Virginia Evans: A Life of Reading and Writing
Early Reading Memories
Virginia Evans shares her earliest reading memory, reading either 'The Velveteen Rabbit' by Margery Williams or poems from 'Where the Sidewalk Ends' by Shel Silverstein with her sister.
Favorite Books Growing Up
Evans loved mysteries and fantasy worlds, reading many Nancy Drew books, 'The Boxcar Children' by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and 'The Wind in the Willows'. She enjoyed books about things that can't exist, calling it escapism.
The Book That Changed Her as a Teenager
At 15, Evans read John Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath', which gave her a new understanding of what fiction can do and how words can portray complex living.
The Writer Who Changed Her Mind
Evans praises Joan Didion, saying every time she reads Didion's work, she is changed in some way, seeing the world, people, and politics differently.
The Book That Made Her Want to Be a Writer
In college, Evans read Jhumpa Lahiri's 'Interpreter of Maladies', which inspired her to write, making her think: 'I have to do this, I can do this, I will do this'.
The Author She Came Back To
Evans tried Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' too young, but when she came back to it in her late 20s, she enjoyed it tremendously.
Books She Rereads
- Daphne du Maurier's 'Rebecca'
- Steinbeck's 'East of Eden'
The Book She Could Never Read Again
Evans devoured the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson but was too disturbed to read it again.
The Book She Discovered Later in Life
Evans didn't read 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott until her adult life, relating to the mother character and identifying with Jo's struggles as an author.
Current and Comfort Reads
- Currently reading: 'While I Was Gone' by Sue Miller
- Comfort reads: 'The Uncommon Reader' by Alan Bennett, 'Beautiful Ruins' by Jess Walter, 'I Capture the Castle' by Dodie Smith