Member Spotlight: Abi!

Are there any books that you love to re-read from time to time?

I don’t re-read novels. The only books I re-read are instructional how-to books and spiritual/motivational books.

What are your favorite movies/television shows?

Some of my favorite movies: The Godfather, Love & Basketball, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Sidewalks of New York
Favorite TV shows: The Office, Desperate Housewives, The Big Bang Theory, Jeopardy, VH1 Behind the Music, Martin, Seinfeld

If you could time travel, what period in history would you most like to visit and why?

I’d like to time travel to the 1950’s so that I could meet my grandmother and gradfather. Also, I envision this as an era where it was socially accepted/expected for ladies to routinely don hats and gloves.

What do you think members should know about you other than your love of reading?

If something is funny…I will laugh. I’m unapologetic about that.

What was the last book you finished?

The last book I finished was by Anita Shreve…”All He Ever Loved”.

Member Spotlight: Dawn!

Are there any books that you love to re-read from time to time?

Unless I’m teaching a book I haven’t taught in several years, I generally do not reread just because there are so many books that I want to read for the first time.

What are your favorite movies/television shows?

TV:  Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Real Time with Bill Maher, reruns of Frasier and Sex and the City.  Movies:  Love Actually, Dirty Dancing, Mama Mia!, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Moonstruck, The Big Chill

If you could time travel, what period in history would you most like to visit and why?

The Jazz Age–while I know I am romanticizing it,

it just seems like it would have been a lot of fun, especially if I could have hung around the Fitzgeralds and their social set!

What do you think members should know about you other than your love of reading?

I have two goofy dogs that I adore named Gatsby and Nemo.

What was the last book you finished?

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

Member Spotlight: Angela!

What is your earliest (approx.) reading memory?

I was taught to read by the time I was 4, my grandparents would buy me a book every week when they made their weekly trips “into town”.  I started reading the Mickey Mouse and friends collection about traveling the world and the different cultures.

What are your favorite kinds of books to read?

Everything! I love when historical factors are brought into the story, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, I’m a huge fan of Ian McEwan. I’m also a psych major so I read a lot of social magazines, Psych Today, etc.

Other than your passion for books, what should members know about you?

I love history, I’m also very active in sports, I play kickball and softball and I run as much as possible. I am deeply involved in my church as well.

Name your favorite restaurant in the Atlanta area (or two or three!).

Mellow Mushroom /  Noche / Sweet Tomatoes

If you could get on a plane bound for anywhere tomorrow, where would you go and why?

The UK, I love history and England, Ireland and Scotland is full of it. The country-sides

are some of the most beautiful in the world.

Member Spotlight: Jenn!

What is your earliest (approx.) reading memory? 

My earliest reading memory was when I was little girl and I had a touch and feel book about a cat who lost its blanket. For some reason, I absolutely loved that book.

What are your favorite kinds of books to read?

I really enjoy historical books or historical fiction books that portray a certain era accurately. I could also curl up with the latest chick-drama-filled novel and enjoy it just as much 🙂

Other than your passion for books, what should members know about you?

I love adventures! I absolutely love to go camping, snorkeling, snowboarding, hiking, rafting, canoeing, you name it. I also love to travel, even though that’s kind of on hault while I finish my schooling. After I get my degree I plan on moving to Seattle, so if anyone has any experience with that area, any information is more than welcome!

Name your favorite restaurant in the Atlanta area (or two or three!).

I have SO many favorites since the boyfriend and I try to visit a new restaurant whenever we go out. I absolutely love Brick Store, Porter, Leon’s full service, Twains, and Saint Augustines for their beer menu. Just recently I discovered Entico, which is an authentic italian pizzeria and it was fantastic. Farmburger has outrageously delicious burgers and parmesan fries. El Myr has a really affordable menu and amazing pork tacos. Front Page News, Panchos, and Six Feet Under have some of my favorite outdoor seating options. Last but not least, my favorite brunch spots are Ria’s Bluebird, Homegrown, and the Highland Bakery. I told you, I LOVE going to new restaurants!

If you could get on a plane bound for anywhere tomorrow, where would you go and why?

I would go to Kenya! I’ve been itching to go on a true African safari and really seeing all the animals in their natural habitat. I am so enthralled with animals (I have 3 animal tattoos and have plans for many more) and it would be such a unique experience. Maybe I’ll go with Koraline when she’s old enough to appreciate it!

Member Spotlight: Kelley!

Earliest reading memory:

It would have to be when I was in elementary school (not sure what age I was) when my mother would take me and my older brother to the public library and we would stock up on books for the summer. I would get, maybe 15 books! Or however much the library allowed me to take home at one time. It was a summer tradition. As soon as school let out, off to the library we went. I loved those trips. 🙂

Favorite kinds of books:

Hmm, this is a toughie. I love fantasy, supernatural, historical, chick-lit, mystery, horror, humor…that’s about it, I think.

Members should know:

That I love the TV show, Supernatural. Jared Padalecki, my future husband. I don’t care if he’s already married…I have faith that we will eventually meet one day and he will fall in love with me on first sight 😉 Usually, if plans conflict with a new episode of Supernatural, I’ll cancel plans and settle in to watch my favorite show. Which…is actually kind of pathetic, but oh well.

Favorite restaurant in the Atlanta area:

Uhh…this is a hard one simply because I don’t really go out to eat (broke college grad) and I’m relatively new to the Atlanta area. Plus I’m a picky eater so yeah, that makes it difficult. BUT I will say that since I moved to Dunwoody, I have come across one restaurant in Sandy Springs that I absolutely love. It’s called Roasters and I’m sure y’all already know of it but I had never heard of it until I moved here haha.

Plane bound for anywhere:

I would go to Ireland. My brother went to Ireland for a few weeks during his senior year

of college and he fell in love with the place. And once he told me stories about it and showed me pictures, I also want to go there. The landscape is absolutely breathtaking! Plus, Irish accents, simply awesome according to my brother. I need to win the lottery now so I can go…sigh. Maybe one day!

Member Spotlight: Bianca!

What is your earliest (approx.) reading memory? 

Reading a whole book to my parents! I distinctly remember the book had a purple cover and it was about a bird who ate too much during the summer, so he couldn’t fly south with his friends because he was too fat. He spent the winter hopping around, scrounging for food, thus he lost weight and was able to fly just in time for spring. All his friends came back and they had a nice summer together and he vowed not to eat too much ever again. The End.

What are your favorite kinds of books to read?

I love reading books that transport you to wherever

the book takes place. I love feeling so engrossed in a book that during the day I wonder what the characters are up to, or feeling like this day is weird because it’s real life and not at all what is happening in the book. I love dramas. Anything by Jodi Picoult, I LOOOOOOOVE, talk about intense!!

Other than your passion for books, what should members know about you?

I also have a passion for food that I didn’t cook and LOVE getting dressed up and going to new restaurants and old faves. I’m also obsessed with Groupon and Scoutmob and try to find new places through there, since I’m not a millionaire.

Also, I’m planning my wedding for May and loving every second of it!!

Name your favorite restaurant in the Atlanta area (or two or three!).

ONE Midtown Kitchen

TWO Urban Licks

Sushi House in Buckhead

Cafe Intermezzo (for dessert and drinks)

Urban Flats is my new fave

Twist

Cantina

The Grape

Clearly I can go on and on and on…

If you could get on a plane bound for anywhere tomorrow, where would you go and why?

In this moment, it would be Bora Bora, because we just watched the end of XXX (Vin Diesel is totally by guilty pleasure!) last night and at the end they go to Bora Bora and it looks sooo amazingly luxurious and relaxing…

Aside from that, I don’t think I could pick just one place. I really want to go to New Zealand, Thailand, Greece, Japan, Costa Rica and the DR, I would also love to go back to Spain and Italy.

Although if I was seriously handed a ticket tomorrow, I may have to be lame and say San Antonio, because I haven’t seen my parents since Easter and there is LOTS of wedding planning to do out there!! 🙂

Member Spotlight: Melissa!

Earliest Reading Memory:

I remember reading Cat in the Hat over and over with my mom. I still know some of the lines by heart! I also loved anything by Richard Scarry and Wacky Wednesday was one of my other favorites. The first non-cartoon book I remember reading was a Fudge book by Judy Blume; I think it was Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. 

My favorite kind of books to read:

Chick Lit (especially British or Irish), books about ESP/Mediumship (made up that word on the spot!), books about dogs (both fiction and non), mysteries (but not scary ones) and books that take place during WWII.

Other Passions:

My husband, my dog, the beach, music, computer games, reading (oh, I forgot, I wasn’t supposed to mention that one!), travel, shopping

Favorite Restaurants:

I don’t really have any. It depends on my mood. Current regular spots are Thaicoon, Melton’s App&Tap, Brickstore Pub and Bambinellis

If I could get on a plane to anywhere:

Probably back to Italy… We’ve been to Rome and Venice, but I still want to go to the Amalfi coast, Florence and the little villages along the way. I loved the food, the feeling and the Italian-ness of it all 🙂 If I couldn’t go there though, it would be France (Paris, the Southern coast, wherever!). Or Israel. Or London. Or Costa Rica. I’m sorry, I’m not very good at making decisions!

Member Spotlight: Meet Holly Rauckman!

What is your earliest (approx.) reading memory?

My dad taking me to the Bookstore every weekend. The very first book I bought was The Chronicles of Narnia when I was 8. 

What are your favorite kinds of books to read?

It varies. I like reading just about anything. But lately I’ve been liking to read Mysteries. Give me Sherlock Holmes or a book by Agatha Cristie and I’m happy. I also like YA paranormal fiction. And Science fiction. And anything by Stephen R. Lawhead. 

Other than your passion for books, what should members know about you?

I  am obsessed with British T.V. Mostly Doctor Who. My favorite Atlanta Hangout is Little Five Points, because it has a very eclectic mix of people and shops. I love music. My CD collection is so varied, if you can think of a type of music, I most likely have it.  I have a passion for cooking, and I’d like to open my own restaurant one day.  Every September I work at an anime convention in the art show room, where I am the assistant director.

Name your favorite restaurant in the Atlanta area (or two or three!).

Provino’s Italian, Kobe Japanese Steakhouse, And The Vortex in Little Five Points. 

If you could get on a plane bound for anywhere tomorrow, where would you go and why?

England. I’ve always wanted to go to England. I am an Anglophile. I love everything about England. Or The Netherlands because I have a couple of friends from Harleem and Rotterdam. And I’m learning Dutch, so I’d like to put it to good use.