I used to pretend that I was Harriet the Spy and Laura Ingalls Wilder, and now I've grown up to be a reader of dark Scandinavian mysteries and an urban chicken farmer.

I've spent years reading dysfunctional memoirs — sad, silly or sardonic — and judging them based on how they compare to my own dysfunctional upbringing. I want my books to be twisty and surprising, either fiction or nonfiction.

In between reading, you'll find me wallowing in BBC shows, baking, gardening, and running with my dog.