Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012: Interview Swap!

It’s book blogger appreciation week, hosted by Amy @ My Friend Amy !

One of the more popular features of BBAW is the Interview Swap, which I opted to participate in (thanks to the heads up from Alison @ The Cheap Reader). If you want to participate next year, it’s so easily and excellently organized! You simply register on the BBAW site, Amy hooks you up with an interview partner, and voila! Swap questions, and it’s as easy as that. It’s a really great opportunity to get to know another blogger and make a few new blog friends!

I had the privilege to interview Anastasia over at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog:

1. Tell us a little about yourself/your blog and why you decided to start blogging:
Hi! I’m Anastasia, I’m 24, and I live in Southern California. I started blogging about four years ago after stumbling upon some book memes and wishing I could do them myself. Like a bolt from the heavens I realized– DUH, I can totally do them myself! and so I started my blog, Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog. The first year or so was rocky (I was in college and didn’t have a ton of free time) but I’ve gotten into a good groove by now and I can’t imagine NOT blogging (in one form or another) until the end of the internet, at least.
Yay blogs!

2. What has been your proudest accomplishment with your blog so far? (Could be a post/event/achievement, etc)
When I got 100 subscribers! It took FOREVER– I’m thinking like two and a half/nearly three years? I kept watching my subscriber count go from 81 to 75 to 94 to etc., for MONTHS and it drove me insane. And then I got there! 100 people wanted to read what I was posting, and it was an AMAZING feeling.

Now I’m doing the same thing again now, funnily enough, because I’ve got nearly 300 subscribers and it…just…keeps…fluctuating…almost! But not quite! Eek!

3. If there is one book you could recommend to your readers, what would it be?
Diana Wynne Jones’ Charmed Life! It’s the first published book in her Chronicles of Chrestomanci series, and I think it’s one of her best books ever. Most people have, I think, heard of her Howl’s Moving Castle? If you’ve read it, and you liked it, you’d probably like Charmed Life, too. It’s meant for a slightly younger reader (maybe? With DWJ sometimes it’s hard to tell) but it’s no less wonderful or complicated or missing out on awesome characters/plot/etc.

Basically it’s about this kid, Cat, who gets orphaned along with his sister Gwendolyn (who’s a witch). They eventually get sent to live at Chrestomanci Castle. The Chrestomanci is like the prime minister of magic for all the worlds; the one in this book likes wearing fancy dressing gowns and wandering around annoying people. And then later there’s a conspiracy and DANGER and BETRAYAL and interesting alternate history stuff and A VERY EXCITING ENDING and basically everyone should just go read it now, okay.
Oooh I’ll have to check it out! 🙂

4. What are your favorite genres to read? Are there any you won’t read?
My favorites are sci-fi/fantasy, mystery and historical fiction. I LOVE IT when books combine one or more of those genres! It’s like winning the lottery or something. I also read a lot of YA books, but I’m not sure if that technically counts as a genre, so.

As for nays: political thrillers? I don’t think I’ve ever actually READ a political thriller, but since I have absolutely no interest in doing so I suppose it counts for a genre I won’t read, eh?

5. Did blogging change your attitude or habits toward reading?
I feel more pressure to keep reading all the time now, if that makes sense. Before blogging, I’d read maybe five books a month. Now I feel like I’m “behind” if I read less than fifteen– although maybe that’s just because my to be read pile is so freakin’ huge!

6. What has been your favorite read of 2012 so far (I know that’s probably hard! There are just so many great books!):
A recent favorite book of mine is The Count of Monte Cristo, something I was sure I’d never say. It’s about a million pages long, melodramatic as hell, and there’s more than a few wtf-is-going-on moments. But! It’s also SUPER EXCITING and the overdramatic bits somehow still work and it’s weirdly satisfying to watch Edmond Dantes get his revenge on the dudes who screwed him over 20 years ago.

7. What’s your favorite reading-related memory?
Probably that’d be back in third or fourth grade, when the school librarian showed us a kind of early book trailer for The Egyptian Game. It was AWESOME! I joined the school’s history club thingy, started reading historical fiction (and anything ancient Egyptian-related) and fell in love with Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s books all in one go. That right there? Is why librarians are so cool. Yup.

Thanks so much, Anastasia!!! Really great answers and I had a really great time interviewing you! Good luck with your 300 subscribers 🙂 Thanks to BBAW, I’m already following your blog!

As part of the interview swap, Anastasia has interview me as well! Don’t miss it over at her site, Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog.

Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

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13 thoughts on “Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012: Interview Swap!

  1. Laurie C

    It’s been fun meeting new bloggers through the Day #2 interviews. I have Howl’s Moving Castle on audio to listen to, but haven’t even gotten to THAT one yet. Will have to add Charmed Life to the list. (Luckily, I’ve already read The Count of Monte Cristo– a lonnnnng one!) 😉

    Reply
  2. heidenkind

    I loved The Count of Monte Cristo when I read it in high school and I totally didn’t expect to. It’s so LONG, but it feels like it goes by in a blink! I’ve been thinking maybe I should do a reread…

    Reply
  3. Vyki

    Great interview! I wish I had known about this before hand or would have signed up as well! Maybe next year 🙂 Headed over there to see your interview now!

    Reply
      1. Vyki

        Just read your interview, and I can relate to your friend not reading your blog because even though my mom is one of my followers, she doesn’t either, ha!

      2. Brittany

        Haha I guess I kind of expected her to, just because we kind of got back into reading together, but we really drifted apart so.. oh well! My aunt actually said she wants to start reading my blog lol. I haven’t seen her come by yet though! 🙂

  4. Candice

    Great interview! You ask such poignant questions during your interviews; I always end up asking “What’s your favorite color?” Going to check out your interview now!

    Reply

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