Feature & Follow #10

Hi everyone! Feature & Follow is a weekly blog hop hosted over @ Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

  

How to join in:

Feature & Follow is all about making new friends and following new great blogs. The whole point of this blog hop is to gain more followers and follow those in return. You follow me, I follow you in return etc. Each week both blogs will showcase a Featured blogger each. If you participate in this blog hop you must follow both of the hosts as a courtesy

Q&A

When did you start blogging?
I started blogging almost a year ago. Actually, my one year blogoversary will be happening on the 12^th of this month! Time has really flown by. I started after finding out about reading challenges (and realising they were easier to do with a blog) and happened to stumble across a few blogs and then I thought of making one myself. I like to think I’ve come a long way in a year and learned a lot about blogging, reviewing, publishers etc. I love blogging and I’m quite proud of myself for sticking to it for a full year even though I’m quite busy in my personal life. I love the book blogging community and love books and reading in general so it’s always fun and never ever a chore.

What is your favourite part of book blogging?

Writing posts and having lovely comments off other bloggers especially when it comes to reviews. After spending ages writing reviews (and it takes me so long!) and worrying about its quality I love reading comments off others saying that they enjoyed reading it, or that they added the particular book to their wishlist. I also love my readers and followers. After creating my blog I can remember doing a dance of pure joy when I had my first follower haha. You could swear I had won a million pounds or something, but it was a great feeling! I've also met so many lovely book bloggers whom I consider friends, it's been great.

What is your favourite book(s)?

The Lord of the Rings. Just pure amazing stuff. You should all read it and get lost in Middle Earth with all its adventures. I also love George R. R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. It has been an obsession of mine since reading it. I just love epic fantasy. But also since blogging I've read some great YA books and my favourite reads of 2012 were definitely Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Cinder by Marissa Meyer and The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.

What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

Receiving books of publishers is up there with the best. I love Netgalley but when I had my first paperback book from a publisher in the mail I felt like I had made it haha! I squealed in delight when it came through the letterbox! I've loved having the chance to work with authors and publishers; it's been awesome. I’ve had the chance to read and review some amazing books so it is definitely one of the best things to happen!

 Q: What New Years Blogging or Writing resolution have you placed on yourself? 

To essentially write more posts. I participate in so many meme's that I think I need to write more original, sometimes personal posts to mix things up a little. I've also decided to create my own new weekly feature starting next week: Beloved Book Quotes, so that should be fun. I also want to write more reviews this year. I have a habit of jotting down notes in a little review notebook that I have and the reviews just pile up and up, so I really need to get around to posting a review asap after reading the book. I still have so many to write up from last year. 

In regards to books, I plan on (trying) to read 80 books this year, read more science-fiction, try some steampunk and also get through my Sookie Stackhouse collection. I made a post about my New Years Blogging resolutions the other day so check them it out here :)