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Read All Over -- Robin Spano

Read All Over celebrates the bookworm in all of us, showcasing readers in Vancouver and the books they love most. Robin grew up in downtown Toronto. She loves books, poker, politics, and exploring on the water.

Robin grew up in downtown Toronto. She loves books, poker, politics, and exploring on the water. She also loves her motorcycle, a 1987 Virago she bought with waitressing tips when she was 21.

Her historical role model is Winston Churchill, more for his independent thinking than his drinking. Her secret dream was to be one of Charlie's Angels, but since real life danger terrifies her, she writes crime fiction instead.

She is married to a man who hates reading and encourages her endlessly. They live in Lions Bay, BC.

Read All Over celebrates the bookworm in all of us, showcasing readers in Vancouver and the books they love most.

Who is your favorite Vancouver/Lower Mainland writer?

I'm going to cheat and go with a Nanaimo writer. I think Chevy Stevens is a genius. She writes thrillers with soul.

How do you like your books served up best – audio books, graphic novels, used paperbacks, library loaner, e-reader…

I love my e-reader because I can take unlimited books on vacation with me and save that suitcase space for shoes. In the bath, paperbacks. I buy both print and e-books, probably in equal measure.

What books have changed your life?

Eat, Pray, Love. A lot of people make fun of the book, but reading it woke something up in me - the sense that strength and compassion are not mutually exclusive, but that your strongest self is the one that's free to be vulnerable.

Where is your favourite place to crack open a book in Vancouver?

In bed. I'd love to say under a tree or at some cool cafe, but that would be lying. My second favorite place is in the bath.

Do you have a favorite story with Vancouver connections?

Chris Meades' The Three Fates of Henrik Nordmark. It's an oddball story - funny, page-turning and very well-written.

The one book you always recommend is...

The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald. I read it several years ago, but I still remember the haunting murder mystery at its center and the quirky little protagonist who defied all stereotypes. It's one of the only books that has made me cry real tears and laugh out loud - both on multiple occasions.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Kim Moritsugu. She taught a course at Humber College that changed my writing - as in, it made me suck a lot less. I also (coincidentally) love her books - they combine quick-paced lightheartedness with wry and dark sarcasm in a way that I find addictive as a reader.

What's next on your reading list?

Next up is Ian Hamilton's The Disciple of Las Vegas. Very looking forward to it. I'm currently enjoying Red Rover by Liz Bugg - original and page-turning. Both are Canadian crime writers.