BBAW Day 2: Interview with Carrie of Books and Movies

Today I get the privilege of introducing you to Carrie of Books and Movies.  I love being able to get to know a new-to-me blogger better with fun and interesting questions.  So, here we go:

How long have you been blogging and how has your blog changed (or how have you changed) over time?
I've been blogging for seven years, but have been book blogging for the past three. I started out as a mommy blogger, mostly writing about our homeschooling adventures. After a few years, I realized that I was writing more about books, and reading more book blogs than homeschooling ones. In 2009, I started Books and Movies, and haven't looked back. I very rarely post on my homeschooling blog anymore, and now consider myself a book blogger.

What kind of book (or movie) is your go-to favorite?  Any specific genre or type of story?
Ooo, tough question! When I'm in need of comfort, I reread my favorites: Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter, Wendell Berry, Leon Uris. When I'm going for a new read and I want something to completely drag me into the story, I go for YA fiction - usually dystopian. I also adore crime fiction and historical fiction.

It sounds like you have a pretty busy schedule, so how do you balance your time between kids (and homeschooling!), family, other obligations, and reading/blogging?
It isn't easy! I sneak reading and blogging time into the little pieces of time that happen throughout the day. I do a lot of my reading via audiobook, so that I can listen while doing dishes, laundry, driving the kids around to activities, etc. It also helps that I read quickly. As for blogging, I try to get a bunch of posts written whenever I have a free weekend. That way there are posts going up during the times when I'm too busy to read.

Tell us about the reading challenges you host?
A few years ago, I started hosting the Essay Reading Challenge, simply because I love reading essays and I think they are a misunderstood genre. The next year, I added the Ireland Reading Challenge. My heritage is Irish, so this was a no-brainer, and has become my most popular reading challenge. I have continued to host these every year, and a lot of terrific bloggers join me for the challenges. Last year, I hosted the Wendell Berry reading challenge, because he is a favorite author of mine, and I wanted more bloggers to experience his brilliance. Hosting the challenge had the added benefit of prompting me to read more of his work, and so the idea of the Graham Greene Challenge, which I am hosting this year, was born. I'm not sure if I'll do an author challenge next year or not - I'm toying with some ideas.

If you could be any character in any book (or movie) who would you be and why?
I would be Anne Elliot in Persuasion so that I could fall in love with Captain Wenworth, for the second time. :)

What one (or two or three) books have had the greatest impact in your life?
The Bible, because I am a Christian; Trinity by Leon Uris, because it taught me about the history of my ancestral homeland; and The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, because it helped me understand what my father experienced when he served in Vietnam.

Tell us something about yourself that most of your blog-readers wouldn't know?
I'm pretty much an open book, so I can't really think of anything! Let's see....I once had a short story published in a very small press magazine. Shortly after that, it went out of print. I don't think the two events were related. :)

Thanks so much for answering my questions, Carrie!  Doesn't she sound like such an interesting person?  Be sure to check out her blog, her facebook page, and twitter.

For more interviews, check out the BBAW page!

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