Alanda Gregory, November's C-SPL Reader of the Month is a life enthusiast, a part-time entrepreneur, and a library assistant at Carnegie-Stout. She has five grown-up children and assists her husband with his music studio in Dubuque.
(See the past C-SPL Reader of the Month blog posts here.)
Alanda's Reading Interests:
My reading interests are primarily anything that provokes thought. I love to read about history and I am an avid reader of self-help books, yet every once in a while I love to read a good book of science fiction, general fiction or classic literature. I believe that everyone should discover and familiarize themselves with the world around them. I believe that is how we learn the greatness within ourselves and appreciate the greatness in others. To think about it, my love for reading matches my love for all sorts of music. I believe that by expanding our selection of literary or musical arts, we broaden our cognitive learning abilities.
Q & A with Alanda
Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?
A. The best book I’ve ever read is The Game of Life & How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn.
Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?
A. My ideal reading environment is in my home office. I’d grab a book, put on my classical music or meditation music playlist and sit in my recliner.
Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?
A. A Terrible Thing to Waste by Harriet Washington. I am particularly excited because the title itself is a phrase for an advertisement related to The United Negro College Fund and I anticipate the book will touch on that. Harriet is also the writer of Medical Apartheid and that book opened my eyes to the horrors of medical practices against people of color in the name of medical research.
Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?
A. The Game of Life and How to Play It. This book gives insight on self-awareness and our endless possibility of creating what we want. The book was written by one of the best known new thought leaders of the 20th century. Florence Scovel Shinn was a spiritual teacher and her principles and wisdom still applies to the present day. Her book is full of anecdotes and affirmations, which have helped me along my journey.
Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?
A. My love for reading began at three. My mother taught me how to read and I remember as a five year-old child sitting at my desk copying pages out of our World Atlas books and telling my mother I wanted to write my own books. The best stories to read in my youth were Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys Mysteries.
Check out more of Alanda's Favorite Books
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