Friday Featured Blogger (4): Marie from Cupcake Witch

The super fabulous Marie of the interestingly named blog Cupcake Witch was kind enough to answer a few of my questions! Besides for hosting an incredible number of awesome giveaways, I recently found out that she is a young adult librarian, which is amazing because.... Well, why don't you read the interview to find out? :)

Hi Marie! Tell us about yourself in a few short sentences.

Okay, my name is Marie and I am 27 years old. I live in New York City and am a Young Adult Librarian. Of course, I read like its nobody's business! I also like to collect records and portable antique typewriters. I have a cat named Bastet, two guinea pigs (Watson and Digby) and a tarantula named Boris.

When did you start your blog and why? What interesting things can visitors expect?

I started my blog this January. Previously, I have had other blogs but without a cohesive reason, I just rambeled on about records, concert/show reviews, life, but then I noticed all I wanted to post about was YA lit & stuff going on in that world. I read so many YA books I figured, why not tell the world all about the awesome stuff I read? On my blog, I do contests, books reviews, and have started making a few vlogs. I like to make my vlogs like "mini-skits" and force my boyfriend into being in them.

Haha, that's a nice romantic activity to do together! You are a young adult librarian, which to many of us sounds like a dream job. Did you always want to be a YA librarian? What are your most and least favorite parts of your job? How much interaction do you have with teens, and how much with adults?

Being a YA Librarian *is* a dream job! Especially because the library I work at is one of the coolest libraries ever. I didn't start out wanting to be a librarian. In college, I majored in Feminist Theory and always figured I would go into some non-profit thing and try to save the world. By the end of my senior year, I was so sick of reading jargon heavy theory papers that I thought I would try something different. I have always loved libraries and reading and so "librarian" just sort of popped into my head one day. I applied for Library School, got in, and then started thinking about what type of librarianship I wanted to do. I worked as a Children's Librarian before I moved to YA. For some reason, when I worked in Children's, all the teens would come in there to hang out with me so it was sort of a natural progression.

My favorite parts of being a YA Librarian are the books, getting to meet cool authors, and talking to teens. The parts I like the least are the boring parts, like the clerical stuff. I have a lot of interaction with teens, I run at least two programs for teens a week and also go on lots of class visits to talk to teens in middle/high schools about using the library. I do interact with adults a lot because where I work, every librarian works with every population so one hour I might be on reference in the children's room and another hour I might be doing reference in the adult room. It is sort of fun that way though!

That sounds so great! Can you name 3 favorite books and why you think everyone should read them?

Even with three choices this is a hard one! Ahhh!

First off, I think everyone should read Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block because I just think it is so classic and lyrical and Francesca Lia Block just makes you feel all cool inside!

My second choice is Paper Towns by John Green. This book is just so intelligent, funny, and has a great mystery to it. I can't get over its sheer awesomeness!

My third choice is Go Ask Ogre by Jolene Siana. Jolene's story is so inspiring. It really is a more modern-day Go Ask Alice (but with cool music) and just great in so many ways (the art, the content, everything). Anyone who is or has ever been a depressed teenager looking for comfort through music and art *must* read it!

  

Nice choices! So what's a book that made you cry?

I'm not going to even front, I am a *total* wuss when it comes to books and have cried while reading so many. Most recently, North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley. The whole mother/daughter relationship just felt so real and sad! I couldn't help myself! I also majorly cried during Necklace of Kisses by Francesca Lia Block. Maybe its a mother/daughter thing? Who knows!

Favorite authors?

This list could go on forever but I love Stephanie Kuehnert, Neil Gaiman, Sarah Dessen, Melissa Walker, Matthue Roth, Elizabeth Scott, Jay Asher, Joe Meno, Jolene Siana, John Green, Francesca Lia Block, this could go on... For adult stuff I like Bret Easton Ellis, Virginia Woolf, William Burroughs, Poppy Z. Brite...

Haha, that IS a lot of favorite authors, but that's totally okay! More for us to look into. What does your dream house look like?

My dream house would be an old "distressed" Victorian with a wrap-around porch. Basically something like the Addam's Family House but with a porch and cleaned up a bit and lots of cats.

Ooh that's such a grand and mysteriously romantic place to live in. Care to share the story behind your love for cupcakes?

I just love them! They remind me of being a little kid! Ah, cupcakes! My blog is called "cupcake witch" because whenever I have to make a name for anything online, I combine something creepy like "zombie" or "witch" with something to eat. I know, i'm weird. But you can get good names that way- Dracula bread, zombie muffin...

LOL. Or Wonderbread Werewolf. :D What are some things you just LOVE to receive for presents?

This might be a huge shock but.... BOOKS! I also love getting records and things that people have made by hand.

And finally, tell us two interesting things about yourself that can spark conversation.

Ok.. two things. The first thing is that two of my toes are fused together. Like "Siamese Twin" toes. I know, I should join the circus but, I am needed in the library. The other thing is that I can recite Dr. Suess' THE LORAX by heart because I was forced to memorize it when I was in 3rd grade and never forgot!

-

Hahaha, thanks so much Marie! That was highly entertaining. To befriend this utterly cool and hilarious lady, go to her blog and say hello! (Shameless plug: she's also holding several pretty sweet contests right now.)