I have another great book blogger post for you today with Kate from Bibliophile Book Club.
Kate is addicted to books! ?
She loves books. No, she really, LOVES BOOKS!!! Her day does not feel complete if she hasn’t read a few pages ( ahem, chapters!!!) of a book.
She finds solace and comfort in reading, it is her escape.
Her favourite books to read are crime, thriller, mystery, psychological and police procedurals so there are a lot of those on her blog.
She finally decided to start blogging about books and reading because as much as she enjoyed everyone else’s blogs, pages and sites, she wanted to create her own.
Welcome to the blog, thanks for stepping away from yours for a few minutes to answer some questions about book blogging.
We’ll start with the easy questions and then see where we go from there!
How long have you been book blogging and what prompted you to start?
I’ve been blogging since 2014, but only really got into it when I had my youngest and a lot of time on my hands. I started because I was pretty much only talking about books etc on my Facebook and Twitter and I’m sure it was getting a little tedious for my family and friends.
Tell us a little bit about your blog, what will blog readers find there?
My blog is called Bibliophile Book Club. So named because bibliophile essentially means a lover and collector of books. The Book Club bit was just an afterthought if I’m honest, but it stuck!
I read mainly crime and thriller books. There are so many sub-genres for these so you’ll find tons of reviews on my blog. I also do a monthly book haul post, where I mention all of the lovely books that I have acquired throughout the month. There are cover reveals, extracts, author Q&A’s and book tags on there too.
What’s your favourite part about book blogging?
I really like finding new authors, or being able to champion authors less widely known than the big commercial fiction names. Book blogging also has a lovely like-minded community. Connecting with other readers, bloggers, publishers and authors is a really nice part of it. I’ve definitely made some friends for life through a shared love of books!
What has been your highlight since you’ve started?
There’s been a few for me. Seeing my blog review quoted in a book is something that I will never tire of. It gives me great pleasure and a sense of pride to see it between the pages. I have also been lucky enough to be quoted on the back cover too, which will NEVER cease to amaze me. I got to meet one of my favourite authors in September 2016 too. Ragnar Jónasson, author of the Dark Iceland series of books published by Orenda Books. That was so surreal, but brilliant at the same time!
If you could carry on blogging but could stop doing one thing (that’s maybe a necessary part of the process now) what would it be?
Oooh that’s a really tough question… I think at the moment, it would be to stop scheduling so many blog tours etc. They are a great idea, but if I have agreed to read the book, it puts time pressure on me which isn’t fun. I find the blogger guilt kicks in then!
What advice would you give to anyone who is considering starting a book blog?
I am by no means qualified to give advice on this, but there are a few things I’ve picked up on since I started:
Always be honest, and be fair if you have to be critical. There is no need to be nasty.
Blogging isn’t about how many free books you can get. It is about THE BOOKS.
Know what you want to blog about, and be confident in your ability. Trust yourself.
Social media can be your best friend. As a way to connect with authors, PR, publishers, bloggers etc, it is a godsend.
I’m sure there’s loads more I could write, but I figure that’s the best of it!
How much time does it take up?
As little or as much as I want! Haha! Not really! It is time consuming for sure, especially as it’s only a hobby. You have to factor in the time it will take you to read the book, write some notes, get a review together, format and edit the blog post and then the social media sharing. There is a lot more to it than just reading a book and writing a review.
What are your reading habits like?
It depends. I’m in a reading slump for the past few weeks so nothing has blown me away book-wise. This, in turn, makes me less inclined to read as much as I normally would.
I always start a new book in bed at night, I don’t have the time or the concentration to do so during the day usually! If I’m lucky though I might squeeze in a few pages here and there, it depends on the kids though so I don’t tend to read until they’ve gone to bed!
What state is your TBR (To Be Read) pile in?
A beautiful state of chaos at the moment! I have had to move books around as my daughter’s books and toys are rapidly taking up all of my shelf space! I have maybe 850 books on my TBR bookshelves, and it’s a fairly even split between physical and kindle books. I’m working my way through review books at the moment, and there’s about 100 of those knocking around the place!
What do you drink while reading?
Tea or coffee usually. It depends on the time of the day though. If it’s the afternoon, it’s almost always coffee. And then in the evening I usually have tea with some chocolate or biscuits when the kids are asleep!
Where’s your favourite place to read?
I don’t really have a favourite place to read, I’ll read anywhere. Maybe in bed at night though. It’s the only time there’s no distractions and the house is silent so I can concentrate better and really get lost in the book!
What book would you recommend, that gets little attention, that you haven’t really seen talked about? And why, what is it about this book that you love?
Another hard question Rebecca!!! 🙂 I think for this I’ll have to go with Epiphany Jones by Michael Grothaus. This is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. It won’t be for everyone, but it is such a fantastic read. Quirky, oddly emotive and with some exceptional characterisation, I would definitely recommend it!
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these. It’s been a pleasure having you.
Thanks so much for having me! xx
You can find Kate on her Blog | Facebook | Twitter
You can find more posts in this book blogger series Here.
Let me know if you are interested in taking part.
A state of chaos – that sounds familiar.
Seeing one’s quote on a book is really amazing.
Authors rely on blog tours, so hopefully you never have to give those up!
Such a pleasure meeting other bloggers this way! I’m glad for this feature. And I agree; reviews should be fair, balanced and truthful. They don’t need to be nasty or gushing to accomplish that.
I could recognise a lot of those traits in myself, although 100 review books does sound a bit steep! Agree with you, Kate, that Epiphany Jones was something very different from run-of-the-mill crime fiction and deserves more recognition.