My First Book Date

Installment one!

Hi everyone! Welcome to the first installment (edition? episode? issue?) of Book Date, a series where I take bibliophiles I know or admire on a date to their favorite local bookstore. I buy them books and in return they let me ask them a bunch of questions about their reading taste. First up is my friend Carrie, who I mentioned in a previous newsletter is the reason reading has become a competitive sport. I’m planning to do these once a month and am very excited about the dates I have in the coming weeks. The first edition of this series is free, but in the future, it will be exclusive to paid subscribers, so if you like this consider upgrading your subscription (it’s $5/month!). I’m excited to build out this newsletter and paying for it helps me to achieve these goals (and subsidizes all the books I’m buying on these dates).

Onto the interview!

A note: I’m using my Bookshop affiliate link for the titles mentioned, so if you buy them through there I might earn a commission. 

Please state your name for the record. 

Carrie Carrollo. 

What do you do? 

Oh God, what do I do? 

How long have you identified as a reader? 

I identified as a reader until high school. But as an adult? Not long.

How many books did you read last year? 

26. My goal was 25. 

What was your favorite? 

This is hard. 

Okay, top five. 

Family Meal by Bryan Washington

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin 

Yellowface by RF Kuang

Ghost Girl, Banana by Wiz Wharton

Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst

First and last book of 2023. 

The Power by Naomi Alderman. Also my least favorite book of the year. The last book was Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, it was one of the best. 

The book(s) you’re looking forward to reading in 2024. 

The book that I was most excited to read this year was Wellness by Nathan Hill. I heard a lot about it. It was very hyped. I’ve also been wanting to read What Napoleon Could Not Do. I think it’s going to be a Q1 book for me. 

A book you read in one sitting. 

My Sister the Serial Killer or Interior Chinatown. 

Have you ever reread a book? 

The entire Twilight series. I’ve read each book three times but certain books, more often.

Which one have you read the most? 

The first half of Breaking Dawn. 

Why just the first half? 

In the first half they consummate the marriage. The story comes to a literal head. A very important head. The second half goes off the rails. However, the best movie is New Moon.

What’s the first book you remember reading? 

I was adopted in China and my parents brought this whole collection of picture books home with me. We also had this collection of Asian books that we read. And there was a picture book about adoption, with the parents going on the plane. I think about those 10 books a lot. And then A Bad Case of the Stripes.

What did you read when you were a teenager? 

This is going to sound crazy. These experimental poetry books about people going through intense experiences, like teenagers getting addicted to whatever. They had these crazy covers and names like Crank and Glass. I flew through those. 

You do like an intense book. 

I like things that feel really far outside of me as a person. 

Where do you get your reading recommendations from? 

You, the occasional callout that I’ll put out on my Instagram from other people who are readers. Reading lists. And whatever’s trending in the world. If I see a cover a lot or in the street then I’ll consider it. 

Favorite bookstore?

Unnameable Books in Prospect Heights. Used books. Cheap, economical, close to home. Open til’ midnight which is insane. I’ve never gone that late. McNally [Jackson], obviously. The Williamsburg one. The very specific Barnes and Noble on the street I grew up on in Chicago. That place is close to my heart. It’s closed now. I went home recently and it wasn’t there but it was my favorite place to be as a child.

Photos of Unnameable Books

Describe your reading taste. 

I’m really interested in alternate experiences from a point of view that feels candid and honest. I like a heavy hitter. I like pageturners. I like fiction. Nonfiction is not really for me. If it’s historical it needs to feel story driven. I don’t like an on-the-nose coming of age story or like finding my identity, but the homecoming stuff is really interesting to me. Self discovery through exploration of home and foundation. I like to mix it up.

Onto the books we bought! Why these? 

Carrie holding the books we picked out.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

I read my first Toni Morrison book, The Bluest Eye, in my favorite high school teacher’s class. He was the most intimidating teacher in our department. He made a big impact on my experience as someone who reads and writes and interacts with literature. I really loved the book. It stuck with me for a long time and continues to. I’ve wanted to read another book by Toni. I went for Beloved but you steered me in the direction of Song of Solomon. I compared the backs and felt called to Song. 

Vladimir by Julia May Jonas

In describing my reading taste to you, I said I wanted a romance and we ended up on Vladimir. I actually have no idea what it’s about. 

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

Another byproduct of shopping for books with you. It felt right and I like a friendly-sized book—barely 300 pages. Felt nice in the hand, a beautiful cover. Asian author, which is very important to me. 

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

I was browsing books that I’d read and it came up as a recommended book. I read the plot one time and I put it on my list. I’m trying to read 30 books this year¹. 

What’s your reading routine? 

I always read before bed and then if I’m really liking the book, I’ll take time out of my day to read it. 

A photo of your bedside table. 

How many hours a day do you read? 

It depends. If I’m really into it, I’ll read all day. I reached that point with Wellness, and that’s how I knew. I always give myself 100 pages. If I’m feeling it then good, I keep moving. If it’s not sitting with me or if I don’t think I can finish it, I’ll stop. 

What do you use as a bookmark? 

I always use a handwritten card that someone gave me. 

Do you use any reading accessories? 

The book light that you got me for Christmas and my emotional support bookmark. That’s about it. Sometimes I’ll flail the book sleeve around, but I keep it close. If I move, it moves. 

Hardcover or paperback? 

Hardcover. Better for the bookshelves and arguably nicer in the hand. I like the structure. If the book is long, like Wellness, or Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, when you’re two pages into the softcover it (Carrie mimes the book falling over unevenly). The hardcover is sturdy. 

I like my wrist to hurt a little bit while I’m reading a big book.

You sacrifice a lot for the vibes. But holding the book is temporary. It continues to live on the shelf.  

How do you store your books? 

On an IKEA Elvarli bookshelf. 

What are you thinking deeply about right now? 

What life looks like in the longer term. When you don’t feel connected to the things you thought you originally would be. Kids, marriage, home, job stuff. 

Your favorite extracurricular activity. 

Horseback riding. I’m a horse girl at heart. 

Until next time!

A receipt doodle, courtesy of Carrie

1. If you’ll recall, I mentioned Carrie is my reading rival, and with her declared bid of 30 books, I’m going for 31.