Hey, Rebecca! *waves*
Hey Rachel! Glad to be here.
Would you mind introducing yourself and your lovely blog?
Sure. Well guys, I'm Rebecca, I'm 18 and I run a little blog called Rebecca-Books where I review and just basically plain fangirl about books. My life is pretty bookish actually outside the blog (which I am totally NOT ever complaining about). I've just finished my A levels which involved a LOT of reading and studying and I have a part-time job at my local Waterstones bookshop. I'm also a HUGE Tudor geek. I started my little area of the internet about 3 years ago after I discovered some other blogs like The Broke and the Bookish, Fluttering Butterflies and G-Reads and thought how great fun that looked. My first reviews though....let's not think about how much I cringe when I read them...
What do you love the most about book blogging? I'm feeling pretty generous so you can mention up to three things! ;)
AH. So. many. things.
Okay, let's do this. Definitely the interaction with bloggers in sharing something you love and cherish. When I started my blog, I was like 14 or something and most of my friends at the time thought it was weird that I read a lot. So having that community that supports and understands me has been a life saver in my teenage years. I also love the freewill of writing my own opinions about whatever I choose on something I love and that is shared by others: books.
Knowing about the publishing industry has also been amazing to learn about in book blogging and it's kind of that, that has made me want to go into the publishing industry. Just finding out about all the different books out there and how hard the industry is especially for the authors themselves - it makes you appreciate reading and books in general more I think.
And one more...I know I said about the interaction with bloggers but I also love, love, LOVE the bloggers themselves. Because let's face it without the friends we make in blogging, it wouldn't be as fun.
Your top five bookish pet-peeves?
Oh my. Okay, some of these have developed from becoming a bookseller.
1) OKay, you know when Twilight went BIG, suddenly all these authors kind of jumped on that paranormal, dark romance, cheesy band wagon? And then Fifty Shades of Grey came riding along and suddenly THAT kind of book was like the thing to read. And then Suzanne Collins came in with Jennifer Lawrence in her convertible and then immediately, everyone believed you when you said that series was good and people SAW the movie before reading the book and you're like 'WHY DO THAT?'. That hype thing that ALWAYS ALWAYS happens? I really dislike that.
2) Linking from that...I really dislike watching a movie adaptation willingly before actually reading the book. Classics like Pride and Prejudice or Les Miserables, I make an exemption because a) Les Mis is HUGE and b) EVERYONE knows the plot already. For instance, The Great Gatsby came out. Lots of people saw it. Only after they had complained about the lack of plot, the excess and then (the clincher) how 'shallow' Daisy is...they read the book. And found out that that all happens in the book (Had to study TGG for A level English Literature so I KNOW that book well. Good book).
3) This is more a book peeve at myself. But I have this thing where I don't like buying books that I'm not sure what they're going to be like despite my Waterstones discount, despite the tons of reviews I may see. It annoys me A LOT.
4) That general universal thought that reading equals geekiness. Sure I'm a total geek, I'd admit that. But because I read is not the reason. I also dislike it when people just hate a certain book without giving it a chance or just hate the whole idea of reading without giving it a chance (I know, I know, people actually DON'T read?!)
5) Bend or dirty books. I can't...
(Loved this question, Rachel, let me bookish anger out a little bit!)
Quick, a demon is running straight at you! Which hunky fictional guy do you bring to life to protect you? Why?
Well. This kind of changes depending on my recent reads, like I had a huge French guy phrase after I read Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins because you know, Etienne St Clair...
At the moment, I'm all for Jamie in Louise Rozett's Confessions series (which is bad because he's all, well, bad). However, my ultimate fictional guy who I will ALWAYS love is Wes from Sarah Dessen's The Truth About Forever. He made me realise what a true boyfriend or even guy friend should be like which was muchly needed when I read it.
If you could only read books by one author for the rest of your life, which author would you choose and why?
THIS IS SO HARD RACHEL. I'm just going to throw John Green in there because I like all his books and I don't think I will ever not like one of his books. His books just make me feel so good, you know?
The world is ending and you have to jump into a book! Which book do you seek refuge in and why?
AGAIN, SO HARD. Hmmmm, probably The Other Countess by Eve Edwards. As I said, I love the Tudor period so much and it'll be pretty cool to live in that era for a bit.
Finally, can you recommend one popular, well-known author and one underappreciated and not-so-popular author to us?
AH. So many. Erm, I would recommend Marie Lu and her Legend series as the well-known one as well as Veronica Roth *whispers* I think Divergent is so much better than The Hunger Games...
Underappreciated...Erin Morgenstern probably. Seriously, The Night Circus is one of the best, most amazing books I have ever had the fortune to read. It is truly beautiful - everyone should read it.
Quick-Fire:
Physical book or ebook? ALWAYS physical. I love my Kindle and Netgalley, I'm a little obsessed with. But you can never beat the physical book in your hands.
Snow or rain? Snow. Walking home on a snowy evening in winter with snow crunching, just reminds me of my childhood.
Ron or Hermionie? Okay, this is going to get me a lot of 'WHAT?!' and a guy at work told me he didn't want to talk to me when I told him this. BUT...I've never been a huge fan of Harry Potter. And...thought the movies were so much better than the books. I get why people like it and it's so watchable...but I don't like it THAT much. Hermionie was my favourite character in the series though....
Blue or Pink? Blue. I wear too much navy...
Chick-lit or Fantasy? Hmmm...chick-lit. You can never beat a good chick-lit when you're feeling down.
Thank you so much for being on the blog today, Rebecca! I had a lot of fun reading your answers! I, too, cringe A LOT when I read my first reviews! *lowers voice* I also like Divergent a little bit more than The Hunger Games! *raises voice into a shout* YOU DON'T LIKE HARRY POTTER?! WH-WHAT?! Just 'cause I'm feeling friendly, I won't disown you. ;P
Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo
I love Rebecca's blog so really enjoyed reading this interview! You know how much I love The Other Countess! The Lacey brothers are so swoonworthy! I really need a novel about Tobias!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, you two!
Really interesting to read. Especially pet peeve #4. I am exactly the same,I'm a huge geek but that is also outside of books and literature but the first time people actually called me a geek/bod/nerd and things like that was because I was the only one in my class that actually enjoyed reading.
ReplyDeleteHolly x
Now I have a new blog to follow! Great interview thingy. If I hadn't read this I wouldn't have known about her awesome blog. *gasp* you don't like Harry Potter.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic and really interesting interview. Was shocked to see my blog mentioned, that was nice! I like ranty-Rebecca :)
ReplyDelete