A while back, I sent out a tweet to my followers, and asked them for things they wanted to know about me. What this produced, was the newest installment in my “interview with a #bookblogger” series. I don’t do these very often, but every once in a while, I like to give my readers further insight into me as a blogger, and me as a person. Please enjoy my answers, hopefully as much as I’ve enjoyed giving them to you!
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Interview with a Book Blogger Questions
What kind of books do you avoid like the plague, because you don’t care for the genre, and you know you won’t like it, no matter how great it is?
Historical Fiction and Poetry. Sadly, I find both those genres boring. No judgement to anyone who likes these types of books, but they aren’t for me. Poetry is too subjective for me. I want a book to tell me EXACTLY what is going on.
To me, there is no reason to have to think about possible hidden meanings in entertainment. Historical Fiction is a weird genre for me, because I don’t like history, and the few historical fiction books I’ve attempted to enjoy (Watchmaker’s Daughter comes to mind) seem too “modern,” so they don’t fit with what I think a book in that genre should be.
Since you are “The Picky Bookworm,” how does that impact your choices on what books to read and blog about?
I’m picky about genres I’ll choose to read (see previous question), but I pretty much know from a blurb whether I’ll like a book or not. I’ve been surprised on several occasions, with books I thought I would like and didn’t really, or with a book I was “meh” about, turning out to be one I can’t put down.
The most recent book I found that I absolutely loved, but wasn’t in a preferred genre for me, was Dark Blue, by Eliott Motl. I wrote a review for it and am in the process of doing a giveaway for my readers. The winner will be announced on my podcast, The Picky Bookworm.
Does a book blurb have to speak to you, or are your book choices based on certain genres?
My first choice is always for genre, but if a book is outside one of my preferred genres, but the blurb sounds interesting, I’ll likely give it a choice. Again, my answers build on each other, so just because I’m picky, doesn’t mean I don’t usually know pretty quick if I’ll enjoy a book.
Have you ever started a book you were going to blog about, but quit reading because it just wasn’t speaking to you?
Unfortunately, I think we all have at one point or another. I had decided I was going to review an Anne Rice book, because she’s so incredibly popular.
I started reading Ramses the Cursed (or something like that), but quit reading it about 1/3 of the way through. I was feeling pretty guilty about it, because I don’t like DNF’ing books. I figure if the author put all that work into writing the book, I should be brave enough to finish it.
Luckily, a friend at my local library told me something that not only makes sense, but helped me move on from guilt whenever I’m unable to finish a book. She told me, “Life is too short to read a book you’re not completely enjoying.”
Do you ever fight through reading a book and finish even if you started a new one as well?
I’m a total mood reader, so I’m usually reading at least 2 books at a time, but I’ve definitely fought to finish books before. I read one earlier this year that had some really terrible characters. They were 2 dimensional and I just didn’t connect with the book. I fought to finish it though, and while I’m glad I did, I’m also sad that I couldn’t give the book a good review.
How does an author approach a book blogger about a review?
This is a tough question, because different bloggers have different processes. One thing I will tell you absolutely NOT to do, is DM a blogger on twitter, or email them through their blog, without checking their policies. Most book bloggers have them, listing what genres they prefer, and their contact preferences. Make sure when you contact a book blogger, you’re doing so knowing that the chances of them saying yes is at least 50%.
What time do you like putting up your blog posts?
My favorite time of day is between 10am and 2pm, so this is usually when I publish. If I’m lucky enough to be able to schedule ahead of time, I usually set for 8am CST, so that it’s not too late for my friends in other parts of the world.
I rarely schedule ahead of time, though, simply because if I’m writing a book review, I get too excited to wait. I hardly ever want to sit wondering if WordPress is going to mess up my publishing schedule, so, control freak that I am, I’d rather do it myself.
What is your favorite kind of book to read? What books are on your wishlist?
I have so many books on my wishlist, and so I won’t make this blog post longer than it already will be, so I’ll tell you my favorite type of book to read….Fantasy. That’s right, I said it! I love the worlds, the new characters, the mythologies….they’re amazing to me. I love the connections that the authors create with our own world, and the way they try to explain how the world works is fascinating to me.
Where do you see your business going? What is your ultimate goal?
My ultimate goal, from my various business branches, is to be able to work from home. My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for a while now, and when I finally have my child, I don’t want to turn him or her over to strangers to raise.
I want to be able to see my child as much as I want, and have the final say in how my child is brought up. I’ve decided that when I’m making $3000 a month from my various businesses (podcast, shop, blog and proofreading), that I’ll feel like I can quit my job and finally work from home.
What inspires you as a reader to blog about your reads?
I’ve wanted to be a blogger for a long time. I’ve tried various avenues, and various topics, but until I found book reviews, I never really felt like I had found my niche. Especially when I found the book community on Twitter. Books, to me, are the thing that will never go away. We will always have books, and people will never stop wanting to check out others’ opinions on them.
Is your reading as a proofreader different from your reading for pleasure?
Absolutely! This doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy my proofreading books, but when I’m reading for proofreading, I’m literally LOOKING for mistakes. I don’t want them to be there, but I’m hunting them down in order to fix them. My goal as a proofreader is to make the book the best I can, and my goal as a reader for pleasure is to form an opinion on the book, so that I can share with others.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little bit better! I loved all your questions and would love to make this a regular thing! If you have any questions you’d like to see in the next “episode” of this series, comment below, and once I have enough questions, I’ll publish another post!
If you want to connect with me on social media, you can usually find me on Twitter, sharing pictures of my cat, and causing all sorts of trouble 🙂
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Until Next Time, Friends!
