1. Why did you start this blog?
2. What are some fun and unique things you can bring to book blogging?
Well, the first thing is I bring a very unique perspective of the world as a formerly homeless transgender individual. So I bring diversity to the book blogging community. This also makes me supportive of a wide variety of type of people, including different types of book bloggers that have a variety of focuses. I also bring that diverse voice to my book blogging. It is why I am focusing on having diverse conversations at least once a month here at the Library. I tend to be more detailed in my reviews as well, thanks to my academic background. There is so much I bring to this community and it brings a lot to me!
3. What are you most excited about this new blog?
The thing that I am most excited about is possibly connecting someone with a diverse book that helps educate them on the world that they live in. If it helps one person to see a marginalized group differently then I feel that my blog has served its purpose. I am also excited that it gives me the opportunity to meet with other bloggers from a wide variety of backgrounds.
4. Why do you love reading?
It is a great escape from reality, but I also love it because reading can be so educational. Even those books that are clearly set in a fictionalized world have meaning behind them that if understood can have a profound effect on the belief systems of an individual. People can be molded differently simply from reading a great book. Books are powerful!
5. What book or series got you into reading?
The book that got me into reading was "Uncle Vampire" by Cynthia D. Grant. I picked this book up from my local library when I was going what I would call my vampire phase. I went into it expecting one type of story, but it turned into something else entirely. It was the first time I understood that a book could be deeper and have an important message to it that could help form an individual's own thoughts. It has stuck with me for over 20 years. There was also a series that got me to stay in reading, which was the "Fear Street" series by R.L. Stine. I loved reading these books. They were fast reads and I loved the lore behind the street in Shadyside, Ohio. It involved magic, witches, and so much more. While the horror was of course not truly scary and it involved a lot of jump scares that resolved at the beginning of the next chapter they were truly formative to my love of mystery and scary things.
6. What questions would you ask your favourite authors?
I don't have that part of me that makes me want to ask authors that I enjoy questions. It is why I have yet to go to a meet and greet with one. I wouldn't have anything to say to them. I enjoy their books and love them, but the reality is that I do not need to ask them anything. I simply will keep enjoying their works from the sidelines, where I feel like I want to be. Enjoying whatever character they create for me to read about next.
7. What challenges do you think starting a blog will be the hardest to overcome?
I think the largest challenge will be seeing what other people do and thinking that I need to be like that for numbers/views, but I have to recognize that we are all on our own path with book blogging. We each bring our own specialness to this field. We have different reasons for wanting to be part of this great community and we should do what we want to do, without worrying about fitting into some type of preconceived idea of what is right or wrong for a book blogger.
I think the largest challenge will be seeing what other people do and thinking that I need to be like that for numbers/views, but I have to recognize that we are all on our own path with book blogging. We each bring our own specialness to this field. We have different reasons for wanting to be part of this great community and we should do what we want to do, without worrying about fitting into some type of preconceived idea of what is right or wrong for a book blogger.
I also worry about the entire schedule thing, especially next semester when I am in practicum for my masters of social work degree. I will have to find time in different places than I currently do, but if this is truly a priority that I want for my life then it won't be an issue. I am looking forward to testing myself and learning how to get content out appropriately.
8. When did you start reading?
My grandmother read to me as I was growing up (she raised me). As I grew up my father pushed reading onto me because he was an avid one. He always told me that books should be devoured and that you should never focus simply on one genre. You should read a variety and you should test out everything to see if you like it. If it wasn't for him I don't think I would be able to get through almost any type of book without cringing. He definitely formed my eclectic reading style.
9. Where do you read?
8. When did you start reading?
My grandmother read to me as I was growing up (she raised me). As I grew up my father pushed reading onto me because he was an avid one. He always told me that books should be devoured and that you should never focus simply on one genre. You should read a variety and you should test out everything to see if you like it. If it wasn't for him I don't think I would be able to get through almost any type of book without cringing. He definitely formed my eclectic reading style.
9. Where do you read?
I read primarily on my couch, bed, or in my office chair. I unfortunately get very bad motion sickness, so I cannot read on the bus or in a car. I also cannot exercise and read at the same time for the same reason I cannot read in a car. This means that reading has become associated heavily with relaxation for me.
10. What kind of books do you like to read?
My favorite type of book isn't really a genre, I don't believe. I enjoy a book that has a bit of a social message to it. For example, Push by Sapphire is one of my favorite reads ever. I also enjoy reading a mystery book because I like to be swept up in trying to discover what happened to the usually dead individual and why they were actually killed in the story. I am finding myself pulled into the YA field naturally because I keep seeing everyone's reviews on various YA books, so I am trying to remember to look at fields out of YA as well.
10. What kind of books do you like to read?
My favorite type of book isn't really a genre, I don't believe. I enjoy a book that has a bit of a social message to it. For example, Push by Sapphire is one of my favorite reads ever. I also enjoy reading a mystery book because I like to be swept up in trying to discover what happened to the usually dead individual and why they were actually killed in the story. I am finding myself pulled into the YA field naturally because I keep seeing everyone's reviews on various YA books, so I am trying to remember to look at fields out of YA as well.
If you are like me and are not tagged very often then I TAG YOU! Do this tag and let me know your answers. I want to see how others that are new think and feel about their experiences in the book blogging community.
