Michelle from Tales of Yesterday (Celebrating British Bloggers)

My final Celebrating British Bloggers interview! I've really enjoyed hosting this feature but it has come to its end.  Thank you to everyone who has taken part or has read or commented or tweeted about the feature of any of the previous interviews.

And thank you to Michelle from Tales of Yesterday for being super lovely as well as being the final ever participant! Tales of Yesterday is one of my favourite new blogs and I love Chelley's passion and enthusiasm for both books and blogging. I'm sure you're already following her blog and on Twitter, but if you are not here are those links again:

Tales of Yesterday ... Chelley on Twitter

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

Hi, I’m Chelle and I run a book blog - www.Talesofyesterday.co.uk.  I read lots of books and review them on my blog and also love to feature guest posts, Q&A’s amongst others things from authors as well as other bloggers.  I always feature anything I enjoy or find fun or want to know the answers to!

I am helpdesk / resource planner team leader for a service company by day and an avid book reader / book blogger / serial tweeter / twitter addict by night and on weekends!

I’m also a co-mod for the awesome book forum BookishPeeps.com and organiser of #DrinkYAMidlands and #PicnicYAMidlands where everyone is welcome to meet up for bookish chat and fun!  I also host a nostalgic #PointHorrorBookClub on the 13th of every month where we read and discuss a Point Horror book which were all the rage and loved by myself in the 90’s – do you remember them?

I am often known to be a little bit clumsy and possibly a little loopy! I am always laughing at something or another and have a bit of a chuckle laugh (one of my managers calls me chuckles).

I live with my husband, Kevin, who I have known since I was 4 and I have a 10 Year Old son, Corey, who is as much of a book lover as me! I also have 3 cats, Skittles, Patch and Louis who enjoy clawing at my curtains and 3 rabbits, Smudge, Caramel and Clover who pinch all my vegetables!

I am a book loving (obsessed), theatre loving, slasher horror film loving csi geek! I’m often seen on twitter embarrassing myself and tweeting about books a lot using @chelleytoy.

How did you begin being a book blogger? What is it about books that makes you excited to talk about books on your blog?

I have always loved books ever since I was a little girl when my mom used to take me to the library a lot (I talked about this for a Love Libraries Feature here but be warned it features pictures of younger Michelle!).  I have carried on with that love for books ever since, but I hit a stumbling block in my love for books when I lost my sight suddenly in 2013.  I wrote a guest post about it previously here, but upon keeping the sight in one eye I gradually got back into reading and discovered the wonderful world of YA and it reignited my love and passion for books.

Starting a book blog seemed to be a natural step for me and something I wish I had done years ago!  I LOVE talking about books and sharing my thoughts and experience of a book with people and sharing my thoughts through reviews on my blog.  Books in general excite me.  I love getting lost within the pages of a book.  Feeling what the characters are feeling or experiencing and going on a journey with them.  I also love being asked for recommendations especially by children and then being told how much they love the book…this makes me so happy.  I also love sharing books with my son and having reading time with him every night.

So yeah basically – Chelley loves books!

What would you like to have known about book blogging before you got started that you didn't know beforehand?

I would love to have known how wonderful and awesome the community is!  I have made some lovely friends through blogging and it genuinely brings a tear to my eye to think about it.  When I think back to a time in my life where I felt quite lonely and scared (I had my family of course) if I had known that book blogging would introduce me to genuine wonderful people I would have done it sooner.  I love the community so much.

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

Oh wow!  Working!  Lol.  I work Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm and live about an hours motorway drive away from my job (I am the only driver in my family) so when I get home it is normally time to spend with my family, watching lots of Netflix’s, reading, blogging and I try to fit some writing in occasionally too.

I am often known to spend too much time talking to people on twitter too!

What type of things do you champion on your blog? What would you like your blog to be known for?

I do read a lot of YA books and a lot by British Authors as I like to champion #UKYA and celebrate our home grown talent.  I have been taking part in the British Books Challenge 2015 and am thoroughly enjoying it.  I also feel passionate about #WeNeedDiverseBooks so I like to champion this and get the word out there and read more diverse reads where I can.  I feel it is important for our children to grow up with access to diverse reads so the more we spread the word the better.

I think I would like my blog to be known as a place to get to know authors a little better or to discover a new book recommendation via my reviews.  A fun place where people can enjoy themselves.

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

The best experience of being a book blogger so far is getting to know new supportive people who love books and the community just as much as me.

I have also loved the chances I have had to meet authors or have authors appear on my blog and learn more about their lives, writing, books and the publishing industry.  I always feel truly honoured when an author agrees to appear on my blog.

On a personal note the most over whelming experience has been winning a UKYABA award in March for Champion Newcomer 2015 which in turn has given me the honour of speaking on a book blogging workshop / panel at YALC which is mind blowingly amazing and scary all rolled into one big ball of fun!

What is your biggest struggle as a book blogger?

My biggest struggle as a book blogger is time!  I need Hermione's Time Turner!  I want to spend ALL my time with my family and friends, read ALL the books, put more time into my blog and write that book that’s inside me, but time is restricted sometimes.  

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

Okay my favourite ever book is Watership Down!  I adore this book!  A childhood favourite.  It is followed closely by a number of other books though.

What books or authors or series would you like more people to be aware of?

Ohhhhh this is a tough one!  I just want people to read ALL the books!  ☺

Have you discovered any books or authors through blogging that you might not have otherwise found?

Yes!  I’m always discovering new authors and books all the time especially through Bookish Brits videos, #UKYAChat and via Jim over at @YAYeahYeah amongst others.  For me twitter provides me with so many book recs that my TBR list grows to a staggering amount!

Name your top 5 UK book bloggers!

Just 5??!!  I don’t think I can through fear of missing off a blogger I adore!

*offers Cloverness a cake and bats eyelashes to let me off the question*

If you could meet your favourite author, who would it be?

I feel I have been very lucky to meet a lot of my favourite amazing authors already, but for me this would be John Green or James Patterson…..two authors I adore who I would be honoured to get a chance to meet in real life!

What would you like to see more or less of in the books you read?

I would like to see more friendships rather than love interests and more #LGBT that are just there rather than being the focus on the book if that makes any sense.  I would also like to see more disabled characters in books.

And finally, who is your ultimate book crush?

At the time of writing this I am reading a book called Black Iris (recommended to me by Jim over at @YAYeahYeah) and I have a serious SERIOUS crush on a character called Armin….he makes really bad (I say good) 80’S song reference jokes and I LOVE him (well so far…unless things turn in the book…now I’m worried).  

Ultimate book crush?!  I’m not sure I have one?  

*minds goes blank* I can’t think at all….however if you follow me on twitter I like a man with a beard and old!

TA-DAH!

Maia from Maia Moore Reads (Celebrating British Bloggers)

Hello and welcome to another edition of Celebrating British Bloggers in which I ask some fairly difficult questions about books and blogging to some awesome British book bloggers.

I recently came across Maia's blog and I absolutely love it. Definitely one of my recent favourite blog! If you don't already, I really recommend that you follow Maia's blog and to follow her on Twitter... 

Maia Moore Reads ... Maia on Twitter ... Maia on Goodreads

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

Well I'm Maia, I'm 24 years old and work in IT, and blog at http://maiamoorereads.blogspot.co.uk on the side. I mostly read YA and have always been a stickler for fantasy/sci-fi, but I'm trying to branch out into more genres at the moment. I studied Creative Writing and Theatre at university in Wales, and did a Masters in Theatre as well.

I have a secret double life as an actress that I don't tend to talk about in the blogging world (keeping them separate for some reason) but I've got to do some really cool things through that (my favourite being throwing a pint at someone, which was filmed in slow motion and looks AWESOME - small things please me greatly).

I also write my own stories and completed the first draft of my first novel last year, which was a big achievement for me. I hope to have people posting reviews of my books on their blogs in the not too distant future!

How did you begin being a book blogger? What is it about books that makes you excited to talk about books on your blog?

I started blogging at the beginning of the year, on a whim really. I had no idea about blogging or Twitter or the community I was getting into, but I'm so glad I did it. It such a friendly, supportive community to be a part of.

I've always loved reading - you couldn't find me without a book in my hand as a teenager - and I've always thought YA books were the best ones for me. I've read a few 'adult' books but I never seem to get into them or enjoy them as much. 

What would you like to have known about book blogging before you got started that you didn't know beforehand?

Argh so much! Mostly technical things and really silly little things - like the font on my first few posts was really tiny, and I didn't think what that would be like for people tp read (silly, I know). And I wish I'd known how great it was so I could have started sooner. I would have loved to have something like this when I was a teenager (though I don't think blogs were around so much then *sobs at being old*)

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

I work, and that involves 3 hours of travel a day as well, which is where I get most of my reading done. I love horror films and video games and writing my own stories too. And because these are all pretty sedentary activities I've started jogging this year, which is less awful than I thought it would be.

What type of things do you champion on your blog? What would you like your blog to be known for?

I don't really have a 'thing' like some of the others do - like contemporary, or UKYA. But I think one of the things I'd like to work on with my blog is some older books which I think need more recognition - the kind of things I read as a teenager and people would have raved about on blogs and Twitter if they'd been around then.

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

Probably the UKYA Extravanganza in Birmingham. Even though I was super shy and hardly spoke to anyone, it was a really great day. I loved being involved with the blog tour that led up to it and interviewing an author for the first time (the lovely Rachel Ward). It really showed me what an open and friendly community it is.

What is your biggest struggle as a book blogger? 

I think getting obsessed with page views and followers and the like. As a newbie, it can be disheartening to see all the established people with thousands of followers and getting more views in a day than I've had in a lifetime. It can be frustrating, but I also have to remind myself it's not a numbers game. I really enjoy what I do and I just like being able to share my views and talk about books with people.

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

Oof you're cruel!

But my go to answer for this is usually The Borrible Trilogy by Michael de Larrabeiti. And it's not cheating to choose a trilogy because my copy is all in one big book! That's one of the slightly older books that I'd love to see people reading nowadays.

What books or authors or series would you like more people to be aware of? 

Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn - they're the first ones I reviewed on my blog and I love them so much. Also The Echorium Sequence by Katherine Roberts and The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor.

Have you discovered any books or authors through blogging that you might not have otherwise found?

Oh tons. Since going to uni about 5 years ago I stopped reading so much (bogged down by text books) so there's a massive amount of books I've missed out on, and I've been able to catch up by recommendations from other bloggers. I love the buzz that's around debut authors as well, I think it's so great that they often have bloggers on their side and buzzing about them before they've been published.

Name your top 5 UK book bloggers!

That's another cruel one...

Is it cheating if I put you on the list?! Too late cos I'm gonna...

Stacie at http://parkerandme.co.uk who does books and lifestyle

Lucie at http://queenofcontemporary.com/ I love the UKYA chats

Katie at http://queenofteenfiction.blogspot.co.uk/ who helped me out when I first started

Michelle at http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/ a fellow Midlands blogger and so friendly

And http://www.flutteringbutterflies.com/ because the British Books Challenge has been one of my favourite parts of blogging this year 

If you could meet your favourite author, who would it be?

I'd say Michael de Larrabeiti, seeing as I put his book as my favourite. Unfortunately he died a few years ago - I found out because Waterstones had a display of recently dead authors books and his was on there, it was mortifying!

What would you like to see more or less of in the books you read?

Less awful romances! I feel like there's a real trend towards love triangles and romance for the sake of romance at the moment, and it really doesn't interest me (unless it's extremely well done). I'm interested to see more kinds of relationships, sibling relationships in particular

And finally, who is your ultimate book crush?

I'm not really a book crush-er person, but I'd say Knocker from The Borrible Trilogy, as my first love.

Thank you so much for that, Maia! 

Tell Maia and I what you think of her answers in comments! Agree or disagree?

Samina from Escapism From Reality (Celebrating British Bloggers)

Hello and welcome to another edition of Celebrating British Bloggers in which I ask a bunch of awesome bloggers some tough questions about books and blogging!

Today I'm very excited to have Samina from Escapism From Reality on the blog. Samina is super, super lovely and very supportive and if you are not already following her blog or her on Twitter then I don't know what you're doing with your life.

Escapism From Reality ... Samina on Twitter ... Samina on Goodreads ... Samina on Facebook ... Samina on Instagram

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

My name is Samina but around my blog and social media I’m known as Escapist or escapismfanatic. My blog is called Escapism From Reality.

How did you begin being a book blogger? What is it about books that makes you excited to talk about books on your blog?

Funny you ask me that. I had seen lots of bookworms like me in GoodReads starting their own blogs left and right but it never inspired me to start blogging. Until one fine morning when I was visiting my family in India, fed up with their constant nagging to stop reading 24x7 (*as if I’d do that*) I decided that I had had enough and wanted my space. Henceforth Escapism From Reality was born, a way to escape my real life and immerse myself in the world that words and pages create. It is also a nod to my love for fantasy books.

Long winded answer aside, I’ve always loved stories. Even when I was in school, my friends would be frantically studying for exams and I’ll be burning the midnight oil reading the moth ridden almost 50 year old, forgotten library copy of The Hardy Boys. I love that without having to leave my seat I am able to visit so many worlds and experience countless lives.  I am fascinated by the skill of authors who are able to invoke so many feelings out of me for people who don’t even exist. 

What would you like to have known about book blogging before you got started that you didn't know beforehand?

I’d have loved to have a better idea about how big the blogging world was. At first it all seemed like a lonely business but the now I know it is HUGE with not just book blogs but everything from fashion to living. 

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

I’m a huge manga fan. I love Shoujo manga and my university days were spent watching hours of anime and reading numerous volumes of manga. Now when I’m going through reading slumps I give myself a break my indulging in Asian drama binge. I adore Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese dramas. They are awesome and are like crack. They keep making you click the ‘Next Episode’ button again and again. To top it all off there soundtrack is to die for. I have more drama music in my phone than regular music. I urge everyone to atleast try and watch a few episode before passing it up.

What type of things do you champion on your blog? What would you like your blog to be known for?

To be honest, I don’t champion a particular topic on my blog. Blogging for me has always been about me and my books but I occasionally have rants about feminism, diversity and homophobia.  I can be pretty mean when I want to be, so I try to keep it to the minimum. My latest rant was about New Adult books and how annoying they have become these days. 

I've never had high ambitions for my blog but I’d like my reader to know that I always give my honest opinion on every book I read. I don’t particularly focus on YA or Na or adult. I have a mixture of Adult, New Adult, YA, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal and even contemporary. Basically what ever catches my fancy.

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

It has to be all the wonderful people I have managed to meet who love books as much as I do. I know this may be a clichéd answer but for me who does not have a lot of friends who read as much as I do, talking to people who read and love books and fangirl with them has been the best part of being part of the blogging/reviewing community.

What is your biggest struggle as a book blogger?

Finding time! I struggle to find time to write reviews and publish post. I like writing them but finding time for that is a pain. I work full time and provide 24x7 on call, keeps me away a lot.  Plus I’m a lazy creature who sometimes doesn't want to do anything but just lie in bed and read anything on a whim.

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

Now that is a very hard question to ask a book blogger and we have not one but many favourite books. It’s like asking a parent to pick their favourite child. But if I have to answer, my absolute favourite, bestest book in the world is not one book but a series of books by Illona Andrews called Kate Daniels. It is an urban fantasy series about a mercenary with secrets of her own. Vampires and shape shifters abound in this post-apocalyptic world from hell where magic rein and technology is in ruins. I love this series to bits even if the ugly covers are a real put off.

What books or authors or series would you like more people to be aware of?

Oh. Oh. Oh. Where do I start? I’d say The Mad Scientist’s Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke was beautiful and poignant and I do think that book need more attention. Another favourite of mine is the Pantomime series by Laura Lam. It is a series which embraces all the topics I feel strongly about like gender identity, sexuality, social stigma, different forms of love with an extra added dash of fantasy. It is a wonderfully executed and well thought story and I cannot wait for the last book. Best of all it is UKYA too.

Have you discovered any books or authors through blogging that you might not have otherwise?

Too many to name! However the most recent on will be Seed by Lisa Heathfield. I say the book on NetGalley but the cover made me reluctant to pick it up until I saw a fellow UK book blogger raving about it. Seeing her enthusiasm spurred me into starting the book and I have to tell you, I was transfixed. I love the book blogging community.

Name your top 5 UK book bloggers!

There just too many to name. I think each and every one is of them is awesome in their own way.

If you could meet your favourite author, who would it be?

I’m meeting Sarah J Maas in May which will be a dream come true. I adore her Throne of Glass series but her new book A Court of Thorn and Roses absolutely blew me away.  I’m taking all my books to sign, some on my shelf and some in storage. Yes, I have books put away in storage as I have no space and I let them go and I have multiple copies of her books. 

However, what would I not give to meet J K Rowling who opened my young mind to the wonders of imaginations and fantasy where anything I dreamt could come true.

Oh yes, I’d love to meet Ilona Andrews too. I’ll probably scream like a fan girl and might swoon if I could talk to them.

There are a few more but as you can see, the list is steadily growing, so I’ll stop now.

What would you like to see more or less of in the books you read?

Hmm, I don’t know to be honest. I find the books which I know I’ll like and I’m in the mood to read. That is why I don’t DNF many books.

And finally, who is your ultimate book crush?

No! I really can’t answer that. It’s like asking a king who is his favourite concubine. Hang on, it is exactly like that. I have too many to name. I keep adding more and more to my book boyfriend list. The Darkling from The Grisha Trilogy is most definitely one of them. Dark, dangerous and evil. That’s how I like them. I loved that he was evil to the very end.


Thank you for these wonderful answers, Samina! The Darkling is quite intriguing.

Let Samina and I know your thoughts on her responses in comments! Agree or disagree?

Caragh from Loaded Shelves (Celebrating British Bloggers)

Welcome to another edition of Celebrating British Bloggers in which I ask a bunch of awesome bloggers some difficult questions about books and blogging!

Today I'm very happy to have Caragh from Loaded Shelves take part in this feature. I have followed her blog for awhile now and I finally got the chance to meet her recently at an event hosted by Mira Ink. She's lovely and if you don't already follow her blog or her on Twitter, I really suggest that you do so!

Loaded Shelves ... Caragh on Twitter

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

Hello! I'm Caragh from Loaded Shelves - though very few people actually call me that! I'm usually just known as Cazz. I’m 27 and like all of you, my life revolves around books!

​

How did you begin being a book blogger? 

I started blogging in 2009 which coincided with my first year at university. I studied English Literature at Bangor University as was reading on average around 6-10 books a week. That sounds great, I know! But in reality it meant that the books jumbled together and I had difficulty separating them out. Additionally I would lose track of what books I hoped to pass on to friends because I couldn't remember plots or authors etc! So to simplify things, I started recording everything I read...and then never really stopped!

What is it about books that makes you excited to talk about books on your blog?

I have always got my kicks from books. Absolutely always. I’m also one of those people who likes to keep the conversation going but unfortunately, I don’t really know anybody that reads quite like I do so it’s really fun getting involved in a community that understands my need to shout from the rooftops about a great book.

What would you like to have known about book blogging before you got started that you didn't know beforehand?

I’d love to have known how guilty blogging can make you feel – in loads of different ways! When I haven’t read a book for a while I feel guilty for neglecting my blog. It’s also really difficult being honest too. When you've read a book that wasn't your cup of tea and you have to go out there and tell the world that you didn't like it – it makes me feel awful as that is someone’s hard work being criticised!

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

I work the backshift for my company which means that I start work in the middle of the afternoon until late at night! It doesn't really give me a lot of free time but when I’m not filling what little time I have with reading or blogging, you can usually find me cleaning the house. Sounds really lame but I’m a cleaning-fanatic! I drive my boyfriend bonkers.

What type of things do you champion on your blog? What would you like your blog to be known for?

Honestly, I’d just like it to be known for what it is. A book review site where anything goes! I don’t have a specific genre that I review or anything. One day I’ll be reviewing Shakespeare and the next I’m fawning over Percy Jackson. I guess at Loaded Shelves, I just champion honest reviews.

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

To begin with, the best experience was the first time I got sent a book for review. I was so happy! That’s when I really realised how hard it was to be totally honest when reviewing. I was so happy to have been sent a review copy that I wasn't expecting to have to give a bad review. Since then though, without a doubt it was attending the Mira Ink blogger event for Maria Snyder. Everyone was so lovely and it felt amazing to physically be a part of something bookish.

What is your biggest struggle as a book blogger? 

Reading enough. I used to read over 100 books a year and never struggled for something to talk about on the blog. However last February I landed myself with a full-time job and a full-time boyfriend and time to read became a huge struggle. I’m finally started to manage my time better now but I still struggle referring to myself as a book blogger when sometimes I barely manage a book a month!

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

There are 3 that I simply couldn't ever choose from.

1.      Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

2.      The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

3.      The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

They’re all so different to each other but all hold a piece of my heart. Each one of them just has something that encompasses the person that I am – including flaws. Of course I could list a million more for the same reasons but those are the 3 that I would say are top.

What books or authors or series would you like more people to be aware of? 

Before the past few years I would have said John Green, but after TFioS I think the smallest, darkest corners of the earth are familiar with him. I’m going to have to say Maria V Snyder. Purely because I didn’t realise how many people don’t know of her work! People were asking which author I was going to meet and I was always met with a confused look. To me, she’s huge!

Name your top 5 UK book bloggers!

I’m a terrible blogger and can’t even think of 5 right now! My top 3 are easy though so I’ll just stop there.

Anya @ An Awful Lot of Reading

Misty @ The Book Rat

And of course, Michelle :)

If you could meet your favourite author, who would it be?

Oh wow that IS hard. Probably David Levithan. No reason, I just think he’d be pretty cool.

What would you like to see more or less of in the books you read?

More female-lead ass-kicking of course :)

And finally, who is your ultimate book crush?

Shane Collins from Rachel Caine’s Morganville series. Rachel wrote a message from Shane in one of my books and I still swoon and get gooey-eyed when I think of it.

Thank you so much for those wonderful answers, Caragh!

Do let Caragh and I know what you think of her responses in comments! Agree or disagree with her answers?