About Me

Hi friends, welcome!

My name is Malea and I am an avid reader! My mom and grandparents really instilled a love of reading from a very young age. I have many memories of my mom and grandparents, especially my mom's father, with books in their hands, on surfaces around the house, and near their favorite chairs and beds. My dad's mom was also a librarian and we would receive huge boxes in the mail packed to the top with books that her library was purging for various reasons. 

As a child, I was a precocious reader and reading college level fiction by fifth grade -- my fifth grade teacher didn't believe that I was understanding what I was reading beyond our class level and made me do an oral book report to the class to prove my comprehension! That same year, myself and two other high level readers were selected to tutor three of the lowest level second grade readers. 

I can speed read, but I really prefer to read slowly and to savor what I'm reading. 

I tend to read multiple books at once, though lately I've been on a one-book-at-a-time kick. Within the next week or so, I'll probably be back to multiple books at a time though as the school year is starting up which means tutoring is also starting up again and my book clubs are getting back up and going. 

This past year, I've created a little reading corner in my living room and I absolutely love it! Our apartment is high enough that we look out into the upper portions of several trees with a bit of sky above. I love to sit in a big chair next to this window with a mug of hot coffee, a blanket, and a stack of books. I used to love to read with my dog curled up next to me, but she passed away very suddenly in August -- I'm heartbroken.

Here are 10 more reading related facts about me:

1. I love to visit independent bookstores when I travel.
2. I love bookshops with attached cafes.
3. I greatly prefer physical books to e-books, but I'll read either.
4. I still have a few books from my grandmother's library and two of my favorites are Martha Matilda O'Toole by Jim Copp and Peanuts Lunch Bag Cookbook by Jane Dutton and Charles Schulz. Both are long out of print and I love mine, so I won't be selling mine anytime soon!
5. I love to read while walking and advocate letting children walk or stand or bounce around while reading. 
6. I love books that are part memoir or story and part cookbook with recipes woven into the story.
7. I love to read cookbooks that have story elements -- maybe a memory from the author preceding a recipe or sidebar notes related to the recipes. 
8. My dream home includes a large chef's kitchen that opens into a large library style living room. 
9. I'm generally shy and introverted, but I will always gladly discuss books! Someone once told me that I "shine and sparkle" when I talk about books and reading!
10. I will always be grateful for my mom and her love of reading. She was truly my best reading role model!
11. Bonus: speaking of my mom -- she once was at a loss for what to read next and asked me for some suggestions. I gave her a list of my favorite books and books I'd enjoyed recently. She read two or three and promptly returned the list, stating, "These are all so sad and depressing! I can't read any more of them!" It hadn't occurred to me until then that I do, indeed, prefer books that are serious, sad, even depressing!