Meet our August Reader of the Month – Ashley!
I live in Dubuque with my husband, 3 sons, and 4 cats. I own a photography business in town (Rae of Light Photography) specializing in mostly weddings, but I will opening an actual studio in September. I have also just started a non-profit in Dubuque with an office also coming in September. Our mission is to bridge the literacy gap in at risk youth by making access to books easier in low-income areas. My favorite genre is thriller and mysteries. I like reading about ghosts and the paranormal also. My reading philosophy is to read as much and as often as you can because once you read something and gain knowledge from it, no one can ever take that away from you. Reading is a super power!
Find Ashely’s list of recommendations here.
Reader of the Month Q&A:
What book(s) are you currently reading?
- Right now I am reading In My Dreams I Hold A Knife by Ashley Winstead. I am close to be done with that one, so after that I will be reading a Darcy Coates book.
What format do you prefer and why?
- I only read physical books. I have nothing against audio books. I have tried them in the past, I just am a person that has to have a book in my hands so I can flip the pages.
What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?
- My favorite book I have ever read is the Diary of Anne Frank. I remember reading it for the first time in 8th grade, and it has been my favorite ever since. I read it every couple of months since.
- The best book I have read in the last year is This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp. It is about a school shooting in the POV of three people, and it really got me with my emotions.
What is your ideal reading environment?
- If it is nice outside, I have a chair on my back porch that I sit in and read. If it is not nice outside, I have a reading pillow that I put either on my couch or on the floor and lay on it to read.
What book are you most excited about reading next, and what about it is most exciting?
- I just purchased a set of horror classics that I am so excited to read! I have read most of them already, but the set I bought is so pretty and I can’t wait! The set includes The Brothers Grimm , Dracula , The Legend of Sleepy Hollow , Frankenstein, and Selected Works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Have you discovered any exciting new authors or genres?
- I have recently discovered Darcy Coates. She writes about paranormal mysteries, and I have really gotten into those. I also recently discovered Jessica Huntley. I read her first book The Darkness Within Ourselves, and I fell in love. It turned out that was a series, and it completely blew me away.
Have you read any books recently that have changed the way you think about something?
- The book This Is Where It Ends about the school shooting really made me think differently. That is such a terrible tragedy anyway, and even though it is a fictional story, it really made you scared right along with the characters because it happens all the time.
What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?
- I have a book that is the entire collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s works. That was a challenge to get through those, but it was a fun challenge! His works are so amazing.
When do you decide to stop reading a book? In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?
- I hate not finishing a book. It makes me feel so incomplete. I think I have only ever not finished 2 or 3 books.
Do you remember when your love for reading began?
- My love for reading began when I was a young child. I have always enjoyed books. I read to my own kids every night at bedtime when they were younger, and now they both read on their own quite often.
What other library resources do you enjoy?
- I don’t use them for myself, but I really love the Memory Care Kits up on the 2nd floor. I think those are an amazing idea and super good to have.
Interested to see more of Ashley’s recommendations? Find her whole list on our catalog or on display near the first floor entrance of the library. Want to share your own reading journey and recommendations? Sign up to be a Reader of the Month!