Saturday, April 06, 2013

Sophie from So Many Books, So Little Time (Celebrating British Bloggers)

Another Saturday and another interview with an awesome British book blogger! Today I have Sophie from So Many Books, So Little Time and she is definitely one of my favourite people ever :) I love that we accidentally meet at bookish events all the time, I love chatting about books with her both in person and online.  Her tumblr of YA quotes makes me endlessly happy and her reviews on her blog have made me go out and buy books on numerous occasions! 

If you aren't already following Sophie's blog, Twitter, or Tumblr, I really strongly suggest that you do so now...

So Many Books, So Little Time ... Sophie on Twitter ... Words From YA ... Sophie on Goodreads 




First, can you tell me something about yourself and your blog?


Hello! My name is Sophie and I blog over at So Many Books, So Little Time where I mostly review YA, interview and host guest posts for authors. I celebrated my fourth blogoversary in January which I’m extremely proud of and I hope that people stick around to read my blog so I can go for another four years!


How did you begin being a book blogger?


I began blogging by trawling the internet for YA recommendations as I’d read everything I was interested in from my local Waterstone’s and library. I stumbled across a few US book blogs which gave me reams of new books to look out for but I couldn’t find them over here. I decided that the UK needed one too and so my blog and an Amazon account were born. A dangerous combination in case you were wondering...


When you're not reading or blogging, what do you do with yourself?


Well, I tend to waste a considerable amount of my time on Twitter and Tumblr while not reading or blogging. I’m also coming to the end of my final year at Bath Spa University where I study English Literature and Creative Writing. That translates as mostly panicking about what I’m going to do after graduation and hurriedly working my way through stacks of hideously boring set-texts and painful essays. But uni is actually awesome, I promise.


Which book review are you most proud of?


Oh, good question! Hmm. I think it would have to be Nobody’s Girl by Sarra Manning. I put a lot of myself in to that review. I revealed things about myself that I wouldn’t normally in order to fully explain why I loved Nobody’s Girl so much. Reading back the review now, it wasn’t as overt as I remember, but it still jumps to mind as a brave review for me, so that’s why it’s the one I’m most proud of.


What has been the best experience of being a book blogger so far?


Oh, man. Being a book blogger is amazing and I’ve had so many incredible experiences in the last four years that it’s hard to pick just one! I think that the first blogger meet-up in London in 2010 stands out for me. It was the first time I’d been surrounded by a big group of people who felt as passionately about books and YA as I did, and as corny as it sounds, it was nice to feel that I wasn’t alone in that. I wish I could do things like that every week – book people restore my faith in humanity.


You can do it, what is your absolute favourite book?


The question of all questions! Every so often I challenge myself to see if I can answer this and I can NEVER pick just one... Okay, let me think about this. Right, I’ve decided on my favourite book of today: Diary of a Crush trilogy (not cheating...) by Sarra Manning. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read Edie and Dylan’s story. I go to these books for comfort when I’m sad, when I’m angry, when no book is quite doing it for me and when I need a reminder of how good contemporary YA can be. So there you go, my absolute favourite book as of right now.


If you could be best friends with any fictional character, who would you choose?


I think I’d most like to be best friends with Rose Hathaway from Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series. She’s funny, bad-ass, loyal and always getting in to trouble: life with Rose would never be boring. And if I was her best friend then I’d know Dimitri and likely be a dhamphir which would be pretty awesome.


Name your top 5 UK book bloggers!


- Your lovely self! The blogging community just wouldn’t be the same without you and Fluttering Butterflies.

- Carly from Writing from the Tub: She shares my love of contemporary YA (and Dylan) and she’s always game for a marathon lunch and gossip session where we’ll talk about books, boys, and blogging. I’m going to miss her a lot when I graduate and head back home.

- Iffath from Painting with Words: Iffath makes me laugh so, so much. She’s so passionate about the books she loves and she’s just incredibly lovely!

- Raimy from Readaraptor: I love Raimy. She’s one of the bloggers that I talk to the most and I just wish we lived closer together so I’d get to see her more often!

- Sarah from Feeling Fictional: It feels like I’ve known Sarah for forever! She’s always up for a chat and every time I’ve bumped in to her at an event we’ve had a fantastic time.


If you could meet your favourite author, who would you like to meet?


Sarah Dessen. No contest. I’ve been lucky enough to meet quite a few of my favourite authors (John Green, Louise Rennison, Meg Rosoff, Melvin Burgess, Sarra Manning etc) and while there is still a list a mile long, Sarah Dessen is right at the top. I’d go as far as to say that meeting her is one of the things I HAVE to do in my life, even if I have to go to America to do it.


What would you like to see more of or less of in YA?


I want more standalones and more contemp published in the UK. I often feel that we don’t get much of the amazing, summery contemp that gets rave reviews in the US and I think we’re missing out! And on a general level, I don't think contemporary YA gets nearly as much coverage or shelf space as it deserves. We have some of the best writers of realistic fiction in the UK and they’re overshadowed by whiny paranormals that can’t possibly live up to the likes of Meg Rosoff, Melvin Burgess, Kevin Brooks, CJ Skuse, Keris Stainton, Luisa Plaja etc.


And finally, who is your ultimate book crush?


Dylan from Sarra Manning’s Diary of a Crush. Wait. What about Dimitri from Vampire Academy? No, Dylan. Oh, but I can’t forget my favourite Dessen boy: Wes from The Truth About Forever. I give up. I’m not answering such an impossible question.

Thank you so much for letting me take part, Clover!


Thank you so much, Sophie!  Loved your answers.  Sarah Dessen is amazing, you know how much I'd love UKYA to be more prominent and Dylan! *swoon* 


Over to you, what do you think of Sophie's answers?  Would you like to meet Sarah Dessen? Do you love Dylan as much as she does?  Would you like to see less whiny paranormals and more contemporary British authors see the spotlight? Let Sophie and I know in comments! 

3 comments:

  1. I love Sarah Dessen, and Wes ;) I really want to read the Diary of a Crush books now! Great interview, Sophie is one of my favourite bloggers :)

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  2. I am really loving these posts :)

    I really need to read something by Sarah Dessen - I keep hearing amazing things!

    Fab post!

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  3. *cough* I am also a guilt party in wasting time on twitter and Tumblr...oops ;) Yay for Nobody's Girl! It's one of my favourite UKYA titles ever, and one I read before I started blogging, so it's very special to me. Sarra Manning is fabulous. Aw, Sophie you're such a sweetie, and I'm so glad I make you laugh, humour isn't really my strongest point!

    Definitely agree on more standalones and more contemp in the UK. I want summerrrrrr! And a bit sick of having to keep up with the five billion books in a series, which are each like, a thousand pages long!

    Sarah Dessen, my queen. It will HAPPEN. Promise. Also, *giggles because Wes*

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