Interview with Mr Carey: on growing up, living to understand, and life stories

Interview conducted by Adelheid Ye

What is your favourite book of all time? And why?

One that stood out for me is a book that I read as a child called 'Half Moon Investigations' by an Irish author called Eoin Colfer. I remember being completely engrossed in the book and couldn't stop reading.

What is your favourite genre of books to read? Why?

As I've gotten older I've become more and more interested in autobiographies. I enjoy learning about other people's life stories and experiences.

Who is an underrated author you would recommend everyone to start reading?

I'm not sure if they are underrated but Eoin Colfer and Michael Murporgo are two authors I would recommend to Middle School students. I always enjoyed their books when I was growing up, because they write in a way that really allows you to use your imagination and become engrossed in the story. For example, ‘Half Moon Investigations’ by Eoin Colfer. It is set in a small village in Ireland, strange things begin to happen in the village so a young boy by the name of Fletcher Moon decides to investigate…

What are you reading currently? Tell us a little about it.

I'm currently reading a book called 'Legacy'. It's an interesting book and it is about the culture of the All Blacks. What I like about it is that it's factual and there are elements you could extract from the book and apply to your own life.

Has a book ever changed your life? Or changed your outlook on your life?

I once read a book called 'Think Like a Freak'. There were some parts of that book that have made me think differently about life. I think that these days, I tend to look for books that will help me have a better understanding of a topic I am currently interested in.

What are some books that made you feel a strong emotion?

I’m not really sure. I always enjoyed the sense of family togetherness in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. On the contrary, John B. Keane's book, called ‘Sadbh’, is an old Irish story of a girl that is forced into an arranged marriage. It always made me angry when I read it.

Do you enjoy reading? What will you say to us young ones wanting to get into reading?

I think I enjoyed it much more when I was younger. I don't read anywhere near as much as I used to but I'm trying to get back into it. I had a large set of short stories and fairy tales when I was very young, and one that I can particularly remember is called 'Chicken Licken'.

I don't make enough time these days. But I guess If you can plan your day and make sure you include some time for reading at some point. When I do find time to read, I learn a lot from the type of books I read. When I was younger it was great for developing my imagination.