Look What I'm Reading! Gayle Forman

Hi! I’m Gayle Forman. I have one of those jobs in which people frequently tell you that you made them lose sleep, or made them cry and the appropriate response is 'thank you'. 

Which is to say, I’m a young adult novelist of If I Stay, Just One Day, I Was Here, etc., who traffics in the feels. My latest book is called I Have Lost My Way. I have been told this one will also make you cry.

Which children’s book are you currently reading? 
I just finished Elizabeth Acevedo’s ThePoet X this morning and am still humming from its brilliance.

Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?

The power of the word. (One sentence. Not even a sentence.)

How much did you enjoy/are enjoying this title?

It was one of those books that I had to fight myself not to inhale in one go. It is one of those books that now I have inhaled, I am going to tell everyone I know about. Starting with you.

What made you choose this title? Was it a review, advertising, the cover, the blurb, the author/illustrator, or the subject/genre?

The title. And the Twitter love.

What other titles are on your bedside table /To Read Pile?

It’s a big pile. Ashley Woodfolk’s The Beauty That Remains, Brendan Kiely’s Tradition, Danielle Lazarin’s Backtalk (which I’m halfway through), Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time (also halfway through), Tiffany Jackson’s Allegedly and Barbara Ehrenrich’s Natural Causes, which is cued up on audio.

How did you come by these titles: personal choice/request, publisher’s review copy, or other?

I was on several panels with Ashley. I’ve been hearing about Tiffany’s work for some time. I was given the Matt Haig and a bookseller turned me onto Backtalk. Brendan is a friend and I pulled strings to get a copy before publication.

Do you have a favourite genre? If so, what is it, and why do you prefer it?

When I’m reading books, I tend to read fiction, mostly contemporary YA and adult. When I’m listening to audio, I tend to read nonfiction.

Do you read from printed books or some other medium? Please expand a little on the why of your choice.

I like printed books because I can share the more readily, and display them on my bookshelf and buy them through Indie bookstores. 

I like eBooks because they are portable and I can read them in the middle of the night without waking up my husband. I love audiobooks for nonfiction because listening makes me feel like I’m continuing my education.


You can find Gayle online at www.gayleforman.com or @gayleforman.