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Meet the C-SPL March 2024 Reader of the Month, Helen Waldmeir!
When I’m not reading, I like playing the cello, trying to bake, and writing. I read a lot of people’s writing as a news clerk at the Telegraph Herald, and when ‘present reality’ gets overwhelming, I’ll often pick Fantasy novels or books on ancient history to unwind.
C-SPL March 2024 Reader of the Month Q & A:
Q. What book(s) are you currently reading?
A. “Moominland Midwinter” by Tove Jansson (which I read every winter), and Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night, or What You Will” with friends.
Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?
A. In 2023, The Locked Tomb Series by Tamsyn Muir knocked my socks off. After more than a decade, “The Last Unicorn” by Peter Beagle still ranks in my opinion as the GOAT.
Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?
A. I lucked out living in a place with a picture window and a view at treetops. I’ll sit in an armchair there, put my cup of tea on the window sill, and there’s still plenty of room for a cat to sit on my lap.
Q. What book are you most excited about reading next, and what about it is most exciting?
A. If the final installment of The Locked Tomb Series comes out this year, I’ll be ecstatic. If not, I’m excited to read “The Chatelaine” by Kate Heartfield– I read the first iteration of this work, “Armed in Her Fashion,” so I’m looking forward to seeing how the author revised it.
Q. What format do you prefer and why (physical book, ebook, audiobook)?
A. I love physical books. It’s always exciting to find little hints of whoever had the book before me, like forgotten bookmarks or marginalia, but they’re also a relief from staring at screens all day for work.
Q. Have you read any books recently that have changed the way you think about something?
A. “Dark Archives” by Megan Rosenbloom. The treatment of books as a physical status symbol, the tragedy of reducing the most vulnerable members of our population to their basest parts, a truly astonishing exploration into a subject that sounds too grim to be real– it’s a short but incredible read.
Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?
A. I remember being so proud of myself when I could read “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” without any help. I loved when my parents told stories, but once I knew I could read and could enjoy any story I wanted whenever I wanted, that gave me such a confidence rush.
Q. What other library resource do you enjoy (DVDs, CDs, board games, baking pans, digital content, etc.)?
A. My friends and I love to grab board and card games, and I always make an effort to grab the latest take-home craft from the Maker Space.
Check out Helen’s Favorite Books
Be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!
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