Welcome back to BOOK AND A BEVERAGE!
In case you don’t know the deal about Book and a Beverage, it’s a very simple yet fun feature: We read books, we drink beverages, we take pictures of them and then I share your photos and a little about you to the blogging world!
Give a big welcome to Monica from The Fuma Files!
Name & Blog Name: I’m Monica and my blog is The Fuma Files
Tell us a little about your blog! The blog started when I was working on my MS in library and information science in October, 2011. For a few of my lit classes, we had to write book reviews and I thought it was fun so I decided to start a blog. I was completely unaware that book blogging community existed, but it’s been fun being a part of it!
What’s been your favorite post you’ve written so far? (Link us up!) One of the coolest moments was when AS King wrote about my review of Please Ignore Vera Dietz on her blog. It was incredible. That book and her words meant so much to me that I wrote her a letter, she replied, and she’s just a rockstar human being. My most viewed post by far was my review of The Element by Sir Ken Robinson, a nonfiction book about creativity, passion, and education.
Got anything special coming up we should know about? I was lucky enough to get quite a few ARCs when I went to the ALA annual conference in Chicago this past summer, so I’ve been happily reading those! Two that I’m particularly excited about are Cress by Marissa Meyer (the third book in her sensational Lunar Chronicles) and The Impossible Knife of Memory by the
incredible Laurie Halse Anderson.
Whatcha reading? I recently finished an ARC of The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater,
the second book in The Raven Cycle.
Where did it come from? (Library, purchased, publisher, etc) The wonderful people at the Scholastic booth during ALA
Any special reason you chose to feature this book? Brittany and I met because of this series! I did a giveaway of The Raven Boys, Brittany won it, then a few months later we met at a book club discussing it. I liked book 1, but I recently listened to it as an audiobook and fell in love so I had to jump into book 2!
What’s important that we should know about this book? Would you recommend it? Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is an acquired taste that’s not always for everybody, and this book is no exception. This saga is weird in a fascinating way, and I’m constantly amazed at how her mind works. Her descriptions are incredible and each character goes on a journey. You have to take your time reading otherwise you’ll miss something, so go slow – it’s worth it.
Whatcha drinking? I’m usually good with water, but this book is perfectly paired with a Guinness (if you’re of age!) because it reminds me of the character Ronan: dark, subtle
undertones, not for everyone, rich (literally and figuratively), and one is enough.
What’s your favorite thing to drink while reading? I like ending a day with a good book and a cup of chamomile tea.
Favorite beverage of all time. Go! Ahhh but there are so many – that’s like asking what my favorite book is! I’ll be as neutral as possible and say there’s nothing quite like a well made mug of hot chocolate in the middle of a Midwest winter.
What are your top three books you would recommend to other people? I’m a librarian, so this is a hard question because it depends so much on the person! For people looking for a fascinating memoir, I’d suggest On The Edge by Richard Hammond. For people who say YA is all fluff, I’d suggest Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson or anything by AS King. For people who want a ‘grown up’ book, I’d suggest Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird – I got so much more out of this story as an adult than I did reading it as a high school freshman many moons ago.
What’s your proudest blogging/reading/writing moment? My blog is so small that I’m honestly thrilled every time I see that someone actually comments on a post! I’m also proud of my equally small YouTube channel where I post video book reviews and other slices of my life – it was scary to put myself out there but it’s been a fun learning experience.
Anything else you’d like to share? Read lots and love your libraries! Also Brittany is awesome and thanks so much for letting me be a part of this =)
Thanks, Monica!! Wow, so many things I want to comment on *takes deep breath to rattle them off*
Oh my gosh, you’re right!! We totally met because of The Raven Boys series… twice! How funny!! I love that you chose that for your book for this feature 🙂
Oh I LOVE the connection you made between the drink and the character! Very clever!!
I’m so glad to have hung out in person! If you guys don’t know Monica, she’s awesome so really, really check out her blog! 🙂
1 thought on “Book and a Beverage [17] – Monica from The Fuma Files”
Thanks so much again for featuring me here! Hope to see you soon!