Hey everyone, it’s time for another installment of Tuesday Talks! I am interviewing book bloggers around the web, and this week, we have Jo who writes terrific reviews of fantasy books. She’s from London, so if you want to be a geek like I am, imagine her saying her answers below in a cool British accent. There’s that saying, “Everything’s better with butter,” right? Well, the same thing holds true of words - they are just that much cooler when they’re said with a high-brow English accent.
Okay, let’s get this party started!
To start us off, please tell us about your blog: What kinds of books do you like to review?
On Ink and Paper, I mainly review fantasy novels, whether it’s high fantasy, urban fantasy, or paranormal romance, both YA and adult. Every now and then a review of another genre may creep in, when I’m recommended books outside the fantasy genre, or it’s a book I had to read for a class. I’ve been a major fantasy fan ever since I can remember, so it will always be my main focus of reviewing.
I’d love to hear about a favorite book or author that you’ve read recently and why it was your favorite.
Oh, that’s difficult! I have read so many good books lately! I think I would have to say the books in the Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost (the first book is Halfway to the Grave.) Frost’s books are so full of twists and turns, and she brings something new to each novel that you would never expect. You can’t help but want to know how Cat and Bones’ relationship progresses, and I love how Frost balances the romance with the individual storylines of each book, the danger that Cat and Bones always find themselves in. I’m never left wanting more of one or the other.
How long have you been reviewing books and why did you start - what was your motivation?
Not long at all. I started blogging a little before Christmas in 2008. When it comes to high fantasy, most of the books I’ve read have belonged to my Dad, and we have very similar taste, so we have spent hours in the past talking about books, like The Belgariad series by David Eddings. However, he isn’t really a fan of urban fantasy and I had been reading a lot of them recently. I missed having someone to talk to about books, so I decided to start blogging about what I read. I also wanted somewhere to talk about the my different creative writing lessons – which I still do, but less so now.
I didn’t know I had started a book blog until I came across some other bloggers on the communities on LiveJournal - where I used to do my blogging. From there I found Book Blogs on Ning, and then Presenting Lenore’s New Book Blogger FAQ and The Story Siren’s Blog Tips, and started trying to make Ink and Paper a better book blog. I found them so helpful, it’s mainly because of their advice that my blog can now be called “book blog.” It was nothing compared to what it is now.
If you do not like a book, do you still post about it or do you only post positive reviews?
I’ve always thought I would review books I didn’t like, but this is something I’m having to learn to do. Nine times out of ten, my reviews are positive. I had written one review about a book I didn’t like that I had to read for a class and had no problem. Recently I received an ARC to review, my first ARC, and although I didn’t completely dislike the book, there were some things about it that I didn’t like. I didn’t give the book a negative review altogether, but I wasn’t completely positive.
Is it bad that I felt guilty? I just felt that I had been sent this book to read for free with the request of sending them a review, and here I am writing about its faults; how could I possibly do that when I didn’t even have to pay for it?
However, it’s the readers I have a duty to here, they’re the ones who expect an honest review, it’s what they deserve. As long as my reviews are fair, there’s no real problem I can see. I’ll just have to either get used to feeling guilty, or get a back bone.
How do you decide what goes into your To Be Read pile?
I don’t really have a To Be Read pile, it’s more of a To Buy list. Being fairly new to book blogging, I don’t receive many books to review; the ARC mentioned previously is the only one I’ve received so far. Mainly, I go by Amazon recommendations, and “save for later,” though I make a note of them for my blog. I then just work my way through from bottom to top.
I follow Wicked Lovely author Melissa Marr’s blog and recently, I’ve been liking the sound of the books she suggests, as well as a fair number of the reviews on book blogs that I follow. And so the list grows.
I don’t tend to use my library because they never seem to have anything I want, and never manage to order them in. I think I would be at my library CONSTANTLY if it was just better stocked.
What book (or books) got you hooked on reading as a child?
I was bought the first three Harry Potter books for Christmas from Mum and Dad when I was around 11. I wasn’t much of a reader then, and wasn’t particularly thrilled to have received books, but after a few months, I felt guilty for not having read them; they were a present after all (yeah, the guilt thing can happen quite easily for me). So I picked them up, and, funnily enough, I loved them! Best decision Mum and Dad had that year!
To be honest though, if it wasn’t for my Dad, I would have just stuck to the Harry Potter books, and that’s it. I liked those books, but I was still averse to reading anything else. My Dad insisted in talking to me about books though from that point on, and tried suggesting different books from his shelves for me to try out. I gave in reluctantly just to stop him going on.
I picked up The Pawn of Prophecy, the first book in The Belgariad Series by David Eddings, and have not looked back since. I was entranced by the world and its characters; Garion, the young boy always getting into trouble; Polgara, the beautiful, motherly aunt; Old Wolf, the mischievous old man; Silk, the witty and sarcastic spy, and everyone else. I loved them all, and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next in the series. It wasn’t long until I had finished all the David Eddings books my Dad owned, and I was thirsty for more.
My thirst has never really been satiated.
Tell me something even your readers may not know about you!
I took Drama for GCSE and A-Level at secondary school. Just like books, it was a form of escapism, but one I could actually be a part of. I lived for my Drama lessons and becoming someone completely different, someone cool.
I can’t count how many times I have had to fall over in plays I’ve done over the years. My most memorable fall was when I played Madam Arcarti, a medium, in a production of Blithe Spirit. I had to collapse in the middle of a trance, and I hadn’t been shown how to fall properly. Having your head bounce off the hard floor isn’t fun! But I loved acting so much, it was liberating. You wouldn’t catch me doing public speaking in a hurry though. I’m not playing a part then.
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Very cool. I now have this insane British person inside of my head, hanging out and repeating everything I think in a cool British accent, but other than that, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thanks for braving my interview, Jo - come back and hang out with us again sometime soon. And for any of my dear readers who are also fans of fantasy, be sure to check out some fantastic fantasy book reviews.
Hava