Welcome to Spring 2025! Let’s continue to read together, one book at a time. In 2022, the Books We Read Blog conducted a series of interviews with contributors and friends of the blog to get a snapshot of our reading habits: the things we like to read, the circumstances in which we read, and more. Revisiting the questions a few years later, here is the first new one.
Danielle Pitter is a published poet and graduate student assistant from the Master of Information Program at the School of Communication & Information at New Brunswick Libraries. Read her posts for Books We Read here.
What kinds of books do you like to read?
I mostly like to read Young Adult and Adult Romance, Fiction, memoirs, graphic novels, and sometimes fantasy.
Do you have format preferences?
Print and ebooks are my definite go-to. Audiobooks have become a growing favorite for me, too. I only listen to unabridged audiobooks; I’ve never read abridged versions. I only speak English, so I can only read in English. I can understand some Jamaican Patios, my family’s native language, but I don’t speakthe language myself.
How do you find new books to read?
I find new books to read from anywhere, like social media, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Booktube (the YouTube space for the book community), my book blogger friends who have read books they recommend, and movies and TV shows that were based on books. Both of my nieces love to read, as well, so I sometimes get romance recommendations from them. It makes me feel so good that I’ve encouraged them to read more, especially when they’d been doing it since we were young.
Where and when do you read?
I read whenever I can and want to. I mostly read at home indoors, but on occasion, I’ll go to a café and read there. I read during the early or mid-afternoons, where there is more space in my brain to read. I’ve tried reading in the morning, but I’m a night owl and like to sleep in haha! I’ve also tried reading at night, too, and that was okay. But I’m mostly pay attention to reading during the day.
Do you use any libraries or library resources for non-required reading?
My very first post on this blog was about this! I wrote the many ways I fell back in love with reading through library resources like subject specialists and LibGuides.
What do you get out of your non-required reading?
That it’s okay to read for fun as an adult. As a graduate student, I’m constantly reading articles, blog posts, discussion posts and writing papers for classes. I used to feel guilty for not reading stuff for school, like making me believe I was lazy or something. But I’ve found out that non-required reading is refreshing. It reminds me why I enjoy reading so much, ever since I was young. I need that balance between what I need to read, and what I want to. It works out best for my mental health.
What are you currently reading, or what have you read and enjoyed most recently?
I’m currently listening to Over the Influence by Joanna “JoJo” Levesque, a pop/R&B singer whom I’ve loved since forever. I think she has an interesting and captivating story behind her artistry. I’m also reading and listening to A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir, which is the second book in the Ember in the Ashes series. I’m taking my time with this one because it’s a bit more dense than any other YA fantasy book I’ve read in my life. And I really liked the first book, so I want to see how the rest of the story plays out.
Recommend a book in one sentence that you think everyone should read!
This is such a good and hard question to answer. Everyone’s reading taste is different. The books I’m into not everyone would probably be into, and same goes for them. I guess the only “recommendation” I have is to read as many diverse books as you can.
Browse previous interviews for more inspiration
- Books = Comfort, by Stephanie Bartz, Government Resources and Information Services Librarian, Alexander Library (6/02/2022)
- Sense-Making, by Sherri Farber, Information Literacy Instruction Librarian, Alexander Library (6/09/2022)
- Lots of Laughs, by Rose Barbalace, Library Supervisor II and Student Coordinator for the NBL work/study students, Alexander Library (6/16/2022)
- Points of View, by Kate Greenberg, SC&I Graduate Assistant, Chang Science Library and Library of Science and Medicine (6/23/2022)
- New Worlds, by Jamey Silverstein, Collection Manager of RecRead, Carr Library and Annex (6/30/2022)
- The Eclectic Reader, by Jill Morrow, Administrative Assistant, Carr Library (7/7/2022)
- Reading as a Job, by Nick Allred, Graduate Specialist, Chang Library (7/14/2022)
- Discovering New Things, by Becky Diamond, Business Librarian, Carr Library (7/21/2022)
- Immersion, by Lindsey Jones, Music Graduate Assistant, Douglass Library (7/28/2022)
- De-Stressing, by Harmony Birch, SC&I Graduate Assistant, Alexander Library (8/4/2022)
- Learning Constantly, by Meredith Parker, Science Reference and Instruction Librarian, Library of Science and Medicine (8/11/2022)
- Perspectives, by Judit H. Ward, Science Reference and Instruction Librarian, Chang Library (8/18/2022)