Kaycie just left Lemuria (and Jackson) behind to move to a new job in New York City. Before she left, we talked about her books, and why she loves them.
How long have you worked at Lemuria?
I guess a year and a half.
When did you start really collecting books? Is it a collection, or more of a hoard?
I guess I have a collection. I’ve always had a lot of books, but I didn’t think of it as a collection until I started working here after college.
What do you look for in a good book?
Interesting characters. I’m also really into magical realism, so pretty much anything that has that kind of feel to it: Haruki Murakami or Karen Russell.
Is there a book you wish was real?
The Great Night by Chris Adrian.
What book do you think is the best-kept secret?
I would say Murakami but I think he’s not a secret. Karen Russell’s St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves was just one of those books that I had never heard of. Someone working here pulled it off the shelf and told me I needed to read it. The stories really stuck with me. They are really beautiful and fun to read.
How long have you been reading?
Since preschool. My parents taught me how to read before I started kindergarten.
Do you remember the first book you read?
I don’t, but I had a lot of picture books about dinosaurs, so I’m sure it was one of those.
Do you have a favorite dinosaur?
Triceratops.
How do you organize your books?
I don’t really organize them. I have a shelf that is all first editions, but it is double stacked, so it’s not really organized at all.
You are moving to New York City this month. Are you taking all of your books with you?
Yes, but I don’t know if I’m going to have enough bookshelves; I hope so.
Is there a system to how you choose what to read next?
No, not really, but I like to have a big stack of things I haven’t read that I can choose from.
What are you reading right now?
Steven Millhauser’s stories, We Others and The Taxonomy of Barnacles by Niederhoffer.
When do you read?
It depends on my work schedule. If I don’t work, I read in the morning, if I do work, I read at night before I go to bed.
Are you a one-at-a-time reader, or are you reading many books at once?
Many books, but not always. Usually when I do that, I’ll just stop reading whichever one is less interesting. I can read short stories and a novel at the same time.
What do you look for in a good bookstore?
A big selection of literary fiction and children’s literature.
You lived in Paris for about a year, did you go to a lot of bookshops?
Yes, and I bought a lot of books and had to leave a lot of books.
Top 5 favorite books in your library right now:
1. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, signed first edition
2. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (battered paperback version)
3.The Junior Classics–(there are 10 of these, but I’m counting them as one) Collections of mostly creepy stories for children divided into volumes (Fairy Tales and Fables, Stories of Wonder and Magic, and Stories That Never Grow Old, etc.). They belonged to my mom and her siblings when they were kids and were passed down to me when I was in elementary school.
4. Si les fées m’étaient contées: 140 contes de fées de Charles Perrault à Jean Cocteau, edited by Francis Lacassin–This was actually my textbook for a course on the fairy tale so besides just being an amazing anthology of classic French fairy tales, it reminds me of being in France, classes at the Sorbonne, etc. Plus, it’s sparkly. Literally, the cover (not the dust jacket) is black with glitter…only the French…
5. ARC of The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
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