C-SPL October Reader of the Month

Meet October Reader of the Month: Kylie Weitz

Check out Kylie’s Favorite Books
Be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!

About Kylie:
I work for Medline Industries. When not at work, I’m spending time with friends and/or doing a theatre production (spot light operator) at the Grand Opera House. Except in the winter months, I become a bear and hibernate in my apartment. Winter is the perfect time to catch up on reading! Now that the world is somewhat better, I will be traveling to California soon.

Thoughts on Books… I have spent time casting spells. I have traveled with a pair of pants. I have seen love blossom and fizzle. I have learned about the time when Julie Andrews got dropped as Mary Poppins. I have tried to guess who done it. I have lived through Ms. Trunchbull’s reign of terror. I have taken journeys to the past and the future. And, I have learned to “Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just Live!” Let the books take you on a magical journey. Some roads are bumpy, some need to be traveled again, some are long, some are never to be visited again, but it got you there and back again. 

Q & A:

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?
A. This year my favorite book was “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I listened to it via audiobook and immediately added it to my list to buy. I loved the old glamour of Hollywood, mixed with behind the camera drama, and with a dash of a plot twist towards the end of the book. I immediately became a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing style and added her whole bibliography to my TO READ list.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?
A. For audiobooks, I listen to them while I’m working because I can’t work in silence. But when I’m reading a physical book, I need the silence. Strange how the mind works for different mediums.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next, and what about it is most exciting?
A. I read a book a month; sometimes I can squeeze in two. I’m more excited for the books I picked for 2022. I have “The Queen’s Gambit” by Walter Tevis and “Sweetbitter” by Stephanie Danler. I hope to get my book club back up and running in November; we took a break for the busy summer months.

Q. What book do you think more people should read, and why do you think they should read it?
A. My favorite book EVER is “Tuck Everlasting” by Natalie Babbitt. It was a moment of “right book at the right time” when I was assigned it in Junior High English class. The premise of the story is Winnie has to decide to drink a magic water to live forever or live out her life normally. As a 7th grader, it made me contemplate Winnie’s choice in the book to what I was dealing with in my real life with my mom’s condition—having Lupus and undergoing dialysis. The question the reader would need to ask themselves ‘Would I drink the water and live forever as I am or live my life and die naturally?’ My answer has changed the different times I have read it. Simply, as you age, your understanding of death and what living forever would actually mean changes too.

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?
A. “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon. I’m enjoying the book; it is just incredibly long (800 + pages in tiny lettering). I have given myself a goal of finishing it by the end of the year.

Q: 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?
A. The mass amount of books on my shelves are from movies or TV shows that I want to read the book on which they are based. For example, I was reading “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin and ended up HATING the character of Rachel in the book; however, I liked Rachel as portrayed in the movie. Midway through the book, I wanted to stop reading. I got to the point when I wasn’t interested in Rachel’s personality anymore. But I didn’t know if it would technically count for the reading challenge if I didn’t finish. I did finish the book, but then took the next books in the series off my ‘maybe to read list.’ It is hard for me to give up on a book, but you have to be honest and have the philosophy that this is good for some, but not for me. It is what it is. I, like many others, have books that are in the ‘Do I want to read this?’ pile. Either I will get to them or eventually donate them.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?
A. I remember reading when I was little, but never would have put myself in the category of book worm. I was more of an audiobook listener. I would sleep to Disney stories being read on a cassette tape. When I got to school, particularly high school and college, I didn’t have time for additional reading. I was too busy reading assigned books like “Animal Farm,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Color Purple,” etc. Later on, I started to challenge myself. How many could I read in a year? I signed up for the library’s Great Reading Challenge in 2020 and read 20 books and 2 audio. Now, I don’t go a day without reading. Sometimes you have to fall back in love with doing something. Like the dusty books on your shelf always waiting for you to dive back in.


Check out Kylie’s Favorite Books
Be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!
See past Reader of the Month posts here.

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