These are the unsung heroes who are constantly on the look out for new and exciting books
and who give so generously of their time ,energy and expertise.
I am delighted to welcome
Follow Lisa on Twitter @LisaReadsBooks
Long may it continue.
Lisa
from the excellent blog
What makes you want to blog about
books?
I work as a bookseller part time
and blogging has become an extension of that. My blog started out as a place to
keep all my reviews that I had done for work in one place, and has now become a
regular book blog. I've been lucky enough to be asked to review books for the
local radio station, local newspaper and magazines and now I am a regular
reviewer for The Historical Novel Review and welovethisbook.com.
What type of book makes you
happy?
My favourite type of book varies
with my mood so sometimes I'm in the mood for historical fiction, sometimes
it's fantasy, sometimes crime. The kind of book that always catches my
attention though is anything to do with witches. I have a slight obsession with
witchy fiction, okay It' a huge obsession.
Which book have you recommended
the most?
That's a hard one to answer
because I recommend so many books every day at work, certainly Outlander would
be a frequent recommendation. I also recommend James Oswald's Inspector McLean
books all the time and Daphne du Maurier to anyone who hasn't discovered her
yet. For teens and young adults my
"go to" recommendations are Kit Berry's Stonewylde series, everything
by Celine Kiernan and Patrick Ness and Sally Green's Half Bad and Half Wild.
(These books are not just for younger readers though.)
Which is the best book you
received as a gift?
My husband once left a book on my
desk in work, as a surprise. It was Improper Pusuits by the late Dr Carola
Hicks a biography of the scandalous and daring artist Lady Di Beauclerk. It
sparked an interest in art history and fit perfectly with my passion for
forthright women in history. It was a lovely gift all the more special because
it was so thoughtful.
Which book has sent a shiver down
your spine?
Two books come to mind
immediately Celine Kiernan's Into the Grey and Lindsay Barraclough's Long
Lankin both written for teenagers, both utterly terrifying.
How many books do you have, as
yet unread, on your book shelves?
I honestly have no idea. I often
cringe at the thought of how many books there are sitting in piles and on
shelves as yet unread. I had a huge clear out recently and I've decided to stop
feeling guilty. I have tried to ban myself from buying any more books but it is
just impossible, having new books gives me so much pleasure. I know I am
avoiding the questions so I'll just say a few hundred at least.
Tell me about a book you’ve read
more than three times?
There are only two books that I
have re-read more than two times one of those is Jane Eyre which I adored as a
teenager and enjoyed again in my twenties and in my thirties although I had
many issues with it, it's not perfect but it is one of my absolute favourites.
The other one that I have read three
times and will read again (hopefully this summer) is Outlander also known as
Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon. If you have any interest in historical fiction,
romantic fiction, time travel fiction, Scotland or bad-ass female characters
then you have to read this series.
What’s your idea of book heaven
or book hell?
Book heaven would be being left
alone to read all the brilliant books I have sitting around unread. If I could
have a superpower I would freeze time so I could just read for hours on end.
Book hell would be having nothing to read, if bookshops disappeared, or being
stuck in a house with nothing but celebrity biographies to read (aah!!) just
the thought of that brings me out in a cold sweat.
Where is your favourite reading
place?
I can read pretty much anywhere
although I have a cosy reading chair in the living room. I love reading on a
train for some reason, although as I no longer commute I don't do that very
often but I do most of my reading in bed. I read for about an hour every night
sometimes more and I sometimes wake up early and read instead of having a
lie-in.
What has been your favourite book
of the year...so far ?
That's so hard to answer there
have been so many great books already this year. Anna McKerrow's Crow Moon, Joe
Murphy's I am in Blood and Joanna Courtney's The Chosen Queen but I think my
favourites so far have been Dacre's War by Rosemary Goring a fabulous follow up
to After Flodden, this author deserves a much wider audience ( I got to read a
proof of this book it's not published until June but I will be giving a glowing
review) and a great non-fiction book I loved this year was How to be a Heroine
by Samantha Ellis,in which the author re-reads all her favourite books and
examines what the heroines of those books teach us about life and love. It is a
funny and poignant read and perfect for book lovers.
Huge thanks to Lisa for giving so generously of her time
Jaffa and I love visiting your blog
Long may it continue.
~***~
Thanks so much for featuring me x
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure Lisa - thanks for joining in with the fun :) x
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