and many others. Jenny from
was one of the people whom I looked up to. She manages her blog so well and in addition to writing great reviews and being the Master of Interviews, she is also a really great person and fun to talk to. Of course it was my honour to interview this friendly girl who always makes me laugh and smile with her comments.
Q: How, when and why did you start blogging?
A: I started blogging in June of 2010,
so I’m going on three years now. I’d been reading like a crazy person for about
a year before I started the blog, relying heavily on blogs I’d found for
recommendations, so I thought why not give starting my own blog a try? I know
how much I valued the opinions of the bloggers I’d been visiting daily, so I
really liked the idea of turning new readers onto books I loved.
Q: How has being a blogger changed your outlook on books?
A: Blogging has absolutely changed the
way I read books! I don’t think it’s a conscious thing necessarily, but I definitely
read review books more critically because I know I’m going to have to write
about what worked for me and what didn’t when it’s all over. With “fun” books,
I just sit back and enjoy the ride without making a mental note of any flaws or
moments of brillianceJ
Q: How do you prepare for writing a review?
A: I actually don’t really prepare at
all. I know I said I read review books differently, and I do, those differences
just don’t manifest themselves in the form of anything in particular. I don’t
take notes, I don’t highlight favorite quotes or mark important passages, I
just sort of read more carefully and commit certain feelings I experience while
reading to memory so I can put them on paper later. Every once in a while
something will jump out at me and I’ll jot it down, but that’s usually pretty
rare. I’m a boring reader!
We’re so different here. I always
highlight and bookmark my favorite parts/quotes when reading an ebook, but not
so much with physical ones. I try to write a summary of my thoughts in a
journal my friend bought me for my 20th birthday :-) It’s a cute one
with a butterfly on it and it’d be shame not to use it. I write about 5-10
reviews at a time and sometimes it’s hard to remember what my exact thoughts
were so yeah.. I do prepare a little ;-)
Q: Sometimes I have these huge reading slumps, e.g. I can read for two
weeks straight and then it may be hard for me to pick something up or even find
something original, compelling and intriguing to read for a week after or even
longer. Do you have reading slumps and how do you cope with them?
A: Oh yes. The longer I continue to
blog, the more frequently the slumps and funks seem to come. I think it’s
pretty par for the course when you read 4-5 books a week every week though,
you’re bound to burn yourself out eventually. Usually when this happens to me I
step away from my review pile and read several books in a row just for pure
enjoyment. No pressure to have an opinion at the ready. No blank Word document
staring me in the face. No reading schedule, just me, the story, and the
characters.
Personally, it’s usually not so much
that I don’t want to read the books in my TBR pile, but more that I don’t want
to write the reviews for them. I’d say I get tired of writing reviews way more
often than I do of actually reading the books, but they pretty much go hand in
hand with a book review blogJ
Q: If you could change places with a character from any book just for a
day, who would it be and why?
A: Oh man. Busting out the hard
questions now aren’t you? I read both YA books and adult, so I’m going to split
this into two separate answers:
YA – I would switch places with a
pair of Anna’s I think. Send me into Sweet
Evil so I can get my hands on Kaidan Rowe, and then I’d also like to
vacation in Anna and the French Kiss
with Etienne. This way I’ll have a bad boy and a good boy to keep me
entertained ;-)
Adult – I would switch places with
Mac from the Fever series in a heartbeat. Yes, her world is brutal and dark and
painful, but she has Jericho Barrons. That’s all that needs to be said really.
Haven’t read Fever yet :-( but I’d loooooveee to! Oh, man! I’d change
places with Anna from Sweet Evil any time, just tell me when and where and I’ll
be there. Anything for Kaidan Rowe ;)
Q: If you could re-write an ending of any book then which book would you
choose and why?
A: I don’t have any one book
specifically that comes to mind, but in general, I would rewrite the endings of
books that are left wide open. I’m a reader that likes all her questions
answered and all the details of what the future holds for the characters in
place by the time I reach the last page of the last book in a series, and when
we’re left to fend for ourselves a bit and fill in the blanks, I get really
frustrated.
Me, too! Me, too!! *waves hands
frantically*
Q: I know we can’t always give a raving review to every book out there, so
my question is how do you deal with negative reviews? Do you feel especially
bad if it’s a favorite author of yours?
A: Luckily, I haven’t run into the
situation where I’ve greatly disliked a book by a favorite author, but I know
if I did, I would definitely feel guilty despite knowing there’s nothing to
feel guilty about. I do post negative reviews, but I always start out the review
by listing the things that worked for me, and then conclude with what,
specifically, bothered me about the story or characters. We all have different
things that hit our hot buttons or make us happy, so I try to go into detail in
a negative review about what exactly the problems were for me in particular,
because those same things may not be problematic for someone else.
Q: I find the posts where you post about interactions with your husband so
hilarious and I wonder how he tolerates your addiction to books. Is he
supportive? How does he treat your book boyfriends? I know Cassandra Clare’s
husband e.g. has nothing against her obsession with Mr. Robert Downey Jr. and
is rather hilarious about it actually.
A: Thank you! Yes, he is extremely
supportive in an “I don’t really care what you do as long as you’re happy, but
tell me about it as little as possible” type of way. The latter part of that
statement never works out for him though. I feel it necessary to run things by
him ALL THE TIME, but he’s become mostly immune to my general ridiculousness.
Secretly, I think I amuse him, though he would never admit it out loud ;-)
Q:If you were to be out of civilization for let’s say two weeks, which
would be the five books you would take with you? (There are requirements,
though, so don’t think you’re getting off the hook that easily ;) One of them has to be: 1) fantasy; 2) contemporary;
3) adult; 4) smexy; 5) a favorite book of all time.)
A: I’m not a huge fantasy reader, so
this one is tricky. I’m going to say Graceling
by Kristin Cashore simply because I haven’t read it yet, and if I’m going to be
all by my lonesome away from people I should take along something new to read,
right? Right.
Pushing the Limits/Dare You To – LOVE Katie McGarry
The entirety of the Black Dagger Brotherhood
series and the Fever series. Brothers + Barrons = I’M NEVER RETURNING TO
CIVILIZATION.
See above, the Brothers and Barrons
(and Ryodan!) deserve multiple spots on this list.
I can’t even. I LOVE ALL THE BOOKS!
Q:Where can we find you when you are not reading or blogging?
A: Working. I’m lucky enough to be able
to work from home, something that allows me a little more flexibility when it
comes to reading and blogging. It’s nice during my slow months (I design
wedding stationery, so my work is highly seasonal) to be able to get ahead on
reviews so when my busy months hit I don’t fall behind on the blog.
This or that
Black or
white? Black
Salsa or
tango? Neither, I’m rhythmically challenged.
Summer or
winter? Winter
Roses or
tulips? Roses
Phone call
or in person? In person
Mountains
or oceans? Mountains
Reading or
blogging? Reading
A hero or a
villain? A deliciously damaged hero
Fantasy or
contemporary? Um. Paranormal?
New adult
or young adult? Both
Meet Jenny
That's me. And Griffin. I'm a graphic designer and wedding stationer who runs a business from home creating custom wedding invitations for brides who want something unique to them. I also happen to be a severe book addict. It's a good thing I work for myself as there is many a night I stay up way too late devouring books and, as a result, sometimes I don't always wake up at a work-appropriate hour the next morning. Oops.
This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.
