As part of our weekly newsletter, we’ll be interviewing and chatting to one of international contributors each week to learn more about them and their nerdiness! Our first interview is with U.S. contributor Beth Mowbray and we find out what books she’s loved so far this year, the author she’d read for the rest of her life if she had to, and she even gives us a few recommendations!
Hi Beth! We’re so glad to have you on The Nerd Daily team! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Thank you! I’m so happy to be part of this great team! I will be 36 this month and live in the U.S. (North Carolina) with my husband and three-year-old son. I studied Psychology and English as an undergraduate, then went on to get a Master’s degree in Social Work as well as a clinical license. Last fall a friend encouraged me to finally join Instagram and I’ve been blogging about books ever since. What else makes me happy? A hot cup of black coffee, crisp fall days, soft blankets, the smell of books both old and new, a good brown ale, and long talks with old friends.
Where do you think your “nerdiness” came from?
I think it’s just how I’m wired. I have always loved reading and learning. Even as a small child, my mom would take me to the library and bring me home with a bag full of books. I was also the type of kid who wanted to do workbooks during the summer for fun, I taught myself to type correctly around the age of 6 or 7, and I was on a bowling league. Nerd, nerd, nerd! I got a lot of positive reinforcement from my parents for this type of behavior, so I’m sure that helped. And I’m an only child, so I suppose I also had to figure out ways to keep myself entertained!
What has been your favourite read of 2019 so far and why?
I can’t choose just one, so here are a handful of my favorites:
- The Unpassing by Chia-Chia Lin because it is a heartbreaking, character-driven work that just sticks with you.
- Folded Wisdom by Joanna Guest because it is the most amazing real-life story of a father’s love for his kids shared through daily notes.
- Triangulum by Masande Ntshanga because it is a strangely wonderful mix of genres and there is so much to wrap your head around.
- The Book of X by Sarah Rose Etter because reading it is a visceral experience and I’m not sure I have ever been moved that way by a book.
If you could only read one author for the rest of your life, who would it be?
Stephen King. I didn’t read my first book by him until I was nearly 30. I always thought that he was a big commercial writer and I wouldn’t like “horror” and blah, blah, blah. But here’s the thing about King … he is the most incredible storyteller and world-builder! Plus, he has written a ridiculous number of books, so I would have a great variety to choose from.
Are there any TV shows you’re enjoying at the moment?
I really don’t watch a lot of TV these days, but there are three shows I am trying to keep up with: The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things, and Younger.
Do you have any recommendations for our readers whether it be books, movies, TV shows, or something else?
Here are a few backlist favorites … The Giver by Lois Lowry is one of my all-time favorite books, great for both kids and adults. Donnie Darko is a wonderfully weird and twisty movie that is impossible to explain here briefly! And if you haven’t seen the early 2000s TV show Six Feet Under, get HBO Go or HBO Now and watch it!
And there you have it! Be sure to check out Beth’s articles and follow her Instagram and Goodreads!
