Monday, May 26, 2014

Armchair BEA 2014 - Introduction Post



Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Where in the world are you blogging from?

I'm Lindsey and I have been blogging here at Literary Lindsey since July of 2011. I started blogging because it looked like fun and because I thought it would be a good thing to have on my resume as I tried to nab a job in publishing. Since then, I have rethought my career goals a bit and now work as a freelance editor.
I live in the lovely state of New Jersey. 

Describe your blog in just one sentence. Then, list your social details -- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. -- so we can connect more online.
Literary Lindsey is a place to read about all of the books you should be reading, as well as musings about publishing, family, and life in general. You can also find me on Twitter @LiteraryLindsey. 

What was your favorite book read last year? What’s your favorite book so far this year?  
Don't you know what an impossible question this is?!? For 2013, I would say my favorite piece of fiction was A Constellation of Vital Phenomena and my non-fiction pick would be This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. In 2014, so far, the top contenders are The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry/Found/I Shall Be Near to You/Hild/Astonish Me.

Share your favorite book or reading related quote. 

“Story makes us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving. Why does anybody tell a story? It does indeed have to do with faith, faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose to say or do matters, matters cosmically…Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.”
Walking on Water, Madeleine L'Engle

"We have no time to waste on insignificant books, hollow books, books that are here to please.
We have no time for those sloppy, hurried books of the ‘Go on, I need it for July, and in September we’ll give you a proper launch and sell one hundred thousand copies, it’s in the bag’ variety.
We want books that are written for those of us who doubt everything, who cry over the least little thing, who are startled by the slightest noise.
We want books that cost their authors a great deal, books where you can feel the years of work, the backache, the writer’s block, the author’s panic at the thought that the might be lost: his discouragement, his courage, his anguish, his stubbornness, the risk of failure he has taken.
We want splendid books, books that immerse us in the splendor of reality and keep us there; books that prove to us that love is at work in the world next to evil, right up against it, at times indistinctly, and that it always will be, just the way that suffering will always ravage hearts. We want good novels.
We want books that leave nothing out: neither human tragedy nor everyday wonders, books that bring fresh air to our lungs.
And even if there is only one such book per decade...that would be enough. We want nothing else.”
A Novel Bookstore, Laurence Cosse 

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 books would you bring? Why? What 3 non-book items would you bring? Why? 

I think the best book to bring would be something about surviving on an island. My other two choices would be a really long classic like War and Peace or Anna Karenina and A Wrinkle in Time. 

My snarky response is that I would bring a working cellphone, so someone could come and pick me up. Otherwise, I would bring my family, sun tan lotion (this is a tropical island, right?) and lots of chocolate. 

42 comments:

  1. Stopping in on the BEA tour =)
    Love your Madeleine L'Engle quote
    and I' m totally with you on the problem of picking just 1 fav/year !!

    Have a great week, Lindsey ~

    Sharon @ Faith Hope & Cherrytea

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    1. It's a great quote. There are so many of them from Madeleine L'Engle! I hope you have a wonderful week too. :)

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  2. You would bring your family on a deserted island? How loving of you. Bahaha. Being snarky here myself. It would be handy to bring a survival book. Good thinking.

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    1. Haha. I can see the allure of leaving them home too. I vaguely remember peace and quiet...:)

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  3. I'm in the middle of Hild now and it's definitely my top read of 2014 so far. I will have to check out the others you mention.

    Visit my blog at Emerald City Book Review 

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    1. What a great read! It's a long book, but I could definitely see myself re-reading it at some point.

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  4. Hi: It looks like we have a lot of books read in common - Hild, Astonish Me - I'm happy that I found your blog though Armchair BEA! New follower :)

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    1. Hooray! You must have excellent taste, then. :)

      I'm on my way to check out your blog!

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  5. Awesome intro, Lindsey! I'm seeing a lot of War and Peace around the blogosphere this morning. A chunkster like that...not surprised! :D

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    1. Thanks Andi. I think a deserted island practically demands a book that will take a while to read!

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  6. I hadn't had Hild on my radar, but with your post and the other comments... I think it's going on the TBR pile now!

    chocolate! Nice choice!

    good to meet you and hope to see you around this week :)

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    1. It's a great read. I hope you love it! Chocolate, of course, is always the right choice. :)

      It's wonderful to meet you too!

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  7. I read "Ill share be near to you" this year too. A powerful story! (So glad I don't live back then!)

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    1. Oh my goodness, yes! That is decidedly a side effect of reading historical fiction.

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  8. I could not even pick a favorite book for last year/this year. or 3 books to bring to an island. There are just too many. And I am indecisive. I just cannot choose.

    Lisa @Just Another Rabid Reader

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    1. It's just such a hard question to answer!! There are too many wonderful books.

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  9. Picking your favorite book is like picking a favorite child. I just can't do it. Love the snarky bring to deserted island. A cell phone would solve all the problems in that case.

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    1. Picking a favorite child probably makes family dinners very awkward. Likewise, I think your other books would give you the evil eye from your bookshelves...

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  10. I really liked your Quotes Have a great time this week!

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    1. Thanks Kai. I hope you have a great time too!

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  11. LOL To bring your family would be very thoughtful but I would not want to listen to them nag and complain. And didn't we all at one point wanted to work in publishing? But it's great you work in editing. You get to read all those great works in coming!

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    1. Haha, I think my kiddos are not quite to the nagging stage yet. More of the learning to walk/don't want to clean their room stages. :)

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  12. Snark is good. LOL Enjoyed reading your intro. So love your blog's name.

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    1. Snark is good! I don't know how people talk without it. :)

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  13. Wow...the Laurence Cosse quote. Simply amazing. Makes ya feel proud to be a book lover!

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    1. Yes, indeed. It is actually a much longer quote, but I figured I should only use a portion of it. It's a great book too!

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  14. Love the books you have listed in your favorites! Some of them, especially the Fikry book are favorites, while the others are on my wishlist. Great post!

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    1. Thanks Athira. We just can't resist books about loving to read, can we?

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  15. I love that you have so many books listed in your best books of the year category already!

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  16. I would highly recommend Anna Karenina for deserted island reading! I loved it but it does digress enough about the plight of the Russian worker to make it quite a long book. The Storied Life has been one of my favorite reads so far this year too :)

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    1. There are lots of downsides to being stranded on an island. Finally getting enough time to finish a chunkster is not one of them!

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  17. Oh, yes. Chocolate is a MUST!

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    1. It's the perfect choice for any situation, really. :)

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  18. That's twice today so far I have noticed raves about The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.... it must be good and this is the first I've heard of it. I feel like I'm missing out now. :-)

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    1. It's a great book! I hope you get the chance to read it. :)

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  19. That's a great Madeleine L'Engle quote! I like your practical responses to what you'd bring to a deserted island. Sun screen is important!

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    1. It's on my mind since we are starting to plan for summer things...

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  20. Oh I should of thought of my smartphone - if there was wifi on this desert island, I would have an unlimited number of books at my disposal. There's always a loophole!

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    1. Good thinking! I will take your desert island if there is an unlimited library! :)

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  21. War and Peace, oh my! You must really be expecting to be stuck on that island for a long time. I know sooo many people who have "started" that epic, but have never finished. That's brave. Nice to meet you.

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    1. I guess if you are going to be there for a while, it's a good time to dig in! It's nice to meet you too. :)

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