Armchair BEA 2012-Introductions

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

My name is Grace obviously. I’m 26 (27 in a week). I a cacophony of many random things—librarian, baker, reader, hockey fan, sister, stalker of postal service workers who deliver my mail very late. I have been blogging since 2008. A very long time. I got into blogging to keep a record of what I was reading. Fairly simple. The community and all that good stuff was a bonus.

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?

Right now, I am in between books but my favorite books have to be all of the Lisa Kleypas books I have read so far. I am working my way through her backlist and they just keep getting better and better.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

I am not licensed to drive. Yep. I am one of the sad people who cannot legally operate a vehicle. I failed my test twice. Twice administered by the same person and twice failed.

What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?

My favorite feature of my blog is my reviews. I just love writing them. I have been slowing down lately but I am getting back at it now.

Where do you see your blog in five years?

I have no idea. I am not one for thinking so far into the future. One day at a time.

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?

Any of the reviews from April or May would be lovely. I loved those books and worked really hard on the reviews.

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?

Anne Shirley. No question. There is no predicting what that crazy girl would so.

What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?

Prince Edward Island. I’ve heard it’s beautiful and it’s on my list of literary places to travel.

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?

I love how the community supports each other. How smart we all are. How much we love books and sharing the love of reading. It’s not something I have ever experienced. My mother used to be the only person I shared books and bookish opinions with. High school was a dry wasteland of people who hated reading. College was better but the blogging community was a revelation.

I would love to see the cliquey aspect change in the future. I don’t like the “popular crowd” feel that happens in this community sometimes. I graduated high school in 2003. I don’t want to revisit. I would also like to see the rules apply to everyone not just the little people but the big name bloggers as well. No one in this community is better than anyone else. Maybe that’s a bit idealized and it’s not a perfect world but it makes sense, doesn’t it?

Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?

When I started this blog, I was reading all literary fiction, Jane Austen sequels and historical fiction. I was bored. My mother leant me a romance novel and I was hooked. It completely changed my reading habits. So I now primarily focus on reading romance novels with a smattering of YA.