BBAW Day #2--Interview with Carrie of NomadReader

I always love the BBAW Interview Swaps because it's a fun chance to get to know other bloggers better. I had the pleasure of interviewing Carrie of
nomadreader: book, film, theater and food from reviews from a travel-loving librarian this year. She's pretty awesome. She posted a quote from The First Husband on her tumblr that got me interest in reading it and then it ended up being one of my favorite books so far this year!

Anyway! Here's our interview!

If you could become one character in a book, who would you choose?

My first thought was to think big and decide "who has the most money?" If I could dream myself into anyone, it would be someone with the means to do little else but travel and read. But if I have to give up my family and friends, I want to take on someone else's happiness more than anything. The first two characters who came to mind are both from Laura Dave's novels. Emmy from London is the Best City in America or Annie from The First Husband. It's perhaps more of a testament to how much I love Laura Dave's characters than in anything.

Have you ever regretted reading a book? Why?

Not really. I'm a big believer in no regrets in life and reading. Every experience, and every book, gives me something to learn from. Granted, I have finished some books and asked myself "why did I just spend hours of my life reading that book?" When it happens, I spend a little time thinking about what kind of reader I want to be. There are simply too many good books out there, and I want to read as many of them as I can, even as my definition of what makes a good book changes over time.

What has been the best experience you've had as a book blogger?

I have been blessed to form relationships with so many authors and readers through book blogging. In some ways, I cherish the international relationships most because it's a wonderful reminder of the size of our world and the power of literature. Hearing Viv Groskop, my favorite columnist at The Guardian, tweet that she comes to me for Orange Prize coverage was pretty amazing. If I had to pick one though, it would be at BEA 2010 when I stood in line for a long time to get an ARC of The Passage by Justin Cronin. At the time, it seemed I was the only book blogger who didn't have an early copy. When he asked who to sign the book to, I told him I was nomadreader. "No way!," he exclaimed. "You're nomadreader?" And he gave me a high five in the middle of the Javits Center. It was affirming and so much fun.

If you could only save ten books from extinction, what would they be?

I can't. I would fight the law mandating this horrible policy. I would go to war. I would do whatever it takes to save as many books as possible from extinction.

What's the biggest challenge you face as a book blogger?

Finding balance is hard for me. Like many book bloggers, I'm an extrovert who loves to read. I so enjoy the community of book bloggers and following industry news. There simply aren't enough hours in the day to read all the books I want to, read all the blogs I want to, watch all the television I want to, or see all the films I want to. It's a good problem to have more hobbies, interests and passions than you have time for, but it's also easy to feel the pressure to keep up in these cases. For me, balancing my time among my interests is sometimes challenging. There are weeks I only post once, and there are weeks I post every day. There are weeks I'm never on Twitter. When I start to feel pressure to do things a certain way, or keep up a frenetic pace, it stops being fun. I think I'm at a really good place balancing my blog with my life. It's a source of joy for me, but I don't want reading or blogging to be a source of stress.

Thanks so much Carrie! Everyone go visit her now, add her to your google reader, etc. and enjoy BBAW!