Blogger Spotlight – Interview!

Hey Guys!
Today I am here to introduce you to the wonderful Daniel! I’ve done a little interview with him and here are his responses.

Tell us a little something about yourself!
Hey guys, I’m Daniel! I’m a 22 year old Primary Teacher with a passion for reading. Hopefully this comes across to the children I teach! I’m a proud book hoarder, lover of Tumblr, and am extremely passionate about the use of the oxford comma.

How long have you had your blog?
Err, ooh that’s a tricky one because I’ve had my blogs on and off for about 4 years? There’s thebloggersbookshop.com which is my Tumblr and I’ve had that 4 years, until recently I created thebloggersbookshop.blogspot.co.uk and I’ve owned this for about a year and a half. I’m ever so slowly trying to transition over to blogger, but whether my followers will take the bait I do not know…

Do you enjoy running your blog?
Oh goodness, of course! I adore running my blog, even if it doesn’t extend to a very large audience. It’s all about expressing my creativity and opinions, and hey if I’m having fun and enjoying it, does it matter if it isn’t overly original?

When you started, did you ever think it would end up the way it has?
Ha, ha, ha. Oh Faye you make me chuckle. No I never thought my little old Tumblr blog would get where it is today. I mean, I’m coming up to 1000 followers and why that may not seem a lot to some people, for me that is crazy. 1000 people in the world want to stalk me. I don’t think you could under-appreciate that, right?

Is there an interesting background story to the name of your blog?
Not particularly. The original name of my blog was Rectus-Litterae. I discovered the phrase years ago, and the website I found it on told me it meant literature fanatic or something to that nature. I can’t find the translation to date, but I just decided having the word ‘rectus’ in my blog name reminded people too much of the word rectum. A got a large following of porn blogs soon after I created it, so I thought it would be better to change it! For me, bookshops are a place where you can come to relax, de-stress and get lost in your own imagination. That for me is heaven as I’m sure most of you will agree. It just seemed right, as a blogger to create a fictional bookshop just for book bloggers, and well almost 4 years on here it is!

As we’ve got this far without mentioning it, why not tell us a little something about your blog? What you post, how it runs, who you cater to, etc
Ooh okay! Well as I mentioned in my previous answer, my blog is a place where I aim to welcome book lovers and book bloggers especially to relax, de-stress and just share a general passion for literature. I’m always open to people’s opinions and quite often get very invested and interested in what people have to say about a book – especially if they don’t agree with me. It’s fascinating! In terms of what I post, I’m afraid it’s not overly original. I tend to post book reviews, weekly features, monthly wrap-ups and then general posts that could be about anything. I’ve recently discussed about #SecretBookBloggers which is a fantastic project set up that focuses on book blogger pen pals. We’ve just done our first month as a trial and while there are a few kinks to sort out, I feel it’s gone really well! In terms of who I cater to, it’s mainly to my Twitter audience (which happens to be a lot of YA readers) purely because that’s where I try to reach out too the most! Social Media is the way forward for book blogging in my opinion! However, I’m happy to accept anyone into my theoretical bookshop, as I said before, I love opinions!

Do you participate or host blog memes? If you do, which is your favourite?
I do, I post in 3 blog memes (or weekly features as I prefer to call them) and those are Top Ten Tuesday, Waiting on Wednesday and Falling Behind on Friday. As for my favourite, I do like the originality of the Top Ten Tuesday and they are fun to do, but sometimes the ideas can be quite time consuming. Due to this I’d say my favourite is probably Falling Behind on Friday because it allows me to remind myself and discuss with you guys about books that have been sitting on my TBR for a while and I haven’t got around to reading them yet. I don’t know what it is but I guess it gives me a bit of self-motivation? With the posts on my blog I can see what I need to read and it kind of takes preference I guess? Sometimes but definitely not always!

What about blog tours? Have you ever or do you ever participate in them?
I love blog tours although I am recently new to them! I do try and participate in them because I’m all about trying to expand the awareness of an author and their books as far as we can as a reading community! They’re really fun and encouraging. As for whether I’ve participated in them, I have done! I was part of Deborah Install’s lovely blog tour for ‘A Robot in the Garden.’ If you haven’t checked it out, it’s amazing (blowing my own horn I know) but Deborah provided me with an awesome guest post about being the CEO of a robotics firm from her novel. Also, check out the book. It’s an epic adventure. My next upcoming blog tour however is for Wendi Nunnery’s ‘The Best Kept Secret’ and I’ll be hosting on June 8th! Wendi has prepared a guest post discussing her Top Ten Things To Know as a Published Author. Keep an eye out for it!

What is the best book you read in 2014?
Ahh Faye this is so difficult! Why did you ask that! I read so many wonderful books in 2014 because there were some amazing releases. However, from looking over my reviews I mentioned in my review of Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer that it was my favourite read of 2014 because of it’s emotional traum-I mean impact on the readers. Although it was a difficult book to try and rate due to certain elements I discuss in my review, I focused my classification of best book based on it’s impact on me and my life as a reader.

What about so far in 2015?
This question is worse. I mean, harder. How do I even begin to contemplate that?? I’ve read so many amazing books in these past few months alone! I’ll Give You the Sun, Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda, Rogue, Remix, Red Queen, The Darkest Part of the Forest! So difficult! Okay, I think I’ve chosen. It has to be A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E.Schwab. It’s the first book of Victoria’s that I’ve read but oh goodness it was so good it left me rolling on the floor in emotional need of the next book. Just saying.

Has there ever been a book that haven’t been able to finish? If so, what was it? And why couldn’t you finish?
Oh there have been plenty but I do try to force my way through a book for the sake of giving books chances they probably don’t deserve, but it has to be The Coldest Girl in ColdTown by Holly Black. It’s the only book this year I haven’t been able to finish. I discuss more about my feelings on it in the review, but I picked this book up and down, up and down, up and down and I could not get any further. It just felt very fragmented – the story went one way and then suddenly took a tone that wasn’t in line with the story at all. It’s such a shame because I loved Holly’s The Darkest Part of the Forest. One of my favourite books of this year! Unfortunately though, not everything can be as perfect as you want it to be.

What is your favourite book genre?
YA? I take it that’s a genre? If not then Contemporary/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Dystopian. All in one book, clearly.

Quick Fire Round

ebook or hardcopy?
Ah! Hardcopy! My shelves need to look pretty!

YA or Adult?
YA.

Vampires or Werewolves?
Vampires? I’ve not read a werewolf book…

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Vanilla. Plain and simple.

Harry Potter or Twilight?
Does this even need to be asked? I live in a bedroom surrounded with Harry Potter wallpaper from when I was 11… Take your best guess.

Four or Peeta?
The Boy with the Bread all of the way! Sorry Four.

Series or Single?
Series? I like having multiple books, but only if they’re decent sequels! None of this first book is amazing and the rest are awful rubbish!

Blogger or WordPress?
Never tried WordPress… Blogger all the way!

And finally, is there anything else you would like to say about you or your blog?
I suppose this is where I’m supposed to write a full length speech about how amazing my blog is and how welcome everyone would be if they came to visit. Instead let me replace it with a quote that I came across recently and I feel summarises my thoughts on it perfectly. “You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend” – Paul Sweeny. If you feel like that at any point in your life then The Blogger’s Bookshop will be a place you can come to mourn that friend and remember why it was you picked up the book in the first place.I also offer suggestions! Feel free to come and and talk to me on Twitter (@theblogbookshop) – I love engaging with you guys. I hope you all enjoy your stay over at my little theoretical bookshop!

What a fab guy! You can follow him here.