October Reader Spotlight: Stephanie Burns

We're doing a new series at the blog for readers to do either guest posts or interviews. One reader will be featured each month, and if it's a theme month, that will be the focus. 

Melissa A met this month's featured reader through Great Thoughts' Great Readers on Facebook and they immediately hit it off, messaging back and forth with book recommendations. 

Stephanie Burns is a writer obsessed with her dog, pop culture, cupcakes, and the smell of old books. She enjoys talking about these things with anyone who will listen. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College and wishes she could get a PhD in Jamie Fraser from Outlander University. She lives on Boston’s South Shore with her smiling, puzzle-obsessed beagle, Riggins, named for the legendary Friday Night Lights fullback. She blogs about all things books at bookperfume.com, and loves talking lit on Facebook and Twitter.

What book were you hesitant to pick up but then loved once you read it?
I can’t believe I’m going to admit this because I have lived and breathed these books for years, but before I picked up Outlander, I wasn’t sure if it would be for me. The book series kept being recommended to me but I thought, “Time travel? I don’t know.” (Although why I felt that way, I have no idea. I grew up watching Marty McFly.) My curiosity won out and all I can say is thank G-d it did because I can’t imagine my life without Jamie Fraser.

What does the term "chick lit" mean to you?
I think of chick lit as the world’s most delicious cupcake, and I mean that as the highest compliment I can bestow. (I’m a cupcake addict.) It’s tasty, indulgent, and I want to consume it all in one sitting. I crave it, and, most importantly, underneath its pretty, pink-frosted cover, it's filled with so many complicated layers of flavor that speak straight to the heart. Never underestimate the power of chick lit! (Or cupcakes.)

What are the next three books in your TBR pile?
My house is filled with TBR piles that resemble the leaning tower of Pisa, and usually I find myself making a spur of the moment decision of what I’m going to read next, depending on what mood I’m in and if I want a shake-up from the tone of the last book I read. Right now, I’m leaning towards Beth Kendrick’s Once Upon a Wine (I’ve got to get back to Black Dog Bay!), Jane Green’s Falling, and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale.

What is your favorite thing about autumn?
Um, everything! Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year, and not just because my birthday happens to fall in September. (But it helps.) I’m a born and bred New Englander, and fall really is a magical time here, filled with big fat pumpkins and apples begging to be baked and gorgeous foliage crunching under your feet. To top it all off, you’ve got fall fashion! I wait all summer for chunky sweaters, cute coats, and my personal favorite, BOOTS. Plus, my dog, Riggins, gets to wear his favorite sweater. It has a pocket square. He looks incredibly dapper in it.

What is your theme song?
I’d like to say something super cool and trendy, but honestly, it's probably the 1983 Midnight Star hit “No Parking on the Dance Floor” because this girl loves to bust a move.

What TV show were you too young to appreciate in the past but would totally watch if it were around now?
I’ve always been a bit of an old soul when it comes to TV. When I was a kid, we used to have to rush home from my grandparents’ house on Sunday nights so I could watch It’s Garry Shandling’s Show and The Tracey Ullman Show. Half of the jokes went over my head, but I thought they were hilarious. I was also addicted to Nick at Nite. I’m pretty sure there weren’t many other teenagers in the ‘90s making Welcome Back Kotter references. Now, thanks to Netflix, I’m having a grand old time re-watching shows that I loved as a kid and seeing them through a new lens. I never knew until recently that I’m a total Diane Chambers, but these are the things you realize when you binge-watch Cheers all weekend long.