Thanks very much to Lorraine at Review Cafe for having me recently over at her blog! Lorraine asked me some GREAT questions on my must-read authors and books, as well as other tips and tricks.
Here’s the blog post in full, or if you prefer, check it out on Review Cafe HERE or by clicking the pic below. Enjoy!
1) Top 5 books this year (so far)?
Cripes, I’ve read so many great ones in the last twelve months, it’s SO difficult to choose! But if I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO, these are probably the five I recommend most to my fellow readers:
- Defender by GX Todd
- The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn
- The Liar’s Chair by Rebecca Whitney
- In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings
- Untouchable by Ava Marsh
What all these books have in common is an enigmatic female lead. I’m so bored of ‘typical’ characters, but equally I don’t want a character completely out of the left field either. The five above have female protagonists whose behaviour can be surprising, conflicting, even morally ambiguous – I’m certainly never bored by them!
2) Top 5 authors you think everyone should read?
- Gillian Flynn
- Chinua Achebe
- Joe Hill
- Maya Angelou
- Peter James
These writers consistently knock it out the park not only with their storytelling, but the actual WAY they write. I’m a lover of literary prose that takes us to the next level of description … And these guys can take us into other places (literal and metaphorical), bringing forth the five senses AND the storyworld to life. Brilliant!
3) Top 5 books you want to read before the end of 2017?
The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth. I love the first novel, but haven’t got round to the rest, so must catch up. After all, I LOVE my dystopia!
I See You by Clare Mackintosh. I missed out on an ARC for this one, noooooo! I loved I Let You Go though, so hoping to catch up on this one.
Orphan X by Greg Hurwitz. I’m a sucker for an assassin with a dark past, so I *just gotta* read this one and luckily for me, I found a hardback copy in a charity shop recently for £1!
I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Terry Hayes wrote one of the instalments of my favourite franchise, Mad Max, back in the 80s. My other job is as a script editor for movies, so I can’t resist this one, but it is a mahoosive tome at 700+ pages. I could read at least two books in the time it takes me to read this one and time is always at a premium for me.
The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne. I DID manage to get my mitts on an ARC for this one, it looks so good. I love reading books that aren’t even out yet, so this will probably be next on my TBR.
4) Top 5 blogging tips that you would give to new bloggers?
Goodness, I have so many! My top 5 would be:
- Have a strategy
- ALWAYS write great headlines
- Pay attention to traffic (but don’t become obsessed with it)
- Use social media WELL
- Evaluate your strategy at various intervals
For those who want more detail on the above, I was interviewed in 13 Tips from Popular Bloggers to Beat Procrastination and Write Productively.
5) Top 5 book blogs you follow?
Again, so many that I love, but here’s my favourites I visit most days/weeks:
Thanks Lorraine for having me!
Wow, thank you so much for putting me in your Top 5 blogs!! Wow! 🙂