Book Blogger Appreciation Week Interview Swap - Meet Jessica of Brief Book Reviews!

One of the most fun parts of Book Blogger Appreciation Week is trading interviews with a fellow book blogger. This year I was asked great questions by Jessica at the young adult book blog Brief Book Reviews and got equally great answers from her as well. Let me introduce her and be sure to check out Brief Book Reviews yourself! 

BCG: What inspired you to start blogging?
BBR: At the beginning of the summer I started reading book blogs because I was interested in the buzz surrounding Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. I though maybe, since I read so much, people might also be interested in my opinions too. I have previous experience writing a craft/cooking blog which was hard to keep up with since I had to complete a project to write a post. I find Brief Book Reviews much easier and more natural for me to write.

Your blog focuses on young adult literature. Have you always been a fan of YA?
Oddly enough, I skipped the whole YA literature thing when I was the right age. I went from Sweet Valley Twins straight to Michael Crichton. A few years ago my cousin started recommending YA titles to me, and I was hooked.

Who is your favorite YA author?
That is a really hard question. I would have to say it is a tie between Meg Cabot and Holly Black. They write very different styles, so it is almost apples and oranges.

What is your favorite YA series?
Another really hard question. I’m totally Harry Potter obsessed, but I consider that more Middle Reader than YA. I think the Tithe series by Holly Black is amazing, especially the second book, Valiant. I love how she writes the female characters.

Have you always been a big reader?
No. In my pre-teens I had a shelf full of the typical Baby Sitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins books that I read occasionally, but usually when I was forced to by school or my parents. I blame my love of reading on Michael Crichton. I have always had a thing for Dinosaurs and I bought Jurassic Park when I was in 7th grade out of curiosity. I haven’t stopped reading since.

You describe yourself as a relatively new blogger. What did you think once you learned the depth and breadth of the book blogging community?
It is really overwhelming actually. I discover a great new blog almost daily. My blog reading list is so long! I started feeling discouraged since so many people are writing reviews for the same books I am reading, but I like being a part of the community and learning about great new books.

What made you decide to write brief book reviews?
I’m a lazy internet reader. I’m not sure why since I love reading so much. The only explanation I can think of is the eye-strain of reading on the screen. I usually give up after the first paragraph, or skip to the end to find a rating or grade for the book. I really don’t like it when reviews contain spoilers. I think my definition of a spoiler is more strict than most. I read Twilight early on and didn’t know that *SPOILER ALERT* Edward was a Vampire. It was nice not knowing. So the best way to keep lazy internet readers like me engaged, and keep the reviews as spoiler-free as I can, is to really limit the length of my review, which is definitely hard sometimes.

If you could meet one of your favorite authors, which one would you choose?
I think I would choose Neil Gaiman. He writes incredible fantasy fiction for all different ages. When I read his stories I am always amazed at his abilities. How does he come up with this stuff! I would like to pick his brain.

When not reading or blogging, what do you do for fun?
I’m a homebody. I like spending my free time on the couch with my boyfriend and our dueling cats. When I’m not reading I like to watch TV and make art. For the past few years I have been honing my skills at bookbinding, and I also enjoy drawing and painting. I’m a long-time Star Wars geek girl and have recently become obsessed with Doctor Who. I take art classes for fun at my local community college and am excited to start Photography this semester.

Thanks so much! Jessica

And thank you Jessica!

Comments

[Swapna]

Great interview!

[bermudaonion (Kathy)]

I love brief reviews so I'm going to check her blog out now!

[Melody Song]

I feel so ashamed that I haven't read any of the books or authors mentioned!

Tithe sounds pretty interesting, though. The only reason I haven't picked it up is because it felt so short to me, but if many people like it, I'll definitely check it out.

Awesome blog, by the way, Jessica! I applaud you on choosing to write brief reviews! I think it's more likely to interest people. If you spoil most of the surprises for the reader, what's the point of actually getting the book when you know what's going to happen? ^^

I'd appreciate if anyone checked out my book review blog! -http://bookgirlreview.blogspot.com/