Reader's Snapshot - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I was lucky enough to be provided with copies of Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Tattoo and Fate last month. They were a wonderful read, full of friendship, mysticism and humour. In a time where many YA books are focused upon solemn subject matter, it's great to read about a supportive group of friends who could laugh and battle dark forces.

It's with great pleasure that I have Jen undertake the Persnickety Snark - Reader's Snapshot!

Which book is memorable from your teen years?
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of my teen reads is Tamora Pierce, who I discovered when I was about fourteen. Her Song of the Lionness and Immortals quartets were some of my absolute favorites. WILD MAGIC, the first in Pierce's high fantasy series about a girl with an affinity for animals, was a book that I read and then immediately re-read, cover to cover, again. I still read it every time I go to my parents' house. I'm not sure exactly what it was that struck me so much about the book- the awesome world, the mix of humor and adventure, the fact that the protagonist had wild, unruly hair (as do I), or the way that all of Pierce's books seem to really resonate with my definition of family as extending beyond the people you're related to by blood- but I was absolutely captivated.

Describe your high school English teacher in three words...
Amazing. Funny. Irreverent.

Your book of the moment?
Do I really have to choose just one? Of the books I've read in the past month, the ones I'm *most* obsessed with are THE HOLLOW KINGDOM by Clare Dunkle, MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC by Gabrielle Zevin, and PEACE, LOVE, AND BABY DUCKS by Lauren Myracle. And also, I really loved Sarah Ockler's debut 20 BOY SUMMER, which I think is due out this spring/summer, and for adult books, MAGIC STRIKES by Ilona Andrews and THE IRON HUNT by Marjorie Liu.

I know. I should have just picked one and said more about it, but I read constantly, and all of these were a cut above the rest.

What do you use to mark your page when reading?
I dog-ear the corners. All of my books are very well-loved, and they look it, much the way a child's stuffed animal of choice might.

Favourite place to read?
People always think this is incredibly weird, but I love reading in the shower. After years of practice, I can totally wash my hair and read at the same time, without getting the pages wet.

Favourite word?
Spatula. In seventh grade, I thought it was immeasurably fun to say, and I've never really outgrown it enough to officially change its 'favorite word' status.

Favourite book store?
I don't actually have a favorite bookstore- I try to visit all three in my area at least once every couple of weeks.

Character you wish you had created?
This is another very long list, but I'll be good and pick just one- Boots from Suzanne Collins' Gregor the Overlander series. If you'd told me before I read the books that one of my favorite fictional characters of all time would be the two year old sibling in a middle grade novel, I never would have believed you, but Collins manages to balance a lot of humor and wisdom in Boots- while at the same time, making her a completely believable (and most remarkably, AVERAGE) toddler. All of which is much, much harder than it sounds.

Bonus Question - Favourite god of Greek or Roman myth?
I've always been partial to Artemis- she's the goddess of the hunt, but also of child birth, and I'm really fond in general of characters and people who are girly AND kick butt.

Make sure to drop by tomorrow to read Jen's interview about both Fate and Tattoo.