Interview with a bookworm: Zina from Debt Free After Three

It’s a milestone for the Interview with a Bookworm series!!! This is interview #10!!! I’m so thrilled and excited you guys have chosen to participate and love this series as much as you do. And if you haven’t been interviewed and want to be, let me know and we’ll get you scheduled. I’m keeping this going as long as I can!

 

 

Today we’re talking to Zina from Debt Free After Three. I actually met Zina briefly at FinCon14 where we talked about weddings because why talk blogging at a blogging conference? If I remember correctly, she got married on my anniversary which is cool. We also belong to a few of the same Facebook groups and she really sweet and smart and I think you’ll enjoy what she has to say about books.

 

 

Jana: Why do you enjoy reading?

Zina: Reading is the best escape. It’s one of my favorite ways to relax, especially after a stressful day. There’s no better way to forget about your problems than focusing on someone else’s story.

Jana: How do you decide what to read?

Zina: I usually go off other people’s recommendations. If I see an interesting book in a magazine, I might add it to my library queue.

Jana: Who are some of your favorite authors and/or genres?

Zina: I love P.G. Wodehouse, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Nick Hornby. I tell everyone to read P.G. Wodehouse if they want a laugh. Rex Stout is probably my favorite detective writer, and I love a good mystery. I even took a class in college about mystery and spy novels. Right now I’m reading The Count of Monte Cristo, a book that my father bought me more than a decade ago. It’s a big tome, but I’m loving the intrigue. I also the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series and have read that twice.

Jana: What’s your favorite book or a book you always recommend?

Zina: I tell everyone to read Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. It’s a brilliant book and so full of depth. For non-fiction, I really like Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert and Quiet: The
Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain.

Jana: Do you watch movie adaptations of books? What do you think of them?

Zina: I do, but I’m definitely the person who gets upset if a movie ruins a book. I’ve read all of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series and I definitely get upset when something is different in the show.

Jana: Ebooks, paper books, audiobooks, or a combination? Why?

Zina: Paper books all the way. For me reading is about not being in front a device so I don’t have any desire to get an ereader. Since I get most of my books from the library, it wouldn’t save me any space either. Plus I love displaying the books I have.

Jana: Do you use the library or buy books?

Zina: I used to have a bad habit of buying books that I hadn’t read and then not reading them. Now I try to borrow books from the library. When I do buy a book, I try to use eBay or used bookstores to get the best deal. I only buy books I really love and want to reread. I also collect books from Rex Stout, who wrote great detective stories about a character called Nero Wolfe.

Jana: Does it offend you when people call you a bookworm or book nerd? Why or why not?

Zina: I was raised in a very academic environment. It was never nerdy to be into reading, even amongst my friends. I remember being at a summer camp and being upset that some other girl was known as the bookworm and I wasn’t.

Jana: How do you find time to read?

Zina: I try to read before bed. I have trouble sleeping and reading relaxes me. After a day of staring at a screen, it’s nice to flip the pages and do something quiet.

Jana: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to people who say they don’t enjoy reading or don’t have time to read?

Zina: I would ask them to think about what kinds of TV shows or movies they enjoy and find books that match that genre or tone. I believe that everyone can find an author or genre they love, but it might take some time. Go to a mom-and-pop bookstore and ask for some recommendations or look at forums online. Reading is a perfect escape and it’s been an incredible addition to my life.

 

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