Interview swaps are a lot of fun and this time was no exception. I got hooked up with Michelle from That’s What She Read. Michelle is a Reader with a capital R. Her blog has tons of reviews and they seem very well thought out. Meet Michelle….
I see you have read 88 books so far in 2010. That is A LOT of books. How do you choose which books you want to read?
I'm a mood reader, in that I will pick up whatever sounds good when I finish a novel. There are times when I will go on a streak of the same genre, but for the most part, I pick up whatever catches my eye at the time. That being said, I always have at least one classic that I will be reading at any given time, thanks to my online book club. I also try to balance out review copies and ARCs with books I purchased, but again, the subject matter is completely subjective to the time and mindset I am in when choosing. I try not to let myself get too far behind with scheduled reviews to the point where it would affect my reading choices, but that has happened to me a few times over the past year.
Have you always been a reader?
Yes, I have always been a reader. I cannot remember a time where I did not have a book in my hand. If you look at pictures of me when I was young, there is invariably a book somewhere in the picture. I taught myself how to read when I was three/four and never looked back!
I have never signed up for a reading challenge, but I see you are in quite a few. Can you tell me a little about your favorite challenge? The Rainbow Connection Challenge sounds so fun!
This is my first year where I am attempting these reading challenges. My favorite one is Carl's RIP challenge. It only runs from September 1 through October 31 and allows us to focus on those spooky, gothic books that have special meaning at this time of the year. Carl is an excellent host, offering giveaways every week and actively commenting on everyone's reviews. It is so much fun to see what others consider spooky and scary! The other one I enjoyed this year was Beth Fish's What's In a Name challenge. She provides the topic, and we have to find a book that fits with the topic. I struggled a bit with it, but that was what made it fun!
Who are some favorite authors you would like to meet?
I remain convinced that Stephenie Meyer and I would be the bestest of friends should we ever meet. I love Muse, so does she. I'm a mother, so is she. I love sparkly vampires, so does she. See? It's a friendship that is bound to happen! LOL!
Other than that, I don't normally go crazy over authors. I would love to meet Suzanne Collins. Her thoughts behind her Hunger Games trilogy are intriguing because I find them so different from what others have discussed. Meeting J.K. Rowling would be a thrill, if only because Harry Potter holds such a dear place in my heart (they were the first books we read to my son after he was born). I tend to focus more on the books themselves rather than the authors behind the books.
With two children and a full time job, how do you find the time to read and blog? Are you a night owl?
Trust me, this is something I struggle with constantly. I am NOT a night owl. In fact, I still get less sleep than I actually should and tend to walk around during the days like a zombie. During the week, I read during my lunch breaks, at various practices and before bed. I read a lot at the weekends and can usually either finish a novel or two or at least make great headway into one during that time. I carry a book with me at all times (via my Nook), so that whenever I find downtime, I can pull it out and read a bit.
As for blogging, I tend to do most of my blogging - visiting other blogs, commenting, organizing and updating - in the evenings after the kids are in bed. My husband watches TV and I'm on the computer. I write better and more quickly during the day, so I will write drafts of my reviews and blog posts at work. I used to do it at night but discovered that I can knock out a review in fifteen minutes or so during the day, yet the same review would take me an hour to write in the evenings.
So, you have a 10-year-old son who love to read. Awesome! What genres does he prefer?
Connor is my science guy. He loves anything with a hint of science in it. In fact, he keeps trying to convince me to read two Star Wars novels he received from someone. He also loves graphic novels, which I find so interesting. It actually drives me nuts because they pose no challenge for him, but as he has an eye for art, I suspect he likes them for the graphics more than anything. The only other genre I would say he enjoys is horror. He cannot get enough of the Goosebumps series, even though I try to tell him there is more out there. Hopefully, his teacher this year, also an avid reader, can convince him to branch out into more mature fare.
I always find it interesting why we all do our reviews the way we do. You do not give your reviews ratings. Could you please explain why that is?
Gladly! I don't provide ratings because I feel they are misleading. It comes down to the idea that no one will ever read the same book. We each bring our own biases, experiences and opinions to a novel. I try very hard to explain mine so that visitors can understand my reactions based on these influencing factors. My reasons for disliking a book are most likely completely different from others, and I do not want to unfairly influence someone's choice of novel because of a number system or some other rating system.
Also, when I am forced to verbalize my reasoning behind my feelings for a book, I find I am a much more careful reader and reviewer. It would be easy for me to assign a knee-jerk number based solely on what I feel when I finish a novel, but when I have to explain my feelings, I tend to view the book as a whole. I feel this helps my reviews as well as my overall retention and enjoyment of a novel.
Speaking of reviews, yours are so well written. How much time does it take for you to complete a typical review?
Thank you very much! Honestly, it depends on the book, the mood I am in when I am writing, distractions and the like. As I mentioned earlier, through trial and error, I find that I can write a review very quickly at work. It is quiet, and I have very little in the way of distractions. I am also more alert. This all contributes to an ease of writing that often astonishes me but that I like because it means I can spend my time at home visiting other bloggers and catching up on e-mail. When I write at home, it takes me much longer to write, only because there are so many more distractions - chores, kids, dogs, errands, TV...the list is endless. So, what may have taken me 15 minutes at work now takes me an hour or more to write at home.
Also, the book will greatly influence how long it takes me to write. Some reviews practically write themselves because the novels affected me in some way or because there is a lot that bothered me. The reviews that are the most difficult to write are the ones where I enjoyed a novel but nothing really sticks out as to why I enjoyed it. Those types of novels give me problems, as it requires more introspection to uncover just what it is that I liked.
I haven't made this completely public yet, but I am hoping to one day find a full-time job writing. I love what I do now, but writing, and reading, are my passions. Smartly is a way for me to start building a portfolio for this future position, whatever it may be, so that when the time comes, I am read.
Smartly itself is a writers' collective. Founded by Marcy Massura and Andrea Memena, they were looking for a way to enhance internet writing, showcase it and hopefully gain respect for those of us who participate. There are daily essays by a multitude of writers, with the essays ranging from business to parenting and beyond. I find it is a way for me to think and write outside of blogging, as the two involve very different writing styles. Again, the whole purpose is to build a portfolio that may one day allow me to work from home.
