Monique, what made you start a book review blog?
I started blogging about January 2012 after I left my job as
a newspaper editor. I’d been fortunate enough to review books while working in
media, so I just made a few calls to my contacts and went from there. I was looking
for a way to combine two loves - reading and writing. At the time I thought
book blogging was such an original idea, but I quickly discovered my mistake!
Now I review regularly for about 10 publishers in Australia.
What are your favourite books to review and which type
make you want to chuck them at the wall?
I really enjoy contemporary women's fiction and
crime/suspense/thrillers, and lately I've been loving historicals. I don't
enjoy sci-fi and rarely read fantasy. Books that are poorly written,
repetitive, try too hard or contain gratituous violence annoy me. I started
reading a new release by an incredibly successful writer at the weekend and you
know what? I'm not going to finish it. It's repetitive, overly descriptive and
I just can't get into it; the formulaic writing style annoyed me and yet, how
do I argue about writing with someone who has made millions? I also find books
written in the present tense irritating ... I don't know why.
How do you sweeten the pill if you hate a book or do you
say it as it is?
I usually request books from publishers that I think I'll
like, but sometimes I do get it wrong or the book doesn't live up to what I
expected (either from the blurb, other reviews, hype or so on). We all have
different tastes - sometimes a book just doesn't work for you. If the book is
OK and there are good and bad points, I'll say what I liked and note a couple
of things I didn't, but in a respectful way. Respect is important because a lot
of work has gone into it. If I have nothing nice to say at all, I don't say it.
Then again, I probably wouldn't finish a book I really didn't like. In that
case, I'd choose not to review it and consider a Sunday Shout Out to the
publisher.
As an avid reader and reviewer, would you ever put pen
to paper yourself?
Yes, that's the plan. Still working on that goal ...
Tell us about your ideal week as a reader/reviewer.
My first thought was that I'd be able to read and review
whenever I wanted without interruptions, but then I would miss out on all the
other wonderful things in my life. If I could establish a routine, that would
be ideal, but since reviewing is a hobby, it has to fit in with the rest of
life (and sometimes take tenth place to all the other priorities).
If you were offered a squillion pounds to never read
another book again, would you take it?
No. I couldn't.
Thanks for joining me today, Monique. It was good to chat.
Check out Monique's website or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.
Thanks for joining me today, Monique. It was good to chat.
Check out Monique's website or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.
* * * NEWSFLASH * * *
OK, not so newsy any more, but just to remind you that my latest novel, 'TABBY & KAT' has now been released into the big bad world. Have you got your copy yet? If so, let me know what you think - or, better still, please leave a review!
