Getting to know amused, bemused and confused

I haven't participated in BBAW this week simply because I haven't been blogging as regularly as I used to. That said, I knew I didn't want to miss out on Interview Day so I made sure to sign up. I love interviewing other bloggers and always enjoy this part of BBAW the most. So without further ado, allow me to introduce Lyndsey from amused, bemused and confused!




So, since your blog address is teadevotee.com, what is your favorite kind of tea?

English Breakfast. But at all times of day, not just breakfast.

Now that we've gotten that cleared up, give me three books that you recommend to just about everyone.

Ooooh. Just three?! The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood - I'm a huuuuuge Atwood fan. I'm very big into biographies (and am currently studying for an MA in Life Writing) and one of my favourites is The Mitford Sisters, by Mary S. Lovell. And a book I've read and loved recently is How To Be A Woman, by Caitlin Moran. Definitely get this, even if (especially if?) you are a man :)

How has becoming a mom (congrats on that by the way!) changed your reading? Are you making/finding time to read? Are you drawn to some books more than others? etc.

HAHAHAHA SO MUCH! Mostly because it's totally slowed down. But I've got an iPad now which means I've got my reading back on. Before I was just struggling with trying to hold book open and not drop it on the nugget's head. Now I can actually concentrate on the book. I need to find things which are easy to pick up and put down again - so I just re-read Emma, which was ideal. I am reading a lovely book called How Mothers Love, by Naomi Stadlen, which is based on what real women say about how they develop a relationship with their child. It's extremely gentle and reassuring.

Are there any not-to-be-missed bookish events in London? (Or, if you haven't attended any, which author do you wish would do an event near you?)

The events at Foyles are always worth checking out as are those at Daunt Books. Nicole Krauss was here earlier in the year and I wanted to go SO MUCH, but couldn't

I'm a huge fan of audiobooks. What are your thoughts on them? If you are a fan, do you have any narrators you particularly enjoy? If you are not a fan or haven't tried them much, why is that?

Argh, audiobooks, you are my nemesis! Well, not nemesis exactly, but I feel like we should get along better than we do. My ears are just not able to stop my multi-tasking brain from multi-tasking. If I start to listen, I almost immediately start to think about something else. That said, I do like them for the car - and Tina Fey saved my life earlier in the year when I was painting my house.

Is there a particular author that you love so much that you would read anything he/she wrote, including a grocery list?

Virginia Woolf. Erm, I may have read every single biography of her that exists in print. And some that are out of print. Her Writer's Diary is just extraordinary.

What books are you most excited to share with your daughter when she is 4? 10? 16? 25?

Ooooh, we've already started :) She's currently reading The Tiger Who Came To Tea with her Dad. Four - maybe Narnia? Seems young, but my five year old niece loves them (I think she may have a crush on Aslan). Ten - The Exiles, by Hilary McKay. My sisters and I laughed hysterically at this. There are four girls who are obsessed with reading and their Grandma tries to break them of the habit by making them entertain themselves, so they are forced to resort to things like fishing in a bucket. 16 - I hope she'll be into the classics by now - Jane Eyre, The Woman in White, and Jane Austen. And 25 - I hope she'll be sharing books with me by then, so I know what the cool kids are reading when I'm old :)

If you were a Muppet, who would you be?

Beaker. My voice is kind of high pitched and squeaky ;)

I hope you all enjoyed getting to know Lyndsey as much as I did. Her blog was new to me but it is now a part of my Google Reader!