{"id":6744,"date":"2022-06-02T01:25:24","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T01:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/?p=6744"},"modified":"2022-06-03T14:43:22","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T14:43:22","slug":"how-we-read-books-comfort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/how-we-read-books-comfort\/","title":{"rendered":"How We Read: Books = Comfort"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Books We Read Blog is conducting a series of interviews with contributors and friends of the blog to get a snapshot of our reading habits<\/a>: the things we like to read, the circumstances in which we read, and more.<\/p>\n

Stephanie Bartz<\/a> is the Government Resources and Information Services Librarian at Rutgers-New Brunswick Libraries. She splits her time between Alexander Library and the Library of Science and Medicine.<\/p>\n

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\"Flower\"<\/a>What kinds of books do you like to read?<\/strong>
\nI read mysteries more than anything else, but I like to read a variety of things, and often more than one at a time. So far in 2022, I’ve read mysteries, steampunk, humor, memoir, and local history.<\/p>\n

Do you have format preferences (print, ebook, audiobook, abridged, original language\/translated, etc.)?
\n<\/strong> Print is always my first choice, and complete, never abridged. I have more than one e-reader, but if there’s a print book at hand, it almost always wins out. I also listen to audios, but generally only for books that I’ve already read.<\/p>\n

How do you find new books to read?<\/strong>
\nIt’s hard to know where to start with this question. I’m always on the lookout for new books. I get them from conversations with friends, television shows, favorite authors, a variety of book related mailing lists\/newsletters such as Goodreads<\/a> and Criminal Element<\/a>, walking through the stacks at the library, book-related catalogs, movies based on books, and probably many other places I’m not thinking of.<\/p>\n

Where and when do you read? Outdoors or indoors? At home or out and about? Mornings, evenings, or just before bed?<\/strong>
\nThe answer to the first question is everywhere and any time. For the rest, YES! I most often read indoors in one of several favorite spots, but I’ve also been known to sit on the steps or carry a chair outside on a nice day. Most of my reading is done at home, but if I’m going anywhere that might involve waiting or similar downtime, I carry a book with me so I’m always prepared when the opportunity to read arises. Time is irrelevant as far as reading goes. When the mood strikes and I have the opportunity, I read.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Do you use any libraries or library resources for non-required reading?<\/strong>
\nI don’t make nearly enough use of library resources because I like being able to own the books I read. I reread extensively, and when I read something that I don’t expect to want to read a second time, I pass the book on to someone else or donate it.<\/p>\n

What do you get out of your non-required reading?<\/strong>
\nBooks = comfort. They’re a means of relaxation and sometimes outright stress relief. They bring back memories of childhood. They’re also entertainment, and, since I generally read print books, a chance to get away from all things digital. I also learn something from almost every book I read regardless of genre.<\/p>\n

What are you currently reading, or what have you read and enjoyed most recently<\/strong>?
\nI’m currently reading Death at the Ch\u00e2teau Bremont<\/em><\/a> by M.L. Longworth. It’s the first in a series of mysteries set in the Proven\u00e7al region of France. I’m enjoying it, so I’ll add the later titles to my list of new things to read. The series I like even better is Martin Walker’s Bruno, Chief of Police<\/em><\/a> series. They’re also mysteries and are also set in France. They’re what led me to the Longworth series.<\/p>\n

Recommend a book in one sentence that you think everyone should read:<\/strong>
\nFor a bit of escapism and a different perspective on life, read A Dog’s Life<\/em><\/a> by Peter Mayle.<\/p>\n

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