Advance Booking

One of the highlights of BBAW is having bloggers swap interviews and post during BBAW. This is such a fun way to get to know other bloggers and make new friends. This BBAW, my interview partner was Animegirl from Animegirl's Bookshelf. Her blog focuses primarily on Young Adult and Romance, and I enjoyed going through her site and her reviews. This interview was a superb way for me to get to know her, and I loved every bit of it. You can head over to her blog to read my answers to her questions.

1. Tell us something about yourself.

I’m a girl, absolutely insane and my actual real name is Alex but no one ever calls me that.


2. What made you first start blogging? How did you come up with the name of your blog?

Well, I first decided to blog because I was always ranting to my friends about the books I was reading and I think I started to get on their nerves because I was always wanting to discuss plots and characters with them even if they hadn’t read the book in question, so after a while I decided to just put it out there rather than keep torturing my friends.

As for the name, I actually started my blog calling it AnimeGirl’s Book Blogging, which is pretty self explanatory, but then I sort of messed up my layout completely and for some weird reason I couldn’t fix it, so it was easier to just start over and I realized I didn’t want to call it book blogging anymore, so my sister Boo suggested I called it Bookshelf, since I’m always begging my dad to put up new bookshelves for me.


3. Who are your favorite authors?

I have many so I’m going to break them up by groups:
In the Historical Romance front Lisa Kleypas and Elizabeth Hoyt are my current favorites.

In the Contemporary Romance front, I really like Rachel Gibson’s books and Meg Cabot’s, oh and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

In the YA world, I’m currently obsessed with Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers series, other than that, all time favorites include Mariah Fredericks, Lisa Ann Sandell, Sarah Dessen, Meg Cabot again, Melina Marchetta and Cara Lockwood.


4. What are the best books you've read in the past year?

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Forever Princess by Meg Cabot. Cheryl St. John’s His Second Hand Wife. And, the Bard Academy Series by Cara Lockwood.


5. If you could organize a dinner with five of your favorite characters, who would they be?

If it’s any characters, only requirement is to be fictional then I’ll go with my favorite villain Zagato from the anime Magic Knight Rayearth, Han Solo from Star Wars, Elaine from the book Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Sandell, Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Wolverine – if impersonated by Hugh Jackman, all the better!
(Me: I'm rooting for Solo and Wolverine too)

6. Where do you get most of your books and recommendations from?

For recommendations I do rely almost entirely on friends who I know has a similar taste than mine, and I also read a lot of reviews trying to get a scope of what the book is about and see if it’s the type of book for me, though I try not to do this as much because there had been books lots of people have raved about that I have not been able to stomach – like Twilight – and others that I completely adore though lots of people think they are only OK.

Where do I get them from, I mostly shop online or when visiting relatives in the US, living outside the US my options are limited since books aren’t exactly a popular pastime in my country its hard to come by them, though from time to time I do find the occasional decent import at some big bookstores. (I hope this is what you meant)

7. I'm not much of a romance reader. What books would you recommend to me?

Romance is hard because everyone has different ideas about what it is but two of my favorite romance books are Lisa Kleypas’ Dreaming of You and Ain’t She Sweet? by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (both oldies but goodies). For a book with lots of tension between the characters ‘And then He Kissed Her’ by Laura Lee Guhrke is one of my favorite. For more lighthearted stories Meg Cabot’s She Went All the Way, and Lynsay Sands’ The Deed or The Key - both are very funny – are pretty good.


8. On the subject of romance, what are your favorite romantic movies?

I admit to being a sucker for A Walk to Remember, I’m also very fond of Laws of Attraction with Julianne Moor and Pierce Brosnan, Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Ever After with Drew Barrymore. I really dislike Titanic, though.
(Me: I LOVE Roman Holiday)

9. Any parting words? About blogging, reading, anything in general?

Only my favorite quote about reading “Reading is like playing games, like falling in love: Is a challenge always, and a promise each time.” I don’t remember who said it but I believe it to be true.

I love the quote! Thanks a lot Alex! I'll be checking out your recommendations; you've given me quite a few to look out for.