What do Margaret Atwood and Michelle Obama have in common? Why should you consider joining a book club? What movie is much better than the book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rina could tell you. Based in Texas, she is the SEO Team Manager at Shortform. We interviewed her recently to learn a bit about her relationship with books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Rina’s been a voracious reader since childhood, so we had a lot of fun interviewing her. Here’s what she had to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I manage the SEO Team. We’re responsible for Shortform’s blog<\/a>. So, I handle the content strategy, oversee production, and monitor analytics. It’s a nice hybrid between the creative aspects of content creation and the technical aspects of SEO and data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My favorite book changes, but Anxious People<\/em> currently holds that title. It’s a book that captures the essence of how it sometimes feels like we’re all just doing the best we can\u2014and reminds us to cut one another some slack. Station Eleven<\/em> used to be my favorite, but actually living through the pandemic makes that book less fun to revisit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m always reading several books at once. I just finished The Echo Wife<\/em> for a book club. The Thursday Murder Club<\/em> is one of the books I’m currently reading because it was on hold for me at the library and it became available. I have no idea what I’ll read next. I’ve had Dopesick<\/em> on the shelf for a while, and\u2014now that it’s a show\u2014I feel like I should read before watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Margaret Atwood, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Michelle Obama. These are three incredible women, all of whom have had interesting lives and bring completely different perspectives to discuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don’t have a favorite genre, but I generally love books with interwoven narratives more than a linear story. For both fiction and non-fiction books, I like multiple perspectives that all slowly unfold to tell the whole story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I generally don’t like Groundhog Day plots where someone repeats the same day over and over. I’ll read it if it’s for a book club, but otherwise nope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I want a physical book to read while I sit in a comfy seat by a window with a tasty beverage within reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don’t have a specific book, but I think any memoir from someone different from you. I read Glennon Doyle’s second book\u2014Love Warrior<\/em>\u2014when it came out, and it’s stuck with me. Her experiences were so far outside of my own that it’s refreshing to get an honest, inside look at that. I felt the same way about Megan Rapinoe’s memoir One Life<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I tend to read a lot of different authors and don’t feel like I have to read everything someone’s done. I will say Fredrik Backman is often a hit for me, Samantha Irby consistently makes me laugh with her essays, and Sy Montgomery always knows how to humanize animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I read a greater variety of books than ever before. Whenever I think there’s a genre or sub-genre that isn’t for me, a book will come along and change that. Being in book clubs has pushed me outside of my reading comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve always been a big reader so I can’t pinpoint a specific book that pushed me that way. When I was a child, everything related to reading was always encouraged by my parents. I was never told “no” when I wanted to go to the library, and nobody fussed at me about the overdue fines I accumulated. I could stay up late to read, tote around as many books as I wanted, and even ignore people around me to bury myself in a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I feel no guilt about reading any book. If I’m enjoying it or learning something from it, the book has served its purpose. But, I guess as a full-blown adult, I may not be the target market for YA. So, maybe anything YA would be considered a guilty pleasure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Dorito Effect<\/em> really made me rethink the concept of flavor and how I flavor my food. Why have something that mimics the taste of something else when you can have the true, pure form of the flavor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, so many!<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Once a story you’ve regarded as true has turned false, you begin suspecting all stories.” (The Testaments<\/em> by Margaret Atwood)<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Survival is insufficient.” (Technically, this is from Star Trek<\/em>, but I read it in Station Eleven<\/em> by Emily St. John Mandel.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The truth of course is that if people really were as happy as they look on the Internet, they wouldn\u2019t spend so much damn time on the Internet.” (A Man Called Ove<\/em> by Fredrik Backman)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo we settle for the world as it is, or do we work for the world as it should be?\u201d (Becoming<\/a><\/em> by Michelle Obama)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought Silver Linings Playbook<\/em> was much better than the book, but otherwise I just like when movies and shows expand on the book. The Handmaid’s Tale<\/em>, You<\/em> by Caroline Kepnes, and Dopesick<\/em> all do this in some way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think it’s all part of the joy of reading. Experiences, narratives, and stories that aren’t your own. I’m not interested in reading something that might as well be my own memoir or manifesto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honestly, no. I approach each book with a focus on what useful nuggets I can pull out. This also means that, since I’m not reading purely for pleasure, I don’t end up “loving” the book. Though I don’t hate it either. I just focus on the learning aspect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are so many great books. I love Brene Brown’s books, especially Daring Greatly<\/em><\/a>. Another favorite is Think Like a Monk<\/em><\/a>. Also, Caste<\/a><\/em>. It’s heavy but so important. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that someone may be able to learn and grow from lessons we get to share. I know I expanded my own knowledge having read the book, so I’m hopeful it can do the same for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat’s your favorite book and why?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What are you reading these days?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
If you could have a dinner party with any three authors\u2014dead or alive\u2014who would they be and why?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What’s your favorite genre? Why does it intrigue you?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Are there any book genres or tropes that you dislike or refuse to read?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What’s your favorite way to read a book?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What book do you think everyone should read in their lifetime?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Who are your favorite authors?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
How have your reading tastes changed over the years?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Was there a specific book that sparked your love of reading?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Do you have any guilty-pleasure books?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Have any books you\u2019ve read caused you to make any life changes or to develop any habits?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s your favorite quote from a book or an author?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What are your favorite book adaptations and why?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
At Shortform, how do you go about working on a book that has viewpoints you don\u2019t agree with?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Are there any books you had to read for Shortform that you thought you wouldn\u2019t like and ended up loving?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
What’s your favorite book in the Shortform library and why?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Rina’s Recommended Reading List<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
About the Series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n