Betty Begins

I've been wanting to start a book review blog for awhile now. I love books. I love writing.

Why not combine the two?

So let's get started.

First, I'd like to answer some FAQ's about my love of reading:

Why do you like to read?
I love to escape. I like to imagine what I would do in different situations. Good stories allow me to forget the world for awhile and live in someone else’s. I’m always a bit sad when I finish a good book. The characters and places have become real to me and I don’t want to let go.

I think I fell in love with language when I was assigned to read “To Kill a Mockingbird" in 9th grade. I became fascinated with how the author put words together to make such interesting sentences. I underlined and memorized and fell in love with phrases like “wallowing illicitly” and “subsequent mortification”.

When do you find time to read?
I always keep a book or two in my car. I read while waiting for my kids to get out of school. I read when my son has fallen asleep in the car on the way home from taking my kids to school.
I also read at night.
I also neglect laundry and making dinner in order to read a page turner.
If the book is good, you will find time to read!

What books do you recommend?
Book tastes vary so much from person to person. What I think is fabulous, others may not and vice versa. I try not to let it hurt my feelings when people don’t like the books I like, but I can’t help it. The best is when I let someone borrow a book, they too fall in love with it and then recommend it to their friends. Some recent favorites--The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, When You Reach Me, Book of a Thousand Days, The Ladies Auxiliary.

What is your favorite genre?
I pretty much love most genres, except horror. I am a romantic. I love LOVE stories. I can read about anything as long as it has a hint of a love story.

Side note: I also adore poetry--right now I'm kind of obsessed with John Keats.

So, how would you answer the above questions?

Let's talk books.