Readers’ Advisor Profile: Izabel

by | Aug 26, 2020 | RA Blog, Readers' Advisor Profile

I have a couple vivid memories from my childhood that are related to reading. When I was about 8 years old, I scared my mom by choosing a Goosebumps book to take home. I think it was the skeleton on the cover that spooked her. A couple years later, I had a nightmare during a sleepover after reading a scary chapter involving ogres in Ella Enchanted. I continued this trend of giving myself nightmares by moving on to Anne Rice when I was in 8th grade. I did not understand half of what was going on, but there were vampires! My love of the supernatural and fantasy continued as I grew up, thanks in part to the release of new Harry Potter books right around my birthday.

As an adult, reading became a social activity for me. I will talk about books with anyone and everyone – teens at the library, Facebook connections I have never met, random people on the train – whoever will listen. Instead of catching up on our personal lives, my friends and I would spend a Saturday night out at a bar talking about characters we adored and who should end up with whom in the YA love triangle.This started happening so often we made an official book club and switched to brunch, which makes it a lot easier to hear each other.

I like to read in comfy places. Sitting in the sunshine in my yard or curled up with blankets on my couch are where I get through most books. When I’m not reading a physical book or an e-book, I’m on the lookout for good audiobooks! Some audiobook readers elevate my reading experience and make me feel like I’m inside the book. My favorites have been The Diviners by Libba Bray, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, and Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Where You Can Find Me in the Library: usually in the Teen Room, sometimes at the Adult Services desk, and once a month at the Homestead Barr leading the 20|30ish Book Club!

Where Else You Can Find Me: my yard, dog-friendly patios, my local comic shop, brunch, on The Storygraph

Hobbies (that aren’t reading): baking macarons, gardening, DnD, obsessing over my star chart, playing Horizon Zero Dawn very slowly

My favorite genres to read: very light sci-fi, any book about witch detectives/mysteries, and fantasy, specifically the kind where girls kick butts

What I don’t read: westerns, most non-fiction, non-paranormal horror

See Izabel’s posts here.