Blogger Interview: Monique from Something to Browse

To help celebrate our month of children’s literature at Pages Unbound, we are interviewing a different blogger each week about their favorite books and readings habits as children.  Today, we welcome Monique from Something to Browse!

THE INTERVIEW

What were your favorite books when you were growing up?

My favorite books growing up were definitely the Nancy Drew mystery books. I started reading them very young (around age 7 or 8) and then I eventually started reading the Hardy Boys’ mysteries, which I LOVED! I was a huge fan of mysteries back then. Of course, before my mystery book addiction started, l was just as obsessed with fairy tales as any other kid. My favorite fairy tales were Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, The Princess and the Pea, and Rapunzel. I thought Alice in Wonderland was really weird and wasn’t as fascinated with it as some of my peers. I also didn’t like Snow White because I thought she was really silly. Like, seriously? How many times are you going to get tricked? And why is a prince randomly kissing a dead girl? I understood it for Sleeping Beauty because she was just asleep, but Snow White was thought to be dead! Oh, well.
Some of my other favorite childhood books were The Little Match-Seller, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Suit, and The Magic Tree House books.

How were you introduced to your favorite childhood book?

The Library! My prep school had a pretty big library and I would read as much as I could during lunch time. It was bliss! I can’t possibly choose a favorite book out of the several books I loved as a kid, but I know I definitely found all my favorite books at the library. Except The Little Match-Seller; that was found in my mom’s house. I think she might’ve bought it for me cause she knew just how much I loved reading.

Are there any children’s books you still love to reread?

Yes! I love to reread fairy tales. Not just my favorite fairy tales, but ALL the fairy tales. There is a series called The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. The books are loosely based on fairy tales, so before I read the next book in the series, I always reread the fairy tales first to refresh my memory, and I also read the Grimm brothers’ versions as well.

I haven’t been reading many Nancy Drew books lately, but I’m still a fan! 😀

Did you have any literary idols or role models?

Idols? Nope. Role models? Yes! Nancy Drew was my ultimate heroine. I loved how smart she was and her ability to focus on the important things. Even though, Beauty and the Beast wasn’t one of my favorite fairy tales, I loved Belle’s personality and her humility and loving nature. I really wanted those traits…..but I don’t think I’d like the Beast very much.

Where was your favorite place to read growing up?

Anywhere! As long as I could read there, I didn’t care where I was going.

How have your childhood reads shaped you?

My childhood reads all together form the bridge that makes me the reader I am today. They are the ones that first got me into reading, and I am forever grateful.