Q&A with book blogger Inga Silberg

Have you ever read a book that made you think 'wow'? If so, what book was it and why did it have such an effect on you?
Yes, definitely! There have been many of them, but this year there have so far been 2 books what had such an effect on me. The first one was The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This book is about a family in Afghanistan and about the war and how the family is affected by it. It was interesting and shocking at the same time. It was fascinating and captivating to read a book from an Afghani point of view. The book is partially biographical, so the writer experienced the terrors of the war. The author was born in Kabul and he moved to the US in 1980. Why did it have “the wow” effect? Because the author could describe the terrors of the war through the eyes of one family and there was hope after all. So much cruelty, so much love, so many cultural differences in the different regions in Afghanistan and interesting characters – all combined in one book. It was overwhelming for me and it was very very good book!
The second book this year which had such an effect on me was The Purge by Sofi Oksanen. Before I started reading Sofi Oksanen’s book, I’ve heard so many divided opinions about it in Estonia, especially because the story happens in Estonia starting from the 30s until 90s. It is very controversial book, because it shows a story of the Estonian woman seriously affected by the Second World War. It’s a sad and cruel story showing how war and love can sometimes influence people making some very nasty and morbid decisions. It’s a story, where time is one of the main characters.
Weird thing is that usually I’m not very fond of books describing war as such. Both of these books are from genre which I read seldom, but I’m sincerely glad that I found these books. I would highly recommend them to everybody, who likes to read psychological dramas. Little word of warning too – both The Kite Runner and The Purge are not suitable for very young readers, they have some very cruel scenes in it.

Who is your favourite author and why?
I have many authors I love, but since you ask about one and making me pick one, then I’d choose one author who has already passed away years ago and he belongs to the classical Russian authors – Mikhail Bulgakov. I love his books. One of my very favorite books through the time has been Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita. You could actually call it paranormal book, because it has many characters that are not exactly human. His books seem totally surreal just like Dali’s paintings, but they have such a content which blows your mind away! He was capable of combining surrealism which was already at the border of being too weird with religion, balance between good and evil, philosophy. His books have so many layers, so every time I read his books, I find something new about them. Besides The Master and Margarita I also like his other books, to name a few: The Fatal Eggs, Heart of a Dog.

Who, or what, inspires you?
People do. It can be a hidden smile from a stranger, it can be a good word from people you don’t expect it from, it can be a thank you said not with lips, but with eyes and heart. I’ve always had an opinion that the “Devil is in the detail”. Luckily I’ve been blessed with the capability of enjoying and appreciating the small things in life. Small and simple things in life inspire me.

Where is your favourite place to write your blog?
That’s a good one! Embarrassingly enough my favorite place to write is either in my living room’s sofa or in bed. I’m using a laptop and I’ve never been a person reading or writing behind the desk.

Tell us a little about your favourite book...
Oh dear. I have hundreds of books in my shelves and the reason why I’ve bought them is that they have been my favorites at one specific time in my life. The book, I’m going to mention is one of them – Complete Fairy Tales by Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde is again one of the authors I consider being genius. Both his Complete Fairy Tales and Picture of Dorian Gray are simply brilliant! You know how lots of people like to use quotes from the books? I tried to do that with Oscar Wilde’s books… and I had to give up, because otherwise I would end up re-writing his books. Each sentence in his books is a brilliant thought! Coming back to Complete Fairy Tales, then these stories are not meant for children, but can be read by them. The way Wilde used the possibilities of the English language is amazing!

What is your favourite film that was based on a book?
The Lord of the Rings! Books are brilliant and the movies are absolutely fantastic!

If your favourite book was made into a film, who would you like to play the main characters?
It depends which favorite book it would be. Let’s make it even more interesting and bringing in a book from the contemporary literature. The book would be Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens and the actors I’d pick would be Reese Witherspoon for Ash, Colin Farell for Colin and Andy Garcia for Daddy. I know that both Reese and Colin would be little too old to play the roles, but anyway, it would be my pick.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I’ve been traveling a lot in my life and visited more than 40 countries on three different continents.

Tell us something interesting about the area where you live.
I’m a city girl living in a house on the country side which is already an interesting fact itself. During the summer I hear birds singing from early in the morning until sunset and during the winter I sometimes have more than 1 m of snow surrounding me. I’ve seen deer, foxes, wild boars, storks, eagles in my land I own. There is a river 200-300 m from my house. I live in the forest, but I miss the sea. 

What fantastic answers! Thanks, Inga, for taking some time out to be interviewed!

Follow Inga's blog at http://www.ingasilbergbooks.com/ and feel free to say hi!