BBAW: Meet Biblioklepts!

One of my favorite features of Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) is being able to participate in the interviews, meeting someone new every single year!  This year, I had the opportunity to interview Biblioklepts and I am excited to share her with all of you!  Just for the fun of it, I have also included a few thoughts of my own after reading her responses, simply because I love to talk books with anyone and everyone!

Enjoy!!

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Let's talk about you: who you are, what you like to read, what you do beyond the books, etc.?

I'm about to be a second-year at the University of Chicago, and my current plan is to major in Fundamentals (basically, this means that I come up with a big question or idea, and spend three years doing close readings of books that can help me to answer it.) I also want to minor in Classics and/or Linguistics! Uh, and other stuff outside of reading? Hmm. I also love science, especially anything related to space (I also really enjoy physics in general); writing; the color green; good music/movies/the occasional good TV show (including a bit of Whedon); geography; philosophy; collecting random factoids; overanalyzing everything...yeah! Recently, I've been interested in worldbuilding/the logic of how we create a world and are able to understand and use it. (If anyone wants to talk about this, I would love to.) 

Tif:  The picture of Biblioklepts is so fitting after reading this about her, don't you think?!?  (By the way, I am choosing to respond in green because I too love the color green!)

Let's talk about your blog: where did your name come from, why did you start blogging, how long have you been blogging, why do you continue, what are some of your favorite features, etc.?

I started blogging midway through my senior year of high school, but I took a few months off in between then and now for college things. I do it because it's a good excuse to talk about books a lot, and to try to organize and clarify the thoughts I have about what I'm reading. I'm thinking about starting to use the blog to talk about book-related ideas, too, and not just specific books. Hopefully, it'll also lead to discussion/being able to join a larger community. This still hasn't really happened yet, because I'm new/shy, but hopefully it will! (My blog's name came from the fact that I tend to swipe books from people--when I go into a new place, the first thing I do is look at the bookshelves. But I do give them back. Usually.) 

Tif:  I love the creativity behind the name, but remind me to never let you near my shelves!!  :)

Let's talk about books in general: what genres do you gravitate towards, what are you currently reading? 

Reading-wise, my basic policy is to read anything that's good, but I love good stories with good ideas. I tend to like fantasy/sci-fi, alt comics, realistic fiction, good YA/children's books, science books, and some poetry...and I also like books that are about story over style. Showboating is one of my biggest pet book peeves. Right now, I'm finally reading Jane Eyre. I had an unfortunate resignation about reading Bronte, Austen, Dickens, and other classics folks, but now I'm realizing how stupid that was. 

Tif:  Confession time ... I still have not read Jane Eyre!

Where can others find you in the online world (i.e., blog site, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. -- whatever you participate in!)? 

Er, I'm more of a lurker, usually, but sometimes I use tumblr: thesoppingthursday.tumblr.com. 

Tif:  I just stopped by and LOVED your most recent tumblr about literal world-building!!

Name your top 5 favorite reads that you find yourself recommending often. 

Auuuugh, this question makes me so sad. I guess I'll do it by genre. 

Kids' books: The Phantom Tollbooth--Norton Juster, The Moomintroll books--Tove Jansson, and the Sammy Keyes books--Wendelin van Draanen Fantasy: The Lies of Locke Lamora and its sequal, Red Seas Under Red Skies: Scott Lynch (not enough people know about these. They are so, so good. Swashbuckling and thievery and high stakes and creepy magic and lots and lots of cleverness) 

Realistic fiction: Light in August--William Faulkner (this is the only Faulkner I've read so far, but it kind of threw my head into a new place. I loved it.) 

Comics: Love and Rockets--Jamie and Gilbert Hernandez, Castle Waiting--Linda Medley, and What It Is--Lynda Barry 

Poetry: Homer and Virgil! (And also, Crush--Richard Siken) 

Whew! Sorry. I can't answer that sort of question without writing as many books out of it as possible. 

Tif:  I have just added more books to my list!  

What is the book(s) that hooked you on reading (maybe as a child)? 

I've always loved reading! The first book I remember reading to myself, though, is Voyager to the Planets, by Necia H. Apfel. It's responsible for making me a Voyager 2 nerd, and helped out with solidifying my love of space, too. (Looking back on it now, it makes me realize how important good books can be to kids...and that sometimes there's a big gap between adult book standards for kids and what books actually get to kids and make them excited/get them thinking.) 

Tif:  I cannot tell you how much I love that last comment!

What book are you most looking forward to reading this fall? 

I'll be taking a class on The Brothers Karamazov this fall, so I'm pretty psyched for that! I'm also going to the Small Press Expo ( http://www.spxpo.com/) this Friday, during which I hope to accumulate a truly sickening amount of new comics to read.

Tif:  Have fun!  I look forward to reading all about it on your blog!  Here's the link again for those who want keep up with Biblioklepts!!