C-SPL Reader of the Month: Sue Davis

The October C-SPL Reader of the Month, Sue Davis, is the owner of Dubuque's independent bookstore River Lights Second Edition. Anyone who has stopped in River Lights while Sue is working knows that she is always happy to share what books she's excited about and give a good recommendation. Here, she shares what books have made a big impact on her, what she's excited about reading, and more.

Q. What is the best book you have ever read?

A. My all-time favorite book is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (I’m a big Irving fan). My more recent passion is for A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. My favorite from this past year would be Virgil Wander by Leif Enger. But a close second would be Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton.

I get plenty of real life by being a devout NPR listener, so I gravitate toward literary fiction. There isn’t a genre of fiction that I don’t love. Young adult, Mystery, Sci-Fi, you name it. I love authors that bring characters to life and bring me into their stories. I still think about Owen Meany and John Wheelwright. And I smile when I think of the quirky characters that Leif Enger created.

I love a novel that makes me want to dig deeper into a time in history or culture that I’m reading about. A Tale for the Time Being started me on a journey into learning about Japanese pop culture, the philosophy of Proust, and the poems of Zen Buddhist, Eihei Dogen.

We all need a good laugh these days and I chuckled my way through Hollow Kingdom, a rather satirical but hopeful look at the apocalypse.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment?

A. I love listening to audiobooks. When I’m not working, I have my earbuds in and am multitasking through my day. If I wake up at night, I set the sleep timer and listen until I’m drowsy. When I have time to sit with a book, I hang on the screen porch when it’s nice out and in front of the fireplace when it’s not.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. I’m super excited about the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. I re-read Handmaid’s about every other year and am a fan of the series but only Atwood can take me into the next adventure. I’m an admirer of Bill Bryson so am eager to read The Body coming October 15. I’m also looking forward to reading Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty. I think the title says it all!

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A. I’m an advocate for Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (or anything by Jason Reynolds), a brilliant, electrifying novel about gun violence. Not just for young adults.

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. While I love poetry, I find it a challenge to read. It’s hard for me to quiet my mind enough to absorb the flow and decipher the meaning rendered. I challenge myself to read a volume twice a 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. If a book doesn’t grab me at first reading or listening, I will put it aside. If I find myself thinking about it later I’ll go back to it – maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind at the time or maybe (rarely) I didn’t like the reader.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. My love of libraries has always been strong. My father was the President of the Marshalltown Public Library Board for as long as I can remember, and I accompanied him there often. I loved to use the card catalog and get lost in the stacks.

Check out more of Sue Davis' Favorite Books

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See the past C-SPL Reader of the Month blog posts here.

Want to be the Next C-SPL Reader of the Month? Apply here.

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Hannah Burke

The September C-SPL Reader of the Month, Hannah Burke, frequently volunteers at libraries—from helping out at her elementary and middle school libraries to currently offering her services at Carnegie-Stout. She also loves buying second-hand books because 1) they're inexpensive and 2) she enjoys reading the margin notes from previous owners.

Q. Can you tell us about your reading interests in general?

A. I read a lot of fiction and am naturally drawn to realistic fiction because I can only suspend my disbelief to a certain extent.  I also really enjoy movies so I find myself reading novels and then watching the film adaptation to compare.  The books are always better of course.  In my opinion, books are better able to provide character development and background in a more cohesive way.

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

A. Based on what I’ve read in the last year, I would have to go with either Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn or And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.  I haven’t read many mystery novels, but I really enjoyed these two.  They are incredibly interesting stories and I had a hard time putting them down.  The twists and turns in these stories had me hooked from the beginning.  I have a really hard time picking one book to call my favorite so here are my top five: Room by Emma Donoghue, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. I tend to read either in my bed or some of the local coffee shops. Unplanned background noises take me totally out of the story so I usually have my earbuds in with an album playing to block out the sound of other people. I’m not much into eating while reading because I find it a bit distracting and I hate the thought of getting a book dirty!

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. I am really excited to read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott because the latest film adaptation is set to release this winter and I love the cast and director so I have high hopes for it! 

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou was a pretty tough read.  It was rough reading about all of the hardships in her life. From childhood abuse to teen pregnancy, Maya Angelou had to overcome some terrible things in her life.  Reading this book makes you appreciate her writing and her grace all the more. 

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. I try to make it through about 50 pages of a book before I give it up.  If a book hasn’t gotten me by then, I have a hard time imagining it will hook me at all.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. I always liked reading but didn’t have much free time in high school to read for pleasure. Luckily, my literature teachers always picked a great list of novels for us to read and discuss in class.  Literature was always my favorite class because I loved all of my teachers and had a genuine interest in the subject matter.



Check out more of Hannah Burke's Favorite Books

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See the past C-SPL Reader of the Month blog posts here.

Want to be the Next C-SPL Reader of the Month? Apply here.

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Abby Schrup

The August C-SPL Reader of the Month, Abby Schrup, is an animal lover (owner of two cats and a dog from rescue centers) who—besides reading—loves taking pictures, crafting, and gardening. In her interview below, Abby shares her love for Harry Potter, why she can’t read print before bed, and more.

Q. Can you tell us about your reading interests in general?

A. My all-time favorite books are the Harry Potter series. I picked up the first one at my school library in 1999. I eagerly anticipated each successive book. I remember choosing Chamber of Secrets in paperback as a prize for the C-SPL summer reading program. My two best friends and I would dress up and go to the midnight release of the books and movies. Order of the Phoenix was the first book I remember purchasing with my own money. As soon as I got home from Borders I would devour the new book in one sitting. Nobody else in my family read the books, so when my youngest sister was old enough, I got her into them with the promise that after she read each book we would discuss it and watch the movie together. She ended up reading them quickly enough that we were able to go see the last movie in theater together when I came home to visit from college. I cannot listen to my current book before bed (I would stay up the whole night and finish it). So I turn on a timer and listen to Harry Potter. I have done this for 10 years and have lost count of how many times I have read the series. Proud moment: I recently got 1st place out of 59 teams at the inaugural Backpocket Brewery Harry Potter trivia.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. I have always enjoyed reading. When I was younger, my mom would take books away from me when I got in trouble. I always carried an extra book with me too, just in case I finished one while out. When I got my driving permit, I realized I didn’t know my way around Dubuque at all since I had always read books while in the car!

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year?

A. The best books I have read so far this year include: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate and Five Presidents by Clint Hill.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. My ideal reading environment is listening to an audiobook while I am gardening or working on my craft projects. If reading a hard copy, I tend to read it under the covers with a flashlight and stay up most of the night. I often think, “just one more chapter…” and suddenly it’s 3:30 a.m.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. I am looking forward to A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult. Her "ripped from the headlines" books are hard to put down and make for quick reads. I am 12th in line for the audiobook.

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a must-read. The book is YA Fiction but is highly relevant because it is about police brutality, racial profiling, and social injustice.

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. Room by Emma Donoghue was a difficult one to read. Not only is it about kidnapping, captivity and rape, the book is told from the perspective of a young boy, so his descriptions of things and his voice can be confusing.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book?

A. Life is far too short and my ‘to be read’ list is far too long to continue books I don’t like. I have no problem not finishing a book if I don’t like it.


Check out more of Abby Schrup's Favorite Books

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See the past C-SPL Reader of the Month blog posts here.

Want to be the Next C-SPL Reader of the Month? Apply here.