By the Book: Rebecca Michelson-Ziegler

Rebecca Michelson-Ziegler (she/her/hers) is the Electronic Resources Specialist at Swarthmore Libraries. She is from Los Angeles but is now a happy Philly resident with her wife, two cats, and pet snake. When she's not at work, she spends her time learning Italian, playing the banjo, and watching a lot of movies. Her favorite dinosaur is the stegosaurus.

What are you reading these days? The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio and Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels, both in the original Italian.

Describe your favorite place to read on campus: At the tables just outside McCabe library or on a bench under the Magnolias.

Is there a book you've read multiple times? The Devil Wears Prada on many a road trip when I was in high school and more recently the Teresa Battaglia detective series by Ilaria Tuti.

Who is your favorite author? Ursula K. Le Guin (I once wrote her a postcard and she sent me one back with an illustration on it!).

What's the latest book you could not finish even though you thought you should? There have been a few Natalia Ginzburg novels I couldn't get through which makes me feel somewhat ashamed as a lover of Italian literature -- maybe someday I'll try my hand again at Lessico Famigliare (Family Sayings).

What literary character would you most like to be friends with? When I was a kid, my favorite book was Hip Cat, written by Jonathan London and illustrated by Woodleigh Hubbard. I think the hip cat, cool cat, jazz cat that is the subject of that story would be a pretty excellent friend -- I'd get in to all the best jazz clubs.

Do you have a literary nemesis? Mr. Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. I know he's an important part of the story but I prefer to forget about him until I absolutely must remember again.

What is your favorite reading genre? Sadly I think my favorite genre falls under the horribly useless "literary fiction" moniker. I like novels about people walking around and thinking -- the less dialogue the better. If I'm reading a novel in Italian then I like mystery and detective novels with a lot of action.

What book do you recommend most often? Probably Persuasion, my favorite Jane Austen.

What's the best movie adaptation of a book you've read? Clueless!!!

What book made an early impact on you and why? Slaughterhouse-Five. My dad decided it was a good one to read aloud to me when I was 10. Really sticks with you.