Book Blogger Love-a-Thon Begins + Interview Swap!
The Book Blogger Love-a-Thon is an event where we can share our love for our fellow book bloggers! The event is hosted by Alexa at Alexa Loves Books and Katelyn at Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands.
Hi, everyone! I’m excited to be participating in the Book Blogger Love-a-Thon, going on all day today! I’ll be writing a few different posts today so I apologize in advance for clogging up your feed readers.
I hope to visit a lot of my favorite blogs today, as well as find some new great blogs to visit and follow! Let me know if you’re also participating in the event, and I’ll stop by your blog!
And now it’s time for the first event of the day: the Interview Swap! Today I’ll be interviewing Whitney from She Is Too Fond Of Books, and she’ll be interviewing me over on her blog.
So here goes!
The Overstuffed Bookcase: When did you start your blog, and what made you decide to start one?
Whitney: I started She is too fond of books on January 13, 2010. While my family loves to read, they don’t necessarily want to go into a deep conversation on what is currently on their nightstand. I realized I needed to do something to fill the void and decided to start a blog to record my thoughts on what I have read.
TOB: Do you review any specific age group or genre on your blog, or is it a mixed bag? And do you focus on anything other than books, or is it strictly a book blog? (In other words, tell us a little bit about your blog!)
Whitney: I mainly read fiction with classics and historical as sub-genres. Although, I will throw in a non-fiction book to mix it up. Variety is the spice of life. I like broadening my mind by exposing myself to different genres and participate in different bookish events to do so. For example, this year I have joined a group focusing on literature in the turn of the century, an area I have barely grazed the surface of. I recently have been integrating movie reviews into my blog as film is another love of mine, but the main focus is on book reviews.
TOB: What is your favorite thing about blogging/your blog? (Your favorite aspect of blogging, or your favorite review or interview or blogging experience, etc.)
Whitney: I love the community. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming it’s like I’ve fallen into an episode of Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood. Also, through book blogs I have discovered a plethora of books that may have stayed hidden otherwise.
TOB: Have you had any major challenges while blogging, or any times when you’ve taken a break or reconsidered blogging as a hobby?
Whitney: Last year I had the novel idea to only read classic literature and it did not go over well. I boxed myself in with no room to breath, stunting my reading (and blogging) as a result. Needless to say, halfway through the year I threw the idea in the trash and reached for the trashiest book I could find diluting my brain into mush. This experience did build an understanding and appreciation for classic literature, but I don’t think it’s an experience I would repeat again.
TOB: What is one thing that your readers and other bloggers might not know about you?
Whitney: I am named after the Whitney Museum in New York. My mom had gone there several times and loved both the museum and the name. In the 1920s Whitney was also associated with high society and was an era that my parents were interested in.
TOB: What do you do when you’re not reading or blogging?
Whitney: I am a huge movie fan and follow the Oscars avidly. (This year it falls on my birthday too!) I also enjoy exercising but am far from a health junkie — I still love my chocolate!
TOB: What are your top 5 favorite books of all time?
Whitney: A difficult question, but if I had to narrow it down, they would be (in no particular order)
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
3. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite)
4. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
5. This one was a battle of the Brontes between Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights but Emily reign supreme.
TOB: What are your top 5 favorite books you’ve read in the past year?
Whitney: 1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Devil’s Knot by Mara Leveritt
3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
4. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
5. The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin
TOB: Who are your top 5 favorite authors?
Whitney: 1. Jane Austen
2. Charlotte Bronte
3. Emily Bronte
4. David Sedaris
5. Truman Capote
TOB: If you had any advice for new book bloggers, what would it be?
Whitney: I did a post on it here but I think a good piece of advice is to just go ahead and do it. I was a bit nervous when I first began, but like starting at a new school I quickly got the hang of it. I also think you should be doing it for the right reasons, that is to say, not going in with the sole purpose being to get free books but because you have a passion for those books.
Related Posts
Katelyn
February 23, 2013 at 5:45 amI thought this was such a fantastic interview. I especially love how Whitney got her name, that is so neat and much more than how I got mine (the good ole' baby name book, lol!)
Liz
February 23, 2013 at 7:57 amI love when people have interesting stories about where their name came from, this is definitely one of the more unique name stories I've heard!
I also love how Harry seems to be mentioned in the majority of these interviews- I don't think I've read a single one yet where he's not involved in some way!
Dana
February 23, 2013 at 1:11 pmReally fantastic interview. I've noticed Harry Potter mentioned all over. Makes me want to re-read them again!