Rob’s Intro: Last week I featured Gautami as my Reader of the Week, calling her a ‘pillar of the online bookish community’. Well this week it gives me great pleasure to present another one, the woman behind Tammy’s Book Nook – Tammy Millar. Take one look around Tammy’s blog and the first thing you notice is that she goes in for a lot of reading challenges – and I mean a lot!! The upshot of this of course, is she gets through a ton of books, making her dedication to reading and her love of the written word clear for all to see.
I thing I love about Tammy most though is her reviews. They’re succinct, quick to read and of great worth to those seeking opinion, without having to wade through loads of superfluous ramblings i.e. like mine 
). Anyway enough of me, I’ll pass you on to this week’s star herself – here’s Tammy:
I am one of those rare creatures – a native Floridian. This may not seem like much of a distinction, but living my entire life in a place where every single person seems to be from somewhere else is somewhat unique. Other than that, my life is pretty ordinary. I’m married and have a 14 year old son. We have two beagles and a bird who apparently thinks he’s part rooster, always screeching at the break of dawn. My husband and I both work full-time and a big night out is dinner and a movie. I got into blogging so as to have a project (I do love a project!) and now I’m hooked. I really expected to lose interest after the first few months and I can only credit all the other wonderful blogs out there for keeping me involved. My only problem now is that there aren’t enough hours in the day for blog reading!
1. Favourite Genre? I love classic literature a.k.a. all that stuff that you had to read in high school or college. Luckily, I never had a teacher who really turned me off of it, like so many do. I also read a lot of nonfiction, mostly history and biography. I’m trying to read more modern literary fiction, mostly by picking books from award lists such as the Booker or Pulitzer.
2. Favourite Book? This is something that changes with age. When I was a teenager and early 20’s, it was Gone With the Wind. I read it so often that I could quote several pages in their entirety. I still enjoy it but have not reread it for several years now. Pride and Prejudice and Emma are both favorites, as is anything by Bill Bryson. The man cracks me up. I just received his book on Shakespeare and I can’t wait to get started. I also enjoy books by Robert Fulghum. He wrote All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, which I know was very popular with graduations and the like several years back. He has several books of essays/stories that really touch me.
3. Why do you love reading so much? So many reasons! I love learning about people and places, and reading gives me opportunities to do so that I may never get in real life. Escapism has always been a big reason. I’m a bit of a daydreamer and I’ve always loved imagining myself in place of some fictional character. Growing up, there were always books around – not nearly as many as I have now, but some – and my parents were big library-supporters. In fact, I probably spent more time with my nose in a book than I did doing anything else. So I guess another reason that I read now is simply out of habit.
4. Favourite reading place? When we moved into our new house a few years back, we threw out the raggedy old sofa and got all new living furniture. We went with a big, overstuffed sofa and armchair with a matching big, overstuffed ottoman. Both of those are great places to read. Like most bloggers, though, I can and will read just about anywhere. I always, always have a book on me, so you can catch me reading in the car while in line at my son’s school, in waiting rooms, occasionally in my office (don’t tell my boss), you name it. About the only place I don’t read is in moving vehicles and only because it makes me ill.
5. How BIG is your reading addiction? I currently have between 775-800 books in my house, and my library TBR list probably has 300 titles on it. There’s no telling how many books I’ve read in my lifetime. I remember trying to keep a list when I was about 12 years old, but I lost motivation when writing it gave me hand cramps.
6. How do you normally add books to your collection? I used to be Barnes & Noble’s favorite customer. Then they closed the store closest to me and I didn’t want to drive across town, so I started examining other options. Our town has two used bookstores but their prices are somewhat high and selection is lacking. I get a lot of my books from the Goodwill now. I don’t know if it’s because I live in a university town, but they have a wonderful selection. I’m also a member of PaperbackSwap and BookMooch. Online shopping is always an option. And I can’t forget charity book sales! I absolutely love those. My sister and I drive to Atlanta annually for a large sale, usually 50,000+ titles.
7. How do you decide what to read? Currently I’m in award mode. I signed up for several perpetual challenges for award-winning books, so I’ve got a huge selection for some time to come. I also read the New York Times Book Review and get some ideas there, but more often my choices come from the book blogging community.
8. Ebooks – love or hate? I love the concept of ebooks, but I just can’t get into them. I’ve read parts of two or three books on my computer but only when I had no other choice. It’s partly the physicality of books that others have mentioned, but even more is the feeling of being tied down to one spot and not being able to take the book with me when I want to get up. I suppose a Kindle would get rid of that problem, but it wouldn’t solve the touch and feel issues. I can’t explain it, although I have a feeling that many readers will understand, but I simply don’t connect to characters in the same way if I’m not holding the book in my hands.
9. Has reading inspired you to do any serious writing yourself? Not at all. In fact, I’d have to say that it’s done completely the opposite. There have been times that I wanted to be a writer, but I’ve come to realize that I have no talent for it. I’m not a good storyteller and I’m much too literal-minded to be very creative. The more I read, the more I realize that I can’t do what the good writers do. And that’s okay. Everyone has their own talents and, in a way, realizing that writing is not mine has helped me to appreciate it in others.
10. What single piece of advice (or tip) would you give to fellow readers? Take advantage of the Internet. There are so many wonderful resources out there – book clubs, blogs, author and reader interviews, criticism, you name it. My love for books has grown tenfold due to being able to connect with like-minded people and I feel that I get so much more out of the books that I read when I’m able to discuss them with others. It’s a wonderful way to help you see a book in a different light.
Tammy – you rock! ) Thanks for a great interview
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