Pint of Purple: Carmella Lowkis, Deputy Books Editor

What book are you reading at the moment?

I’m always ‘reading’ about eight books at any given time, so this is a little hard to answer! The one that I’m currently closest to finishing is The Cuckoo’s Calling, a detective novel by Robert Galbraith (aka. J. K. Rowling). I know that I’m pretty late to that party, as it was published over a year ago now, but amazingly I’ve managed to avoid having the ending ruined for me.

Who is your favourite literary character?

It would have to be Violet Baudelaire from Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. I absolutely loved those books growing up, and Violet was my biggest idol because of her bravery and intelligence. I went through a phase of wanting to be an inventor just like her, but then I realised that it would require a much better knowledge of science than I possessed, so I had to give up on that dream!

What is the first book you remember reading?

I can clearly remember reading The Mousehole Cat by Antonia Barber over and over again. I always loved the pictures of an enormous Storm-Cat which caused a horrible tempest at sea. However, my favourite part was at the end, when everyone gathered together to eat stargazy pie.

What is your all-time favourite book?

I’m going to have to cheat and give two answers, because asking an English lit student to whittle down her list of favourite books is a horrible thing to do. One of my favourite books is Les Misérables. It’s such a fantastic and inspiring story, with a whole host of amazing characters, although admittedly I could have lived without the six entire chapters dedicated to the history of the Parisian sewer system! My other favourite book is Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, which is a comedy about the Biblical apocalypse.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would be the title?

Something like “Anything It Takes to Climb the Ladder of Success,” because at first it makes me sound like a ruthlessly self-motivated go-getter, but really it’s just a quote from High School Musical. I feel like this offers a very accurate view of me.

Kindle vs. Book?

I definitely prefer reading lengthier novels on my Kobo, if only to save hefting them around, but I tend to buy shorter works as print books. On a practical basis, it’s easier to limit myself when buying physical books, as there is only so much storage space in my bedroom. With eBooks, there is a very real danger that I might spend my entire bank balance without realising.

How much is a pint of purple?

I’m going to have to make an embarrassing admission here: I’ve never so much as seen a pint of purple! I know, I know; I’m not a proper Warwick student, and I should probably just leave now before I single-handedly destroy the university’s reputation.

Image Credits: Header (bbc.co.uk), Image 1 (Fanpop), Image 2 (whsmith.co.uk).