I know it’s been a few weeks since I’ve done an interview for Read Yourself Happy’s weekly Friday Favorites feature, but now we’re back with a great interview from one of my favorite fellow book bloggers, Vicky from What Vicky Read.
Before starting this blog, I wasn’t even aware that book blogging was popular. I was familiar with the big names out there, like Book Riot or Literary Hub, but it wasn’t until last year that I really dove into personal book blogs. Vicky’s was one of the very first that I discovered, and I’ve been reading her blog ever since.
With that, let’s get straight into the interview. If you’re not already subscribed to Vicky’s blog, you probably will be soon!
Tell us a bit about yourself
Hey, I’m Vicky and I blog about books over at What Vicky Read. I was born and raised in England and am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. I love to read, my favourite genres being Mystery and Fantasy within the Young Adult section. I do also enjoy contemporaries and historical fiction.
Which types of books are you drawn to?
Over the last year, I’d probably say I’m mostly drawn to YA murder mystery books. I definitely think we need more books from this genre so I’m thrilled whenever I find a new one that I love! It’s quite nice to watch this genre grow too though. I think it’s definitely growing at the moment which is just great to see. If you want a book recommendation from that genre, I’d recommend A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, which came out earlier this year!
What inspired you to start a book blog?
I actually started a book blog back in 2014 after I started working full time. All of my friends had just gone to University so I didn’t have a lot of people left. I found book blogs and that resulted in me starting up a (failed) book blog as well as a bookstagram. I gave up blogging for a few years until the beginning of 2017 when I decided that I wanted to start again and it’s just really gone from there!
From your time being a member of the book community, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
I think to be nice to everybody because there’s no reason to be mean, and with this, respect other’s opinions. Over the years that I’ve been a part of this community, I’ve noticed that many people will have differing opinions on books and sometimes those opinions can clash but the thing is a book isn’t for everybody. For example, some people love Harry Potter but other people just don’t! Even if you don’t agree with someone’s opinion, there’s no reason why you can’t respectfully disagree with it. Saying that though, the book community is a really welcoming place and I do really enjoy being a part of it!
What tips or advice do you have for people looking to start their own book blog?
So many people say ‘just be yourself’ and that is true, but also write about what YOU want to write about. It’s your blog and so you should write whatever you want. If you didn’t like a book, don’t be afraid to say that, even if it’s a hyped book! I think the other thing is to be prepared to put the work in. Over the last two years, I’ve been a little on and off with my blog due to studying uni, then working full time, and now I’m working both full time, studying and also trying to maintain a social life. It is hard but I keep going because I enjoy doing it. So if you want to blog, just be prepared to put in the time and effort.
If you could spend a night hanging out with three authors, living or dead, who would you choose and why?
This is just from a (long) list of authors I’ve never met before. Definitely J.K. Rowling, Kerri Maniscalco and then it’s between Leigh Bardugo, Stephanie Garber and Suzanne Collins. I mention Suzanne because I feel like we haven’t heard or seen anything of her since The Hunger Games until this year when the prequel was announced.
If you could meet any fictional character, who would it be?
This is so difficult because I actually have so many favourite characters but I’m probably going to have to say Hermione Granger because that means magic and Hogwarts is real!
Which classic or popular book do you hate?
Haha, oh man. There aren’t any books I actually hate but the book that comes closest to that is probably The Great Gatsby. I thought I was going to love it because of the whole glitz and whatever of New York but I just could not get into it. I found it so boring but forced myself to push through it because I wanted to have read it at least once. To be honest, I barely remember what even happened in it because I was so bored!
How do you keep track of the books you’ve finished and books you want to read?
I use Goodreads. I’ve tried to keep track of the books on my shelves and what I’ve read on them via excel spreadsheets, the reminders list feature on my phone but I’ve just got way too many to keep track of. I actually wrote a post on my blog about how I organise my Goodreads as I track what I’m reading, what’s on my TBR, what’s on my wishlist, etc. on there and it’s just so helpful. The app and site could do with some updating but it does the job for me!
What are your five favorite books, and why?
Finally, leave us with your favorite bookish quote
‘The ones who love us never really leave us, you can always find them in here.’ (points to heart)
I hope you enjoyed Vicky’s interview. Again, if you’re not already subscribed, head over to What Vicky Read!
Looking for more interviews:
Robert McCaw | Laurence Westwood | Kathy Kimbray | Hanna Jameson
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[…] Interview with Vicky from What Vicky Read – Friday Favorites – It was so much fun to interview Vicky, one of the first book bloggers I discovered! […]
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