otherwise I get very annoyed at people reading to me.
If you could write like any author, who would you choose?
Chuck Palahniuk
probably. I think he has such a dry, interesting way of writing. Rand was a
good book, albeit completely weird.
What is your favorite reading spot?
In the winter it is my couch with its very
comfortable chaise lounge. In summer I like to lay in the garden of our
apartment building or our porch. We get sunlight out there from sun
up to sun down, it is perfect for sunbathing. In summer in Denmark, that can be
around 8 am to 10 pm.
If you could be a character in any book, who would you choose?
So many! And for
so many different reasons, but I think that I would be Patti Boyd, simply for
the reason that I had the biggest crush on George Harrison. Although having
some sort of super power and being able to live forever would definitely help
me learn all the languages I want and better my piano playing.
... Thanks, Jess!
Thanks again for doing this Jess! There are a lot of books on here I need to find now ... ;)
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