Introducing...A New Feature

Current Read: Terms of Surrender by Kylie Brant

Welcome to the first in a new series of features here on Armchair Heroines! It's time to meet a reader...

Please welcome Angela, an Armchair Heroiones reader...an everyday heroine! And I don't mean "everyday" as in ordinary but as in a heroine who goes about her daily business taking care of herself and others and fighting her battles quietly, in an unassuming yet indispensable way. Let's hear it for everyday heroines and heroes. :0)

And now, heeeeere's Angela!

Tell us a little about how you came to be a booklover.

I started reading late. I was nine years old, my youngest sister is a speed reader and could read a book in 30 mins. She was reading The Famous Five books by Enid Blyton. I picked up one of her books off the book shelves in the living room and started to read it (to this day I still read Enid Blyton books).

You had some added hurdles to cross as a reader. Can you share a little about those and how you overcame them?

Well I've always been a slow learner and when Iwas 36/37 I decided to go to open university. This is a university that lets you study at home and classes once a month. I told them that I was slow at learning and that my son had dyspraxia.

What is Dyspraxia? Dyspraxia is generally recognised to be an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement. Associated with this may be problems of language, perception and thought. Other names for dyspraxic include Clumsy Child Syndrome; Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD); Minimal Brain Dysfunction: Motor learning Difficulty; and Pereceptuo-motor Dysfunction.

What causes Dyspraxia? For the majority of those with the condition, there is no known cause. Current research suggests that it is due to an immaturity of neurone development in the brain rather than to brain damage. People with dyspraxia have no clinical neurological abnormality to explain their condition.

But there is no test for an adult so they had me tested for dyslexia which is in the same family. It turned out that I had both. The difference is now I have a programme called Read and Write Gold which reads the text for me. It highlights the words as I read along side it. It's like a whole new world and what I'm reading makes sense now. I no longer skip over words that I don't know or that are dancing. I still can't take telephone numbers over the phone as I tend to mix the numbers up but I am working on that.

If you'd like to learn more about Read and Write Gold click on it above. If you'd like more information about dyspraxia or dyslexia visit the Learning Disabilities Association of America here.

Thanks for sharing that, Angela. Talking about your struggles may help others!

Can you tell us three titles that are on your "keeper" shelf?

In print books they are: Yhe Ysabel Kid. This is the first of many in The Floating Outfit series by J. T. Edson. These are cowboy books.

The Famous Five books by Enid Blyton

And last but not least is On the Run by Judith Rochelle. This is a special book as all proceeds go to charity. The book is about domestic violence.

What's your favorite way to enjoy a book? With a cup of tea? On a covered porch during a rainstorm?...

My fav way is to settle down on my adjustable bed and have my laptop on and read an ebook with the help of my programme. I can have it read to me or I can read along side it. It has 4 voices but I prefer Daniel (this is the name of one of my sons) and a cup of coffee at side of me.

What are you reading right now?

In print books: I'm reading Alien Overnight by Robin L. Rotham.

Ebook: I'm rereading Witch's Brew by Tabitha Shay.

If you could tell your favorite authors one thing what would it be?

I wish that their books were longer. I never want them to end.

Wonderful, Angela! Thank you for being here today. Stop by and say "hi" to us if you have the chance.

Today also kicks off a month-long contest at Armchair Heroines. "Blind Date with a Book" is a chance for you to win and try out a surprise book. Anyone who comments over the next month will be entered into the drawing. I've wrapped five romance novels of various genres in brown paper (hence the "blind date" part). Winners will be drawn randomly on Valentine's Day, of course, from the commenters over the past month. You receive an entry for every time you comment, but you can only win once. Good luck!