Today please welcome Killian, who blogs at Leaf On The Breeze.
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Well with my blog I have a pretty wide variety in posts, from books to music to film, so I wanted to have a blog name that would sum this up. I also love the TV show Firefly so I decided to *ahem* 'borrow' one of the quotes from it and use it as my blog name.
How long have you been blogging?
About two months, I'm new to it all.
Tell us a bit about your book blog. What makes it unique?
I think what makes my book blog unique is that it has a lot of variation. As well as reviewing the books I read, I also review loads of new music, as well as older music, films from all eras and I plan to review some anime/TV shows in the future. My taste in books is pretty diverse too. Out of the books I've reviewed so far there is a fantasy book, a science fiction book, a classic, a literary fiction book and a graphic novel. I read everything so there should be lots to choose from on my blog.
I also have a couple of features. I do Discography Reviews (this is where I pick a band and review every album in their discography), Leaf On The Breeze Essentials (kind of like a top ten/five list feature -- for example, my last one was the Top Five Series For Epic Fantasy Newbies), and Stuff I Bought (where I chat about the books/records that I bought recently). I have a few upcoming features like My Favourite Books (where I talk about my favourite books, weirdly enough) and Leaf On The Breeze Playlists (this should be a weekly feature where I make a playlist of some songs that I like. Most will be based around a certain theme).
What genres do you write about most, and why?
Prior to starting my blog I thought it would be mainly SFF but in the past few months I've started to branch out into loads of different genres. As I said above, I read everything, more or less, as I think it's more interesting for readers to have a bit of variation on my blog. Also, it allows me to experience loads of different genres and loads of great books.
What's one book you think everyone should read?
This is a really, really tough question but if I had to pick ONE it would probably be Lord Of The Flies by William Golding.
Writing in books: Yes or hell to the no?
I don't really like it but if it helps you just go for it. I don't do it takes me out of the moment in a book.
What's your favorite place to read or blog?
On my bed.
Is Amazon.com the evil empire? Discuss.
It's no different from all the other big corporations in the world. I'm a big fan of small, local bookshops and record stores so I'll always go for them over companies like Amazon. That being said, many people just don't have access to shops for whatever reason so I guess Amazon is good for them. Even still, whenever I buy books I always buy them from actual shops in Dublin and never Amazon.
What have you learned from other bloggers or your readers?
Commenting on other blogs is the way to go. You should read other people's posts and write comments that actually mean something, because then the blogger will be happy and will leave a nice comment on your blog and everyone works together and gets a happily ever after.
Do you judge a book by its cover, or its lover?
It's lover all the way. I will only read a book if I feel confident that I will enjoy it and I usually base this on praise from people I respect. I have an inability just to buy a book based on what it looks like because I don't want to waste my money (I'm 16, people my age are hardly famed for their affluence).
One book you like that no one else seems to, or vice versa?
I love Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve but seemingly nobody else has heard of it. It's one of my favourite YA series of all time but I still haven't found another person who likes it.
A book that I hated but everyone else loved would definitely be The Hunger Games. I thought it was shallow, predictable and vaguely demeaning to the reader. There are a couple of others too but I'm here to promote my blog so it's probably a bad idea to talk about books that I hate.
To DNF or not to DNF?
DNF all the way. If I don't like a book, there is no point in being masochistic about it, I might as well stop. This does change for books that I bought myself because, in that case, I generally want to get my moneys worth. However, overall I DNF if I don't like a book.
What's one book that intimidates you?
Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. It looks really good, but I think all the words are written phonetically and some are just made up and whenever I see it in a bookshop I always try, and fail, to read the first page.
If you could go to any literary destination, where would you go?
Hogwarts. I'm not even that big of a Harry Potter fan but it is by far the coolest literary world to live in. While I have encountered better worlds, especially in fantasy, I'd rather live in one where the chance of death is relatively slim.
How about non-book related hobbies? What do you do when you don't feel like reading?
Obviously I love music and I'm constantly trying to find new bands that I might enjoy. I've also recently cultivated a love for film and television, so I watch those whenever I can. Other than that I play tennis and enjoy watching rugby.
What's your favorite book to movie adaptation?
The Golden Compass was beyond awful. The book is one of the few YA novels that I really love but the movie was a mess.
My favourite one would have to be The Shawshank Redemption. I haven't actually read the story it's based on but the movie is so good it just had to be first, for me.
What is your reading personality? (via quiz at http://www.bookbrowse.com/quiz/)
The Involved Eclectic
"Your responses showed you fitting into two different groups - the involved reader and the eclectic reader.
You don't just love to read books, you love to read about books. For you, half the fun of reading is the thrill of the chase - discovering new books and authors, and discussing your finds with others.
You read for entertainment but also to expand your mind. You're open to new ideas and new writers, and are not wedded to a particular genre or to a limited range of authors."
That was surprisingly accurate, wow.
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Thank you for joining us today, Killian! Remember to check out Killian's blog, Leaf On The Breeze, and leave a comment or question.
