Rob’s Reader of the Week: Marcia Jarnell aka Lizzy Siddal

Rob’s Intro: Well the good times well and truly roll on at RobAroundBooks as I present another bastion of the reading community for this week’s Reader of the Week – Marcia Jarnell (more commonly known as Lizzy Siddal), the brains behind Lizzy’s Literary Life, a hugely successful, award-winning lit blog that just oozes ‘book love’.

I love Lizzy because although she’s intelligent and well-read (qualities which can easily be identified in any one of her blog posts), she’s also very unassuming and modest with it. That makes Lizzy a great person to know and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to present her as this week’s Reader of the Week. Over to you Lizzy:

I work fulltime in IT – you might think that’s a logical kind of work but …. there’s often more sanity to be found in the pages of a novel! Other interests include travel, photography and, after living in Germany for a decade, all things German.

1. Favourite Genre? I read mostly literary fiction, lots of it in translation. I do enjoy a good crime novel though and I tend to binge on this when in palate-cleansing mode. I’ve decided that I should read more non-fiction and I’ve set myself a modest target of 4 books for 2009. I had the same target last year and failed by 3! I’ve already read 2 this year so I’m improving.

2. Favourite Book? Without a shadow of a doubt, Tolstoy’s War and Peace. As the saying goes you don’t just read War and Peace, you live it! And I fell in love with Prince Andrei …….

3. Why do you love reading so much? Escapism, escapism and more escapism! It’s good to know that the scientists have finally discovered what this bookworm has always known. Reading is the ultimate stressbuster!

4. Favourite reading place? Give me a a sunny day and a shady tree in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. However, as I don’t live there, that is a real treat, reserved mostly for the month of August and the Book Festival. The rest of the year you’ll find me lounging around on my reading sofa.

5. How BIG is your reading addiction? Yes, the house is full of books but that’s evidence of CBPS – compulsive book purchasing syndrome. I can leave the house without a book in my bag, you know. Mind it’s not often that I return without one ….

6. How do you normally add books to your collection? I’m not fussy about where my books come from – internet, charity shops, book sellers (1st hand, 2nd hand). I like gifts the best! I am fussy about the condition of my books though and, for that reason, tend not to use book swapping sites.

7. How do you decide what to read? I’m a whimsical reader – reading according to my mood or the latest reading challenge but never enough of one thing to sicken myself. I’m currently making my way through the 2009 Orange Prize shortlist, offsetting it with a selection of crime novels.

8. Ebooks – love or hate? I’ve only ever read one ebook – a short story and I read it on my laptop. I won’t be rushing to buy a e-reader – how can a machine replace the tactile pleasure of reading, the holding of the book, the turning of the pages and, let’s not forget, the utterly delightful smell of fresh paper and ink?

9. Has reading inspired you to do any serious writing yourself? Just the blog. I’m a reader, not a writer.

10. What single piece of advice (or tip) would you give to fellow readers? Remember the bookworm’s Wonkaism: “So many books, so little time ….”, so don’t waste it and abandon books you’re not enjoying. Reading is an individual pleasure and for every book that’s not connecting with you, there are hundreds more that will. Go find them!

Lizzy, many thanks for giving up some of your valuable time to speak to RobAroundBooks.

Remember Lizzy can always be found at her own award winning blog – Lizzy Literary Life, and if you haven’t visited it already then you’re really missing out on something pretty special.

So who’ve I got coming up as the featured reader in next week’s Reader of the Week? Well that a secret so you’ll just have to come back next Monday to find out.