Shelf Envy with Melina Marchetta

This is the final post for the Quintana of Charyn blog tour! If you missed the other dates, you can find the entire schedule here.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank Melina for the intrusion. I'm sure she's wondering why in the heck I've asked her to show us her bookshelves. Well, my primary reason is that I'm nosy and I've always wanted to know the type of books she reads or have read. It wasn't easy; but asking her to do this post took a few self-inflicted slaps in the face as I psyched myself out. I'm just glad I didn't have to resort to liquid courage.

1.    What was the last book you purchase?

Damien Echols’ Life After Death. It’s an autobiography written by one of three men wrongly accused of the murder of three little boys in West Memphis Arkansas almost twenty years ago when they were teenagers. It’s an amazing read about injustice and faith and growing up different.

2.    Which literary characters (other than yours) would you like to hang out with?

Too hard a question, but apart from Sydney, I love New York so I wouldn’t mind spending a night listening to Mia and Adam (from Gayle Forman’s Where She Went) play music.

3.    Name your ultimate top 5 books.

I’m very fickle about this so if someone is to ask me in a year’s time I’d probably have another list of five and if someone is to ask me about my most influential novels, I’d have a different list and so on and so forth, but for now my five are: The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon; The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner; The Broken Shore by Peter Temple; Persuasion by Jane Austen; and Hills End by Ivan Southall.

4.    What is the most random item (knick knacks or book) in your bookshelf?

 Holy water (from my mum, who wants me to bless my house with it.

5.   Do you have a go-to book when you hit a wall in your writing? 

No, I think the worst thing I could do to myself is read someone else’s work when I’ve hit a wall with my writing.  But for solace, I find myself re-reading fantasy novels. My last re-reads were two of Anne Bishop’s books from the Ephemera Series. 

Huge thank you to Melina Marchetta for taking the time to answer our questions and to the bloggers who participated in the blog tour! This tour wouldn't have been successful without you all. It was our first time hosting a blog tour, so it was definitely a big learning experience for us. We hope everyone enjoyed following the tour and reading the posts for the past 9 10 days. :)

The giveaway is still up and will be running until the end of November. Please don't forget to enter for a chance to win the entire Lumatere Trilogy!

- Joy & Alexa