If you don't know what I'm talking about, Armchair BEA is a virtual conference for bloggers who can't attend Book Expo America or the BEA Bloggers Conference. If you want to learn more, check out the official blog.
The kickoff post was supposed to go up on Wednesday, but I'm still going to do it because it's a set of introduction questions (of which I choose five), and introductions are always important.
Tell us a bit about yourself: How long have you been blogging? Where are you from?
I'm Crystal, and I live on Guam. I started this blog a year ago when I found myself as a stay-at-home wife with a desire for a hobby. I've always had a passion for reading and discussing literature, so writing about books was an obvious choice for me.
For me, reading diversely means consciously picking up books about characters or by authors very different from me or my usual taste. I make an effort to read translated literature, especially from Asia since, even though I'm Asian, I grew up in the West.
It also means being open to new genres. I love literary fiction, but other genres can offer challenges and insight that I can't gain from just staying in my comfort zone.
I don't even have to think about this question. My review of Sherri Vanderveen's novel Absent has no competition thus far. This isn't because it's particularly well-written but because it was the first book I reviewed that I felt truly passionate about. It's not a widely-read work, but it is one of my favorites of all time. Plus, almost a year after it was written, I received an email from the author thanking me for my review. I don't know how she found me, but hearing from her was greatly encouraging and will stay forever in my memory.
What does diversity mean to you?
It also means being open to new genres. I love literary fiction, but other genres can offer challenges and insight that I can't gain from just staying in my comfort zone.
Share your favorite blog post on your blog.
What is your favorite genre and why?
Oh gosh. It would be much easier to list genres I don't like. I'm often a mood reader, so that also affects what I am into at the time.
However, I always return to literary fiction. It's not my most well-read genre because I can't just fly through novel after novel, but the books I do read throughout the course of a year are always the one that impact me the most.
What book are you reading right now?
I just started Elisabeth Elliot's Through Gates of Splendor, which is the story of how her husband and some other men became missionaries in South America and were ultimately martyred by one of the tribes there. It's definitely not a light read.
So there are my introduction answers. If you're participating in Armchair BEA, please link me to your intro post.
If you want to read more, check out my latest book review here.
Happy reading!
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