Today please welcome Claire K., who blogs at Bitches With Books http://bitcheswithbooks.com/.
What's the meaning behind the name of your book blog?
I was listening to Bitches In Bookshops by La Shea Delaney & Annabelle Quezada and I had a sort of lightbulb moment! I had wanted to start a book blog for a while, and the name Bitches With Books really appealed to me. I know that it can be a bit misleading 'cause it's only me running the blog but I hope to open it up to other Bitches in the future!
How long have you been blogging?
About a year and it's been a hectic one to boot!
Tell us a bit about your book blog. What makes it unique?
What makes it unique? I think that... well this is weird. I don't try to be unique. Early on I tried really hard to be unique and to stand out, I did a host of literary cocktail posts, weekly lists, reviews and so on but I didn't have fun with that. So now, I just blog about what I like (which really encompasses my grad school journey, Harry Potter rants and a lot of small reviews). I guess, I'm not trying to stand out but have fun-- oh, well I serve up a lot of attitude. Bitches With Books is pretty no-nonsense and I tend to focus my reviews on books with females who kick ass.
What genres do you write about most, and why?
Young Adult is popular and fun to write about, as it's the hot genre and has a number of female characters I can relate too. I adore fantasy, academic mysteries, thrillers and Caribbean based books. I'm from The Bahamas so I try to include Caribbean books/authors.
What's your earliest memory of reading?
My earliest? I've been reading for so long but I have 2 distinct reading memories: When i was 10 and I was given my first Harry Potter book and when I was 9, when I had just moved to a new country and was lonely and a friendly soul recommended a Nancy Drew book to keep me company. Other than that, my childhood was filled with memories of the classics and Enid Blyton.
What was the first book you read over and over, or the book you've reread the most?
There isn't 1 book that I've reread the most, it's an entire series: The Harry Potter series. Every year I reread the series, and when I was younger, I read them till the next book in the series would come out. That book series has been my greatest companion to date.
Writing in books: Yes or hell to the no?
I used to be a Hell-To-The-Nawl, but now, erm, I think it's OK. In Pencil. Never pen. Please, god, never a pen.
What's your favorite place to read?
My bed. Hands down. I've tried reading on couches, chairs, sitting up, but no, my favourite way to read is flat on a bed.
Do you have any reading accessories you can't do without?
I have a stack of Harry Potter cards that I use for bookmarks, and my Kindle light is pretty kick ass because it's saved my butt in hurricanes and power outages.
Finish the sentence: My bookshelves are...
My bookshelves are nonexistant. I'm currently in the process of moving to the UK so I packed up all of my books and put them in 5 large and heavy boxes.
My TBR pile is...
TBR pile is 1,000+ books strong. GoodReads has destroyed it, it grew from 50 books to over 500 in one night! Everyday I find at least 3 to 4 books I want to read and add that to the large pile I've got.
What's a book that's changed your life?
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I'm biracial and though the protagonist isn't biracial, I related with her struggles and insecurities. She also had to contend with an umber of bi-cultural issues I relate to whole-heartedly, so it was a point of comfort and solice in my early 20s when I was struggling.
One book you like that no one else seems to, or vice versa?
What? I thought Twilight was OK. The reason I gave it such shit ratings is because Bella was a complete and utter failure. If the book featured anyone but her, I think I'd have enjoyed the series quite a bit.
To DNF or not to DNF?
DNF that bitch. I wasn't into DNF'ing but I realised quickly: Life is way to short to be stuck with something you don't enjoy. If you don't finish it and hate it, get rid of it. If you don't finish it but think it deserves another chance, put it in the TBR pile.
What's one book that intimidates you?
Anything by Ken Follet, his books are giant monoliths to historical fiction.
If you could go to any literary destination, where would you go?
Literary destination? As in, maybe doesn't exist? I was going to say Prague but I've got something better: Hogwarts + Diagon Alley. Yes. YES.
How about non-book related hobbies? What do you do when you don't feel like reading?
I'm a crafty person so I do a lot of those. I'm also going into school, so stressing about that could be considered a hobby. I'm pretty boring really, it's either reading, movies, art and crafts. Thazzit.
What's your favorite book to movie adaptation?
Eragon. Why was this travesty ever allowed to enter into fruition?
What are 3 of your must-read blogs?
What is your reading personality? (via quiz at http://www.bookbrowse.com/quiz/)
I did this and got a balance of all 4. Pah.
Thank you for joining us today, Claire! Remember to check out Claire's blog, Bitches With Books, and leave a comment or question.
I love your Harry Potter posts, which I'm sure are not entirely unique in the world of YA fandom, but they really make your blog stand out to me :) Also, thinking about people writing in a book in pen makes me cringe. Thanks for including me on your list Claire!
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh yes, I find Ken Follett intimidating, too!! Enjoyed reading about you today!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you use Harry Potter cards as book marks, that's so awesome :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you use Harry Potter cards as book marks, that's so awesome :)
ReplyDeleteOH, heeeeeey! I'm a must-read blog! And Claire, you are also in my top 3 (seriously.) Also, I will definitely be using the phrase "DNF that bitch" in the future. It would come complete with hand gestures, but I guess those can't be seen over the computer.
ReplyDeleteHarry Potter cards? Where do I get these?!?!?
ReplyDelete