Hi, thank you so much for inviting me to take part in this wonderful feature :) I’m Rachel, and live in Somerset. I love having cosy nights in with a good book and a nice glass of wine (or two). I have also developed a slightly unhealthy obsession with twitter in the last few months and waste far too much time on there when I should be reading.
Where do we find your blog and how long have you been blogging / reviewing?
You can find my blog ‘Rachale’s Reads’ at www.rachalesreads.com, I started reviewing and blogging about 5 months ago, I completely love it. Not just sharing my opinions, and reading more than before, but the friends I’ve made along the way, I was never really into twitter before May, since then I have been meeting more and more lovely people :)
When did your passion for reading begin? Have you always been an avid reader?
I’ve always loved reading from a young age, as a child I was always maxing out my library card limit. I’ve always read a bit more than average - I couldn’t come out of a bookstore with less than 3 books, but I didn’t always have a book on the go, I would read in spurts of reading 2 or so books in a row than having a few weeks break and start again. This has all changed though ever since Simon, my wonderful boyfriend, bought me a kindle, I literally cannot stop reading now!
What is your favorite genre and why?
Definitely Women’s Fiction/Chick Lit. There is just something about it where I can lose myself in the world the book is set in. It’s often funny, often sad, a whole range of emotions from one book, but generally leaves me smiling like I’m crazy.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest recently and why?
I only discovered Cally Taylor’s work late last year, even though I believe she was first published in 2009 (so new to me but not to the publishing world). When I read the fantastic ‘Heaven Can Wait’, after then reading her second book, I noticed she had a new book that was a completely different genre, I really liked that book as well and think it’s fantastic when authors can write two completely different genres.
Another author I discovered was mainly due to the hype on twitter, and that is Holly Martin, I had ‘The Guestbook’ on my kindle waiting for me, but after reading SO MANY good reviews and comments on twitter I got really excited for ‘One Hundred Proposals’ and I was not disappointed at all, it was fantastic. This is another reason I love twitter, discovering new authors.
My favourite debut book so far this year was ‘The Dead Wife’s Handbook’ by Hannah Beckerman, it’s a very powerful, emotional book and I cannot wait to read more from Hannah.
What is your daily life like? Do you have a full time job? Do you go to school?
I work full time in the UK events industry. The company I work for designs the floorplans for exhibitions and events such as Grand Designs Live, The Restaurant Show etc. I do the graphic design for the company and also work on the floorplans. It’s really interesting, before working there I could name maybe 3 exhibitions in the UK, but there are so many more out there on subjects I wouldn’t have even thought about (a show dedicated to concrete springs to mind). I would love to work on the floorplans for London Film and Comic Con which this year had an area for the first ever YALC (Young Adult Literature Convention), which is my second favourite genre.
What do you like to do when you are not reading?
Ignoring my obsession to check twitter a bit too much, mainly you’ll find me in front of the TV watching a film or playing a video console, currently I am addicted to Mario Kart, despite being terrible at it! Me and Simon also go to the cinema a lot, and usually stuff ourselves silly with ice cream or milkshakes!
Do you keep all the books you have read? If not what do you do with them?
Most books I own are now ebooks, but I still have most of my physical books that I’ve collected over the years, I am the biggest hoarder I know! I have given some to a charity shop, and a few to my local pub, which has a few shelves stacked with books for people to read.
Do you prefer challenging or easy reads?
Generally speaking I prefer easy reads, I find reading really relaxing, and if I’m finding it challenging, then unless I am in the mood for it, I will find myself not able to read as much as I would like, as I prefer to read one book at a time.
Lastly, have kindles change the way you read books?
YES! I remember in 2010 just before Christmas, I discovered by accident that Simon had bought me a kindle. I was horrified. It wasn’t really that I cared about the feel of a physical book, I just didn’t think I would use it, last time I had looked into buying ebooks previously, the selection was much poorer than it was ever since Amazon released the kindle over here. However, Simon had done his homework, he had asked me months previously what my favourite authors were, and made sure that Amazon sold them all before buying. After researching myself, I discovered that in fact I would love a kindle, and the rest is history. I think I’ve bought about 2 physical books since, ever so occasionally I feel the need to read a physical book, but the convenience of getting books immediately and the fact that my book collection now doesn’t take up any more space, I don’t think I’d go back to physical books full time.
I carry it everywhere with me and will read anywhere that I can. I’m sure it’s psychological but I think I read faster with e-readers too, meaning I can read more than before. Truly addicted to my kindle.
Thank you so much for taking time to answer my questions Rachel. It was great to have you on my blog! Who will be next? Come and see next friday.
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