Friends Friday: Shaun of Book Addict Shaun

I’m very happy to welcome you on my blog! You can please introduce yourself to my readers.

I’m 24 from Liverpool and really am quite boring to be honest! I like reading, watching US TV shows, Pepsi Max, Sour Starburst and sleeping. I also love London and try and go as many times as possible throughout the year. I’d love to move there one day. If not there then Cyprus which is my favourite place in the whole world.

Where do we find your blog and how long have you been blogging / reviewing?


I blog at www.bookaddictshaun.co.uk and started it in late March (2014). Since then I’ve worked hard to get the blog noticed which as there are so many bloggers can be difficult. I try to have new content daily rather than it being sporadic and review a wide range of genres rather than the focus just being on one.

Describe a typical day in your life!

It’s rather boring sadly! If I’m in work I get up and go to work. If I’m off I usually spend it in bed watching TV, and reading books unless I’ve got something planned! Since becoming a blogger though it’s VERY time consuming, even the smaller things such as updating pages can take a long time so I’m finding I need a couple of hours to get all that done.



How old were you when you first developed your love of books?


Probably from the minute I could read. I remember devouring the library in infant school. Getting my first library card and going every weekend, taking out more books than was possible to read (which I still do now) and begging my parents to take me into book shops. Every year is full of bookish memories and they are some of my favourite and most precious.


Do you prefer to read books by first time debut writers or more established authors?


I don’t mind debuts from ‘proper’ publishers but I read a lot of series and so they take up a lot of my time. Reading time is precious to me so I tend not to be very adventurous and just stick to what I know. That said since starting the blog this year I have read a LOT of debuts and they’ve been some of the best books I’ve read this year so I definitely want to continue that in 2015.

If you don't feel the same emotions as others who have read the same book does that bother you?

Not really, I make my own opinions and feel whatever emotions I feel without comparing them to others. Books are very personal things and people take different feelings and thoughts from them, some of the more popular books people have loved I’ve hated, and vice versa.

How important are books to you when you are on holiday?


Oddly, not that important nowadays. The last time I went away was to Cyprus and I think I picked my Kindle up once or twice. I was too busy spending time with family, and had my young cousin with us so was in the pool with him most of the time and found that I didn’t even want to read (shocking, I know). I am somewhat of a sun worshipper though and can lie in the sun for hours but prefer to do that with my iPod rather than a book. That said the previous time I went to Cyprus I read four books! So I guess it depends on who I’m with.

What books would you want to read again for the first time?

Jackie Collins - Chances. I’ve read it countless times over the years and it’s my favourite book of all time but you never get that first time feeling back and I’d love to read it again for the first time. Also, Chris Carter’s crime fiction books which I think are amongst some of the best ever written, I haven’t re-read any of them but I do plan to, although I don’t think the enjoyment levels are the same when you already know most of the plot.

What is your favorite part about reading a book? Figuring out the plot ahead of time, the feeling of the actual book itself, experiencing the plot unfold, getting to know the characters - or something else entirely?

Escaping into another world, there’s nothing like it. Travelling without leaving the house. Solving crimes. Going on adventures. Being scared. Being completely messed with by some twisted thriller. Falling in love. Learning new things. Books to me are exciting, the feeling of starting a new book, or knowing you’ve got a particularly exciting looking one on your TBR. In the blogging world it can be easy to assume EVERYBODY loves books, but not many people I know in real life actually read, which is a great shame.

Do you have any advice for new bloggers?

- Regular content.

- Don’t say yes to every review copy offered, book post is great yes, but having more books than you can possibly read isn’t and it will only take away the enjoyment from both reading and blogging.


- Like books, blogs are a very personal thing and so make sure you run yours the way you want to, and don't let other people tell you how you should.


Lastly, what is your Blogger's New Year's Resolution?

To continue to blog daily, new content is what keeps people coming back. To cut down on review copies, free books are great but not when you have that many that reading them becomes a frightening prospect. And to be more harsher with my ratings, I’ve given far too many 4 and 5 star ratings and that’s something I want to change. Also keep posting original content such as reviews and interesting guest posts and interviews. I’m also linking to other blogs in my reviews, because as a blogger that posts mainly positive reviews it’s a nice way to show that others have loved a book as well.

Thanks Isabell for allowing me to feature on your blog!

 
Thank you so much for taking time to answer my questions Shaun. It was great to have you on my blog! Who will be next? Come and see next friday.

1 Kommentare

  1. Loved this interview! I follow Shaun on Twitter - his reviews are invaluable to me, as an avid reader. In fact, I have just bought Simon Kernick's entire back catalogue as a result of Shaun's review of 'The Final Minute'. Well, how could I not?! I'm sometimes very envious that as a blogger, Shaun gets access to many of the authors that are amongst my favourite and being a huge fan of crime fiction and thrillers myself, I'm always keen to read his reviews.

    One question - is Shaun employed in the literary world in some capacity, or does he blog and read simply for the love of it? I would be interested to know!

    Once again, great interview.

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