For the Love of Stories : the Rebooted Book Review Blog

I've been seeing a few "About Me" posts pop up on my Dashboard today, and I realized that since I'm new, I should probably say a little something about myself. 

I'm 32, almost 33. Kate is my middle name, but it's what I go by in my online life. Hehe. I live in the Boston, Massachusetts area (USA). I live with my husband - we just got married two months ago! - and our neurotic cat, Roxie. She is not the huggable cat in my avatar picture. My cat is an 18-pound grey tiger who will scratch your eyes out if you piss her off, but we love her anyway. 

I studied medical lab technology and genetics in school. I currently work doing the former, but am trying to get a job doing the latter. Or at least something in biotech. That would be fun. Either way, though, I'm a science nerd. I love pretty much all things science... except for Physics. Physics makes my brain hurt, although I'll still read about it sometimes. And even though it's not my field, I think that if I had to pick a Science Idol, it would be Neil deGrasse Tyson. Because he's brilliant and funny and gives awesome public speeches about how kids should make messes in order to learn. 

[Edit: I don't know if it's possible to post an actual video, but here is the link to that speech.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgMBGD6MZKc

I love books, obviously. I have an account on Goodreads, so I haven't bothered to post all the books on my TBR - mostly because I want to keep this account relatively clean and blog-friendly, but I have almost 3,000 books on my to-read list over there. At 50-70 books read a year, and about that same amount added to my to-read list every year... Hmm... Okay, so I'd say it's hopeless, but can something really be hopeless if you enjoy it anyway? I just wish I read faster, but at a faster pace I don't really take in what I've read, so I'd rather read a little slower and take it all in.

My favorite books of all time are Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and The Shining by Stephen King. By that you should be able to figure out that I like all sorts of books. If I had to pick only one genre to read for the rest of my life, I'd probably pick fantasy, but reading the same kind of story gets boring after a while, so I like to mix it up. The only genre I really don't read is straight-up romance. I like a little romance in my stories, though.

I tend to rate my books on the higher side. Very few of my reads are rated less than 3 stars. If I don't vehemently hate the book, then chances are I can find something redeeming enough about it to give it 2.5 to 3 stars. I've never given a book 1 star. Not even Great Expectations. 

There. Another thing you should know about me. I hate Charles Dickens. I do. I even tried reading him as an adult, out of the structure of high school English class. Still can't stand his writing. It is what it is.

Currently I'm reading The Girl on the Train on my nook, and Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E.Coli Outbreak that Changed the Way Americans Eat in hardcover (see, I told you I was a science nerd). I tend to read my nook when I'm out and about - easier to carry around - and a hardcover or paperback when I'm at home. I'm also audiobooking (I'm making that a word) Over Sea, Under Stone. I like to listen to audiobooks when I'm taking walks or at the gym, or when I'm cleaning the house. Passes the time more pleasantly. I'm enjoying all three so far (although I'm not sure "enjoying" is the right word to use for Poisoned) and I plan on continuing the The Dark is Rising series on audiobook once I finish the first one.

Aside from reading, I enjoy watching TV, watching movies, and spending time outside. Not being sporty, really - despite growing up in New England I can't downhill ski to save my life - but just sitting outside is nice. With a book - even better. Mostly I just enjoy curling up on the couch with my husband and our cat, watching sports or something on Discovery or Travel Channel. My husband likes to watch car shows, and sometimes I'll watch with him, or else I'll just curl up next to him with my book. Except for British Top Gear. I absolutely LOVE Top Gear. I'll watch that even when he's not home. [Edited to clarify: BRITISH Top Gear!]

So that's me in a nutshell. Sorry if I rambled. Any questions, ask away. And if I sometimes go a week or more without posting a review, don't worry - I'm still here and I'm still reading. Sometimes life just gets in the way and it takes me longer to finish a book than I'd like. But I'm not going anywhere. :)