Utah Book Month : Interview with Suey from It's All About Books

I am excited to be part of "Utah Book Month" and I'm especially honored to be able to interview Suey from It's All About Books. Suey was one of the first Utah book bloggers that I discovered and one of the few I've been privileged to meet in person. Her blog is always full of fun information about new books and since she also works at the Orem Library, she always seems to know about the fun "book" things happening in Utah. I've read and enjoyed several of her recommendations.

I sent Suey my list of questions earlier and I enjoyed reading her answers and getting to know her just a bit better.


Have you always loved reading? What is the first book you can remember loving as a child?

Yes, I have always loved reading... for as long as I can remember. Some of the first books I loved as a child were Ferdinand the Bull, Make Way for Ducklings, Mr. Pine’s Mixed-up Signs, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Nancy Drew and the Little House books.


You work in a library. Do you also have a library at home? How is it organized?

Ah, yes, I do have a home library! Several IKEA shelves line my basement family room walls! I have a very loose organization to them.... classics in a section, other fiction in a section, a little non-fiction section, Newbery Award winners, YA books, kid books, picture books, and a random section of new hardback, signed, local author books. Plus if there’s a big series of books, they are grouped together off by themselves. It’s a bit of a mess actually, but the sort of mess that makes me happy.

I read that you regularly host a neighborhood book club. Which books have you read that inspired great discussion with your group? Was there a book club pick that everyone loved? One that everyone hated?

Well, everyone hated Love in the Time of Cholera, and The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. We still laugh about how terrible those books were! Books that inspire much discussion are the ones where there is differing opinion... for example The Kite Runner, a book that I was amazed at how many people didn’t like it. Also, Bel Canto and Ella Minnow Pea sparked some good discussion. Books we all loved: The Wednesday Wars, Precious Bane, North and South... and many more.


Have you ever liked the movie better than the book? Which one?

Rarely do I like the movie better, but there’s a few that would fit. For instance, big fat classics where the book is hard to read, but the movie is awesome... like The Way We Live Now... or Bleak House. Gah, I’m sure there’s more but I can’t think of any right now!


Which literary character would you like to be friends with?

I’d love to be friends with Anne Shirley, or Lizzy Bennet, or Jo March... for starters!


How long have you been blogging about books? What inspired you to begin your blog?

I’ve been at this now for 5 ½ years! Wow! I was part of several online book clubs and they all started talking about book challenges and how they keep track of them on their blogs. I was feeling left out, so I finally started one... after pondering on it at least a year! Also, I just wanted a place to gush about books without fear of being looked at weirdly. 

Do all of your children love reading? How have you inspired them to love books?

Actually, I have a couple of kids that don’t really like reading.  Makes me sad. The girls love it... or at least enjoy it, and the boys, not so much. I try to inspire them by reading the same books as they do and talking about it together. I also have a lot of books on hand (see the library above!) that they can choose from whenever the mood sets in. 

Do you prefer e-book or the "real" thing?

I am very new to the e-reader experience, but surprisingly, I’m really enjoying it! However, I think I’d still say at this point that I prefer the real thing. 

Get to know Suey more by visiting her blog. And check out all the other fun things happening during Utah Book Month. There will be more interviews with Utah Book Bloggers and interviews with Utah Authors.