Hi, I'm Catriona. I love shoes, coffee, buttons and BOOKS! I'm a busy teacher by day but I find getting lost in a good book an amazing way of escaping from my day and a great form of relaxation. I enjoy reading chick lit most of all but also love YA contemporary with the occasional bit of travel writing or autobiography!
Where do we find your blog and how long have you been blogging / reviewing?
You can find my blog over at http://fabulousbookfiend.blogspot.co.uk. This blog has been going for just under a year but I've been reviewing for 2 years now, originally writing as a guest reviewer at The Sweet Bookshelf.
Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging because I'd been enjoying reviewing for someone else's blog. Doing this led to me attending some blogger events and gong to some author signings. Through this I met some more bloggers and all those that I spoke to suggested I start my own blog. I find that the more I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker I read and so I was ending up flooding Mary at The Sweet Bookshelf with my reviews. She sent me a load of them back and that was me with the first couple of weeks blog posts!
What’s the best and worst thing about being a book reviewer?
The best thing is definitely the interaction with the authors, whether that's in real life or just on twitter/via blog comments. I've met some authors that I've loved for years. You can see a list of all the fabulous authors I've met over on a special page on my blog. I've had so much fun meeting all these wonderful people who have offered me so much entertainment over the years.
The worst thing is the pressure I out myself under to read the review books, there have been a couple of periods when it's felt like such a treat to be able to read the book I want to read and not the book I ought to be reading. It has been one of my resolutions this year to read more of my own books and not just trying to get through the review books, but I've already broken this one!
Last page: read it first or wait till the end?
This used to be something that I do, but now I leave the last page to the end. I know it's not going to be as long anymore until I get there. I look at the last page only to find out how many pages the book is in total (I read in a very mathematical way)
Do you judge a book by it’s cover?
Oh yes! I think most people do. If you look at my shelves, the majority of them are like a pastel rainbow. I love a nice pink cover or a cartoon design that suggests a light easy read. In terms of physical books, I'm loving the new soft touch covers that are around. Not only do they make the colours on the cover pop, but they're oh so stork able!
Which book character would you switch places with?
I'd totally switch places with all do those character that have a fabulous life in New York. Place me right in the centre of Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson or I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk and I'd be overjoyed!
Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?
I really really struggled to get through Jane Austen's novels when I was younger and so the TV adaptations and movies of these books were a must for me. I still prefer the movie adaptation of sense and sensibility to the book, although the Austen Project Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope was really really enjoyable!
What is your current read, your last read and the book you'll read next?
I'm currently reading There's More to Life than Cupcakes by Poppy Dolan and Listening to At Home by Bill Bryson. My Next read is Storm and Stone by Joss Stirling and my last read was The State we're in by Adele Parks.
Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks or hardcover?
I love them all! I need a big handbag if I'm reading a hardback and haven't actually read one in a while. I got the latest Bill Bryson in Hardback but I had also pre-ordered it on audiobook so ended up listening to it and only looking at the pictures in the hardback. I've feel like I've read about a zillion Ebooks recently and so I think I'm going to have a bit of a paperback marathon because I'm feeling the need to finger a spine!
Is there an Author that you would really like to meet?
As I said above, I'm so lucky that I've met so many awesome authors and I really have met all of my favourites! I was supposed to have met Lisa Jewell, Adele Parks and Jenny Colgan in the summer but I was really really ill and couldn't go and so these guys are still on my Wishlist!
Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?
I love finding books that the kids I teach will be inspired by or consumed by and so I've given away lots of books for this reason. The most special one was my copy of Geek Girl which I gave away to a girl I taught who was a massive massive fan. She ended up with my copy as an end of year present.
Thank you so much for taking time to answer my questions Catriona. It was great to have you on my blog! Who will be next? Come and see next friday.
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