New BFF: Delphine’s Babble on Some Good Reads

Today on the blog I’d like to welcome Delphine who is the babbler on Delphine’s Babble on Some Good Reads. If you don’t know her yet, you are going to be so impressed with this girl! She is so clever, she reads all kinds of genres, I mean she knows all the classics, she’s a fan of Alice,… she has great (and expensive) taste in shoes, she loves to use sarcasm, she likes books over movie adaptations (because movies wouldn’t even be there without the books), she loves pearls, not diamonds, and has 4 tattoos, and one of them are words in French. Yeah she has a thing for France and even wants to live there ;-). If you want to see her tattoos (go on, I know you do) or read more fun facts go on over to her blog and give her a like and a follow, she so deserves it!

Okay, so I asked her a couple more questions myself, and here they are:

Name: Delphine Cheikosman

Age: 22

Birthday: February 28

What did you study or do you study now / what is your current job?

I recently graduated from UCLA (Class of 2017). I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature & French. Right now I’m interning for TOKYOPOP Publishing and I’m book blogging full time. I may decide to go to grad school and pursue marketing, but I’m still debating. In the end my dream is to work for a major publisher so I’m doing everything in my power to get there, but some pixie dust, if anyone is willing to offer it, is always welcome.

Do you have any other hobbies?

You mean besides reading all day everyday? Hmm. That’s a toughie because it seems as though everything I do has some connection to reading. For example, my book blog is all about my bookish thoughts and reviews. And my shopping is really book-based. On the flip side, I do enjoy hiking and gardening – those are some outdoor activities that keep me from laying in bed all day snuggled up with my kitty.

Your favourite color?

I like light colors and pastels so can we count white?

Do you collect anything (besides books)?

Shoes. If it’s not books it’s shoes. I’m a sucker for designer brands like Charlotte Olympia and Kate Spade – hence the negative amount in my bank account right now *eek*.

What’s the name of the book that you’ve had the longest? Have you read it?

That’s sorta hard because: 1. I don’t remember, as I’ve added lots to my collection over the past years. 2. Some of my books have yet to be taken from my parents house and into my new apartment. 3. When I was really young, there was a disaster that lead to the majority of books I owned being destroyed. Looking at my bookshelf now, the book that, for me, stands out the most as being the most aged would be a Border’s edition (remember when Barnes & Noble wasn’t the only major bookstore out there?) of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Yes, of course! It’s my all time favorite classic – just goes to show the positive affects that heroine can have on the creative mind… (For those of you that don’t know Lewis Carroll was a major heroine addict).

Have you ever regretted a book you purchased? A book that sounded so promising but you wished you’d have spent your money on another book after reading it?

Dave Eggers, The Circle. That book was a disaster x 1000. The premise was so promising and the fact that a movie of it was recently released starring Emma Watson made it seem like it was going to be a masterpiece… WRONG! I hate this book with a burning passion and I rant about it to my book buddies at every opportunity.

Do you listen to audio books?

Nope, I like the pleasure of reading at my own pace and hearing my own voice in my mind of characters and the effects of situations.

Do you have a favorite genre?

I’ve been changing between genres a lot lately. I used to be only into classics such as Emile Zola and Balzac. Now that I’ve graduated university and am more free in terms of my reading, I’ve been jumping a lot between genres. I recently became a huge fan of Young Adult, following my reading of Lang Leav’s Sad Girls. She is also one of the most brilliant new contemporary poets in the industry today!

School is almost out for Audrey, but the panic attacks are just beginning. Because Audrey told a lie and now her classmate, Ana, is dead. Just as her world begins to spin out of control, Audrey meets the enigmatic Rad – the boy who could turn it all around. But will their ill-timed romance drive her closer to the edge?

And then there’s my new infatuation with Donna Tartt who falls into the Adult Contemporary genre. She has only published three books so far, but I have been immensely pleased by her illustrative writing style and intriguing plots. Right now I’m trying to get into Fantasy and Science Fiction. I’ve read lots of awesome reviews lately of the Shades of Magic trilogy so I just may give it a go pretty soon!

What is the book highest on your wishlist right now?

Ahhh so many to choose from. I think I’ll have to say Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore. It expected release date is October 03 and I can’t wait. I mean, look at the cover – so pretty! I just requested an ARC copy from Netgalley, which just goes to show my level of impatience. Hopefully I’ll receive an affirmative answer soon.

How is your library organized?

I’ve been purchasing so many books over the last couple of months that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to come up with a strategic way to set out my books that is at the same time functional and pretty (who doesn’t want an attractive looking bookshelf, anyway?). At the moment, I have quite a few scattered titles due to my last book-buying binge. In my flat I have two complete bookshelves that reach the ceiling. I sort of organized the first shelf to include my reference books and anthalogies that I used a lot in university. There are also quite a few french novels and classics from Hugo, Balzac, and, of course, Proust.

My second shelf includes more contemporary collections as well as books that I’m proud of and make me happy. As you can see, there’s a lot going on here…

Do you read more ebooks or physical books?

I prefer physical books, but I’ve been reading kindle versions a lot lately for my ARCs.

Do you have a favorite book?

Don’t gotta ask me twice: The Goldfinch from Donna Tartt.

What’s the cover in your collection that you’re most proud of?

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.

Do you have any idea how many books you own? <100, >100, >200, >300 …?

 >200 and counting – a gal can never have too many books… bring it on!

What’s the title of the last book you purchased?

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Not something I would typically pull off the shelf, but given all the hype that has been circulating lately I felt that I absolutely HAD to buy it just so I can join in on all the ‘cool’ bookish discussions about it.

What was your favorite author when you were a child?

Barbara Park, author of the Junie B. Jones series.

From which author do you have most books?

Haruki Murakami. I own ten of his books.

He has become my favorite new author of 2017 following my first encounter with Kafka on the Shore. As a warning to my fellow readers out there: his books are definitely not for everyone, given the elaborateness and often complex allusions twisted in his writing style. There are often times where I find myself pausing and even having to walk away totally and utterly confused – sometimes never really being able to make sense of what I’m reading. However the surreal quality and evocative ways in which he describes his characters and plots is beautiful and blows me away every time.

Are there books you’ve read 2 or 3 times?

The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore was my favorite book when I was in high school and I wrote a number of different essays and book reports about it because I felt a connection with the narrative which follows a family that falls apart but is brought back together by the presence of a handsome and mysterious French gardener. I think I’ve read Alice in Wonderland like 4 times as well. The new movie that came out with Johnny Depp caused me to reread the novel the second time and then the third and fourth were on my own accord because I just really love books that go beyond reality and create a whole other universe where just about anything is possible. I’ve been meaning to reread The Goldfinch for the longest but, like, the book is almost 800 pages and there’s just so many other books that is on my TBR.

How many books are there on your Goodreads challenge this year and how many have you read already?

There’s 100 at the moment and I’ve read 32. I’m almost sure that I’m not going to make it to 100 by the end of the year. In my defense however, I just graduated so cut me some slack! Senior year was super stressful with thesis’ popping up left and right – so glad that’s over and now I have time to concentrate on reading and book reviewing.

Can you spell your name with the first letters of titles in your book case?

I have over 200 books, come on now – of course I can! And you best be sure that Haruki Murakami is included:

D: Dracula, Bram Stroker
E: Eiffi Briest, Theodor Fontane
L: Love & Misadventures, Lang Leav
P: Paris, Edward Rutherfurd
H: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World, Haruki Murakami
I: I Am A Cat, Sōseki Natsume
N: Nausea, Jean-Paul Sartre
E: Emma, Jane Austen

In case you missed it, these are the BFF’s (Blog Friends Forever) I posted about before :

Martina – The Mystery Corner
Liis – Cover to Cover
Anne – Inked Brownies
Danielle – Books, Vertigo and Tea
Drew – TheTattooedBookGeek
Jillian – Rant and Rave About Books
Meg – Magic of Books
Betty – Bookish Regards
Anais – Zeezee with Books
Nicki – Secret Library
Donna – Chocolatenwaffles’ Blog
Chitra – Books & Strips
Annie – The Misstery
Dee – Novel Deelights
Stephanie – Teacher of YA
Tina – Reading Between the Pages
Savanah – Off-Color Lit

I don’t want my BFF club to be complete just yet! There’s still plenty of room for plenty more so give me a shout if you want to be added!