Fantastic Fives Interview

The Fantastic Fives celebration is being held by Jaime from Two Chicks on Books and Amber from Me, My Shelf, and I to celebrate their five year blogoversaries. They asked other bloggers that have been blogging for five years to join in the event, and I thought it would be a) fun to participate in and b) a good way for you to get to know me better.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.  

I’m a twenty-five year old who still doesn’t feel like an adult. But, I have an undergraduate degree in psychology and neuroscience and a Master’s degree. I’m currently a teacher, and when I’m not lesson planning, you can find me engrossed in a fantasy or a contemporary. 

How did you get started blogging? 

I decided to start blogging after reading Mary Pearson’s The Adoration of Jenna Fox. At the time, I just wanted to tell someone how great this book was, but I knew that my sister – who isn’t a big reader – wouldn’t really care. So, I turned to the Internet, and found out that there was a whole community of bibliophiles online. I figured I could do this blogging thing too; and that’s how my blog was born. 

How did you pick the name for your blog? 
When I was trying to name my blog, I knew that I wanted “YA Reader” in there somewhere to make it clear that that was what I was interested in reading and blogging about. The “Musings” part came from the idea that I was going to be reflecting on my thoughts. 

If you could go back in time and tell your newbie blogger self 1 thing what would it be? 

I would tell myself to not resist social media. Getting a Twitter account enabled me to not only promote my posts, but also learn about different bookish events, and connect with bloggers and publishers, especially Canadian ones. 

What have you learned in your 5 years of blogging? 

My life has changed over these past five years, and there are periods when I can’t blog as much, so I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned from blogging for this long has been to become comfortable with taking blogging breaks or not posting as much in some months. I used to feel like all my readers would disappear if I took a break, but I now know that’s not true. 

What was the first ARC or book you ever received from a publisher? My first book that I ever received from a publisher was an ARC of Paige Harbison’s Here Lies Bridget. I still remember being so excited that a publisher (Harlequin Teen) approved me to read a book on NetGalley. 

When you’re not reading or blogging, what can we find you doing? When I’m not reading or blogging, you’ll probably find me either napping, – I love naps! – watching T.V., – I tend to binge-watch shows and am currently hooked on The Flash, Arrow, Switched at Birth and Suits – or researching random things. I might also be going for a jog, depending on the weather and the season.

The Fives: (and yes, you can ONLY have 5! *muwhahahah*)

Five Favorite Books

1) The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

2) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

3) If I Stay by Gayle Forman

4) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

5) Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Five Favorite Book Boyfriends 
1) Gilbert from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series (my first fictional crush!)
2) Dimitri from Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series (I’d be happy with either Adrian or Christian too, however)
3) Valek from Maria Snyder’s Study series

4) Red (aka Lord Hugh) from Juliet Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest

5) Jase from Huntley Fitzpatrick’s My Life Next Door

Five Favorite Book Quotes

I don’t normally highlight quotes, and am terrible at remembering them anyway; so I’m going to skip this question :)

Five Blogging Tips For New Bloggers

1) You don’t have to post everyday. Quality is more important than quantity!

2) Find bloggers who share the same tastes in books as you and connect with them. Some of these people might end up becoming your good friends!

3) Be selective in what you request; not only do you want to keep your TBR pile manageable, but you also don’t want to force yourself to read something you know you’re probably not going to like.

4) It’s okay to blog about old releases!

5) If you’re lucky to have bookish events in your area, try to attend them because they’re a great way to meet fellow booklovers and bloggers.

Five Blogs You Want The World To Know About

1) Recovering Potter Addict

2) Books in the Spotlight

3) Supernatural Snark 

4) Readers in Wonderland

5) A Tapestry of Words

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Fantastic Fives!
November 8 Books Etc.
November 9 Fiktshun  
November 10 Two Chicks On Books  
November 11 Me, My Shelf and I
November 12 Bewitched Bookworms
November 13 Novel Novice 
November 14 Book Angel Booktopia  
November 15 Maer Wilson  
November 16 Taking It One Book At A Time
November 17 YA Book Shelf
November 18 Musings of a YA Reader
November 19 Bookish Lifestyle  
November 20 Once Upon A Twilight  
November 21 Stories & Sweeties
November 22 Bookaholics Anonymous