Featured Blogger: Melissa from Jayne's Books

Today please welcome Melissa, who blogs at Jayne's Books.



What's the meaning behind the name of your book blog?
It's just my middle name and I felt it was unique.


How long have you been blogging?
About 6 years, but probably continually for about 4.



What genres do you write about most, and why?
I mostly blog about literary fiction because it is what I am familiar with, even though I try to read different genres.


What's one book you think everyone should read?
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte


Writing in books: Yes or hell to the no?
No, unless there is something that speaks to me.


What's your favorite place to read or blog?
My favourite place to read and blog is in my living room.


Is Amazon.com the evil empire? Discuss.
No



To DNF or not to DNF?
Not to DNF


What's one book that intimidates you?
War & Peace


Thank you for joining us today, Melissa! Remember to check out Melissa's blog, Jayne's Books, and leave a comment or question for her below!

Now Featuring Deborah from Book Barmy!

Today please welcome Deborah, who blogs at Book Barmy.



What's the meaning behind the name of your book blog?

BARMY: British • informal
1. marked by spirited enjoyment
2. informal or slang term for mentally irregular Origin late 15th century

I am "barmy" about books, want to be surrounded by them, want to read everything, love all things bookish.

How long have you been blogging?

Just starting out.

Tell us a bit about your book blog. What makes it unique?

I'm trying to capture the pure delight of reading a book and then talking about it.

My reviews are informal and chatty.
I hope to make other bookish friends through my blog and share reading experiences.


What genres do you write about most, and why?

Fiction and literature are my main reading, I adore being swept into a story, falling in deep into the characters, and experience different time periods and settings.
I'm a sucker for epistolary novels and anything based on diaries real or imagined, must be the voyeur in me.
In the same vein, I read memoirs - as a way to step into someone's life and view it through their eyes.
I'm a anglophile and will read anything British or based in the UK.

Every blogger feels pressure at some point. What's something you feel pressured to do or not do on your blog? How do you deal with it?

I've started to received advance reading copies both hard-copy and electronic.
I feel the pressure to read and review those books.
My policy is I will read and review only what I want. Even if I request an ARC, and find I just can't get into the book, I won't feel obligated to read it!

What's one book you think everyone should read?

Helene Hanff's 84 Charing Cross Road
A book about the love of books and literature. Letters between a bookseller in London and a play writer in NYC - what's not to love? One of my favorites.

Writing in books: Yes or hell to the no?

Very lightly in pencil - especially if I'm passing the book on to a specific friend or family member. Special passages that have meaning to both of us.

What's your favorite place to read or blog?

My reading nook (aka my happy place). 

Is Amazon.com the evil empire? Discuss.

I believe getting books into peoples hands and hearts is key - no matter the method - libraries, independent bookstores, big box stores, and Amazon all have their proper place and can survive together.

See my local independent bookstore - Green Apple - editorial in The Atlantic (http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/64252-don-t-ask.html)

I must admit Amazon's treatment of Hatchette was very shabby and left a bad taste in my mouth.


What have you learned from other bloggers or your readers?

I'm an avid follower of many book blogs and when the blogger's personal voice comes through in his/her reviews - the more I enjoy it!

Do you judge a book by its cover, or its lover?

Oh yes, it's shallow but I often choose books by their cover. The Hundred Foot Journey, The Goldfinch, Louise Penny's books - all beautiful covers.

One book you like that no one else seems to, or vice versa?

Time and Again, by Jack Finney.

I have foisted this wonderful time travel novel on many people and few have responded with the delight I had hoped.

To DNF or not to DNF?

DNF - I give a book 50 to 75 pages audition, sometimes less. Life is too short and there are so many excellent books awaiting me.

What's one book that intimidates you?

Les Misérables - always wanted to read it, have tried many times and my eyes glaze over.
Maybe with time.

I am proud to say I finally read The Odyssey a few years ago after many attempts. 

If you could go to any literary destination, where would you go?

Hay on Wye, Wales UK
Their literature festival is in May/June every year - some year I will go.

How about non-book related hobbies? What do you do when you don't feel like reading?

I'm early-retired. So I am fortunate to have the time for my hobbies. I grow old/heritage roses (bred before 1864), have a small vegetable garden, love music of all sorts, entertaining, cooking, and traveling with my husband.

What's your favorite book to movie adaptation?

Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Great book - horrid film adaptation. 

What are 3 favorite posts or reviews you've read by other book bloggers?

Cornflower Books
My Porch
The Age of Uncertainty 

What is your reading personality? (via quiz at http://www.bookbrowse.com/quiz/)

The All Arounder



Thank you for joining us today, Deborah! Remember to check out 's blog, Book Barmy, and leave a comment or question.

Featuring Gina of Dickensblog

Today please welcome Gina, 

who blogs at Dickensblog.

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What's the meaning behind the name of your book blog?

I wanted a name that immediately told people who and what the blog was about.

How long have you been blogging?

I've had this blog for over five years now.

Tell us a bit about your book blog. What makes it unique?

I believe it's the only blog out there that focuses exclusively on Charles Dickens and his works.

What genres do you write about most, and why?

Classics, for obvious reasons. :-)

What's your earliest memory of reading?

I was about three, reading some book about Karen Kay's kitten!

What was the first book you read over and over, or the book you've reread the most?

The Bible (New King James version).

Writing in books: Yes or hell to the no?

I used to. Not any more. I dog-ear corners, though!

What's your favorite place to read?

Pretty much anywhere!

Do you have any reading accessories you can't do without?

Just a bookmark.

Finish the sentence: My bookshelves are...

Stuffed.

My TBR pile is...

Huge!

What's a book that's changed your life?

The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy L. Sayers.

What's one book that you like that no one else seems to, or vice versa?

I sometimes feel like the only person in the world who doesn't care for the writings of Anne LaMott.

What's one book that intimidates you?

Moby Dick.

How about non-book related hobbies? What do you do when you don't feel like reading?

Play piano, garden, swing dance.

What's your favorite book to movie adaptation?

My favorite is the Little Dorrit miniseries from 2008. It wasn't flawless, but it was really, really good!

What is your reading personality? (via quiz at http://www.bookbrowse.com/quiz/)

I'm an All-Rounder.

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Thank you for joining us today, Gina! 

Remember to check out Gina's blog, Dickensblog, 

and leave a comment or question.

Featuring: CJ of ebookclassics

Today please welcome CJ, who blogs at ebookclassics.


What's the meaning behind the name of your book blog?

When I decided to read all of the 100 classic books preloaded on my Kobo, it made sense to choose a name related to reading ebooks.


How long have you been blogging?
Almost one year, so I'm fairly new at blogging.


Tell us a bit about your book blog. What makes it unique?
The most unique feature on my blog are my Celebrities in Classics posts where I profile celebrities and the classic book adaptations they have appeared in.


What genres do you write about most, and why?
Right now I'm mostly focused on classic books, but a friend and I are planning to start a Canadian literature reading challenge next year. I am woefully not very well read in this genre as well.


What's your earliest memory of reading?
I remember being a big bookworm as a kid. Bookstores and libraries were always my favourite places to visit. I even loved to pretend play library and create my own numbering system.


Writing in books: Yes or hell to the no?

I don't have the ability to mark-up pages in my ereader, but if I was reading a printed book it would be without hesitation NO!

What's your favorite place to read?
Anywhere I can squeeze in a few chapters. I don't have a lot of time to read, so I take what I can get.


Do you have any reading accessories you can't do without?
Just need my ereader and I'm good to go.


Finish the sentence: My bookshelves are...
... non-existent! I read exclusively on my ereader and borrow books from the library. Probably after I finish this reading challenge I'll return to physical books and will need some shelves. Or maybe not ...


My TBR pile is...
Under control so far, but that's only because I'm sticking with my list and not adding any new books.


One book you like that no one else seems to, or vice versa?
Moby Dick. It was so complex and could be interpreted in so many different ways, and yet was also just an adventure tale about an obsessed sea captain and a white whale.


To DNF or not to DNF?
I struggled with this one for a little bit, but had to agree with everyone who told me there are so many good books out there to be enjoyed. Why put yourself through the pain?


What's one book that intimidates you?
Middlemarch by George Eliot seems to be a mammoth book that I think would be super long and challenging.


If you could go to any literary destination, where would you go?
I would love to visit some of the great literary locations in London.


How about non-book related hobbies? What do you do when you don't feel like reading?
I follow quite a few TV shows and love listening to music, but hanging out with my family is my favourite non-reading activity.


What's your favorite book to movie adaptation?
All of the recent Sherlock Holmes adaptations have been very entertaining. I love them all!


What are 3 of your must-read blogs?
Reading in Bed
Doing Dewey
Bookish Realm


What is your reading personality? (via quiz at http://www.bookbrowse.com/quiz/)
Apparently I have multiple personalities.


Thank you for joining us today, CJ! Remember to check out CJ's blog, ebookclassics and leave a comment or question below!

Adam of Roof Beam Reader

Please welcome Adam, who blogs at Roof Beam Reader. Adam's blog is particularly known for his review of the classics, but you can find just about any genre there.

NAME OF MY BOOK BLOG(S): 
Roof Beam Reader 

I HAVE BEEN BLOGGING SINCE: 
Well, I have been blogging for years and years! I think I started around 2000 or 2001? But my first book blog (pre-Roof Beam Reader) was started around 2007. Roof Beam Reader came into existence in 2009 and has been going strong ever since. 

GENRES COVERED MOST ON MY BLOG: 
My reading (and reviewing) is pretty eclectic. I read everything from fantasy and science fiction to non-fiction (history, biography), young adult, gay fiction and critical theory. I would say, though, that my primary reads are literary fiction and the classics. I spend most of my time reading great works of American and British literature, so that tends to be what is most reviewed on my blog; however, I’m not exclusive by any means! You’ll definitely see a lot of different kinds of books read & reviewed at Roof Beam Reader. 

MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF READING: 
The first books that I can remember reading are the Goosebumps books that we used to get from Scholastic “book days,” back when we would order books once a month or so, in grammar school. But, the first books I vividly remember reading and enjoying are The Giver by Lois Lowry and And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. We read both in 7th grade, and I have read both many times since. They remain two of my favorites – and they are the books that first made me realize that reading could actually be fun! 

FIRST BOOK I READ OVER AND OVER: 
Harry Potter. All of them. When I was young, one of my good friends was my next-door neighbor, whose mother was a librarian. She introduced me to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone just before book four (Goblet of Fire) was published. Needless to say, I read the first three books before Goblet’s release date, and then read that one. I re-read every book in the series leading up to each new release (and then again before the release of each movie. Finally, a year or so ago, I re-read the entire series in order to review the books, which I had never done before. All in all, I must have read the entire series at least seven times. And I still crave them once a year (though I no longer have time to read them that often). 

MY TBR LIST/PILE IS: 
Outrageous. I have a few thousand books on my TBR list, some of which I own and many of which I don’t. There is added ridiculousness in the fact that I already own thousands of books (you should see my bookshelves – and my closets – and my storage unit!) but many of these books aren’t even on my list (I use Goodreads to add books to a “to read” list, but those are mostly books I haven’t purchased yet, and I often forget to add the ones that I do buy until I finally read them). So, yeah, it’s pretty ridiculous. Somebody stop me! 

A BOOK THAT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE IN SOME WAY: 
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I read it when I was college, which made me a bit older than the likely intended audience (the characters in the book were primarily high school students headed to college), but it was exactly the right time for me. The book spoke to me on many levels, but especially in terms of personal issues I was dealing with and also in regards to my sense of self as a writer. Aside from Harry Potter, it is the book that I have re-read most often, and I only just forced myself to review it last year. I had been too intimidated to put down my thoughts on such a personal reading experience, but I’m glad I finally decided to do it. 

A BOOK I DON’T LIKE THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO LOVE: 
Well, I know I’m probably going to get some grief for this one – but I really didn’t enjoy To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I read it a few years ago and, while I appreciated it, I just didn’t find it as brilliant or affecting as most people seem to; however, I do think I will be re-reading it in the not-too-distant future, because I think I might have missed something, or perhaps been in the wrong frame of mind when I read it. 

A BOOK THAT INTIMIDATES ME: 
There are three, actually. I have tried (and failed) to read all three, and they are: Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady by Samuel Richardson; The Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe; and Ulysses by James Joyce. I think I’m in good company with the first and third books, as many people try and fail at these (Clarissa is one of the longest books written in the English language, and it is rather boring and repetitive; Ulysses is, well, it’s Ulysses!). As far as the Radcliffe – I do think I would enjoy it if I could get through it, but I need a lot of uninterrupted quiet time to be able to do so, and that’s not a luxury I have right now. It is wordy, romantic, flowery… not really my style. But I do think it will be a good read, someday! 

IF I COULD GO TO ANY LITERARY DESTINATION I WOULD CHOOSE: 
I would really like to go the Edgar Allan Poe House in Baltimore, Maryland. Also, someday, I hope to see a play at the Globe Theatre – even though this is technically the third Globe (the first burned down in 1613 and the second was closed in 1642), I have heard that it is true to Shakespeare’s original and is only about 800 feet from where the first stood. 

MY FAVORITE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION: 
This is so tough! Most film adaptations, of course, do not live up to the original book, but there are some that I enjoyed. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which released last year, was an excellent adaptation, probably because the author was involved in everything from writing the screenplay, to casting, to selecting the music. 

MY MUST-READ BLOGS (PLEASE LIMIT TO 3): 
Hm. Let’s see. The ones I go to most often are ones that not only read and review great literature, but also relate much of their reading to life experiences. They, like me, are on a journey of sorts – a quest, even. And it’s both entertaining and fulfilling to check-in with them and see how they’re getting along. They teach me a lot about myself by inspiring me to ask questions I may not have thought to ask: 

O Delaisse 
Maple and a Quill 
A Literary Odyssey 

MY READING PERSONALITY (http://www.bookbrowse.com/quiz/) IS: 
HAH! Well, apparently I am an “Eclectic Reader.” That’s no shock to me (see Question 3 above!).

Thank you for joining us today, Adam! Remember to check out Adam's blog, Roof Beam Reader, and leave a comment or question.