BBAW Interview: J.T. Oldfield of Bibliofreak

One of the best features of Book Blogger Appreciation Week is the interview exchange. I was matched with someone whose name I recognized from comments on other blogs I read but whose own blog I was not very familiar with. But the first thing I learned from her "about" page is that we are neighbors in Seattle ... so we had the chance to do our interviewing in person! I don't know if they matched us this way on purpose but it was kind of cool. So without further ado, let's learn more about J.T. Oldfield from Bibliofreak ...

We met up in the Barnes and Noble by the University of Washington at a time that we both thought was too early. We sat with our venti caffeine fixes for probably an hour just chatting about books and blogging then took a walk around the store and chatted some more as we came across books that we love or hate. It was a really informative experience and we ended up on a lot of tangents (like the pronunciation of Neil Gaiman's name).

J.T. started her blog in April to showcase her writing (she's an aspiring author) and it turned into a book blog as well. She's pretty well-read in the classics and especially likes Zola and Hardy. She hasn't read the Twilight books. One thing you might not guess from looking at her is that she is totally into the idea of a zombie apocalypse. She has some recent blog posts on the topic and we had a tangent chat about surviving the apocalypse and the possibility of eating some of the big slugs we have here in the Pacific Northwest.

I asked her to answer these random questions in email.

Favorite library or bookstore (or both): Oh God. My favorite bookstore is probably Elliott Bay Books in Seattle. As for libraries...I like the Downtown branch of the Seattle Public Library a lot...I can often be found on the third or fifth floor there. I have a special affection for the Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan. I went to Western Michigan University, not U of M, but I grew up near Ann Arbor, and used it in high school, and then sometimes in college as my boyfriend (now my husband) went to U of M.

Do you visit libraries or bookstores when you travel? Yes! The more the better! Though I tend to go on those excursions myself because, strange as it may sound, a lot of people don't feel the need to go to more than one book store on vacation. I will admit though, I often seek out libraries for their internet connection.

What is your favorite place to read? Anywhere but the car.

Name three of your favorite book titles: White Teeth by Zadie Smith. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. Girl by Blake Nelson.

Fill in the blank: I'm a sucker for a book with __________ on the cover. Hmm...If I think about it really hard, probably trees. Especially abstract sort of things--tree branches and stuff.

What is the one genre that you love that might not be mainstream? Religious stuff. I don't read a lot of Christian fiction, but I love stuff that has to do with religion. In college I double-majored in English (Creative Writing) and Comparative Religion.

What's your ideal book length? Why? I tend to read longer books. I don't know if it's just the types of books I read or what. I think that is why I kinda suck at challenges.

What book are you most looking forward to this fall or winter? Brandon Sanderson's continuation of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffeneggar.

What book-related place (not fictional) would you most like to travel to? ::Sigh:: Everywhere? Right now I'm reading Poland by James Michener and because my mom's side of my family is Polish it's really making me want to go there. And to make pierogies.

Do you re-read? Nope. There are so many books out there, who has the time? I do blog about books I've previously read a lot though (part of this is because I'm a monogamous reader and since I read longer novels, I would never post at all if I didn't revisit books in this way), and that's a nice way to sort of reconnect with a book.

Well, that's it, kids! Thanks to J.T. for taking the time to meet up and to answer my bizarre set of questions! This was a great chance to enjoy some of the sense of community that we book bloggers have. I can't wait to have J.T. at our next regional blogger meetup! :) Be sure and stop by her site to check out her interview of me.

Enjoying a new booky bloggy friend,
K