As lovers of reading and romantic bibliophiles, we never get tired of talking about books. That is why we’re so excited to introduce you to a new monthly series, 13 Questions with a Book Lover. And what better way to kick off this fun interview series than with our own team? First up, our business manager and resident speed reader, Samantha Welker. Stay tuned each month for new interviews with our favorite book lovers.

If you had to write the author bio for your imaginary book jacket, what would it say?

Samantha is a finance nerd-turned-stardust soul from San Diego. She graduated with a master’s in corporate finance and sustainability from Harvard Business School in 2014 and currently hosts a business-minded podcast for creative entrepreneurs called Pretty Okay Podcast. She has a 4-year-old son and another baby boy on the way later this summer. She only watches “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Law & Order: SVU,” and has a lifelong love for Dolly Parton + Freddie Mercury. She has played classical piano for more than 20 years, but has a soft spot for Harlem Stride. When she decided she was never going back to the corporate world, she immediately tattooed “MOM” on her hand to seal the deal. She’s the most introverted, socially awkward social butterfly you’ll ever meet.

What’s your earliest memory of falling in love with a book?

I feel like there are so many and I have jumbled timeline of which came first. I read Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret and Ella Enchanted until they came apart at the binding, but I also have a lot of early memories of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. I think I’d have to say A Little Princess was the first book I ever fell in love with because I felt so transported whenever I read it.

What types of books are you drawn to?

Creepy twisty thrillers? I know it’s not the most sophisticated answer but I can’t get enough of them. I love reading mysteries and thrillers. I think it’s because I am someone who always needs a project, and reading non-fiction or poetry just doesn’t give me the same satisfaction as unraveling clues and trying to figure out “who dun it” before the book ends. I blame it on my inability to relax. I read more than 95 books last year and I’d say at least half of those were thrillers. But I also have a deep love for Bukowski, Faulkner and crotchety old men authors.

What are 3 books you think Glitter Guide readers should read, and why?

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: I can’t get over this book. Not only is the writing and storytelling incredible, but Gyasi has a way of making you viscerally experience the time of slavery and its lasting effects over generations and generations. I have never been so affected by a book before.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery: I love this book more than I can express. Anne is my lifelong role model. I identify as an aesthete, and it’s so nice to read a book from a character’s point of view who sees the world the same way I do. Granted, she is a bit more optimistic than I am, but I’ll just chalk that up to the different time periods we live in. Anne never had to live in a world with Trump, you know?

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner: I don’t know if this is necessarily up everyone’s alley that reads GG, but I believe it should be required reading. It’s one of the best books ever written. I think it’s truly a masterpiece and one of the greatest novels of the 20th century.

What was the last book you read?

Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh. Taylor actually sent me a copy of this collection of stories, and I enjoyed it. I like Moshfegh’s dark humor and really enjoyed her book My Year of Rest and Relaxation and this collection of stories had a lot of that same tone and twisty wit.

If you were to write your own memoir, what would the title be?

A Goddamn Delight

How do you like to organize your books?

I’ve rainbow color-coordinated my books since I was in middle school. It just brings me so much joy.

Paperback, hardcover, digital or audio?

Hardcover and paperback. I just need to feel a book in my hands. The only exception is usually if there’s a thriller that I know is going to be kind of cheesy and don’t necessarily feel the need to own, I’ll download it to my Kindle. I can’t do audiobooks. I tune out almost immediately. It has been a really long time since I listened to one!

What literary character has stuck with you long after you finished the book?

Anne with an E. It has been more than 20 years since I read that book for the first time and I still resonate with her and admire her spirit. Also, Jude from A Little Life. That book broke me.

Do you have any favorite local bookstores?

The Book Catapult is my favorite family-owned bookstore here in San Diego. It’s such a delight. I miss browsing bookstores so much. Whenever I’d go visit Taylor in SF, I always made an effort to visit Blackbird Books, no matter where I was staying in the city.

Do you have a preferred setting or any rituals when you read?

I like to read in bed as my end cap for the day. I light a candle and have one of those “bed rest” pillows. Pre-pregnancy, I’d smoke a little Indica too, depending on the book. It is my favorite way to wind down for bed.