Blog Friends Forever Tour – Adult Book Blogging

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Friends Forever Tour!

I wanted to highlight a few bloggers I enjoy reading and get their opinions on some questions that I’ve been wondering about.

I’m interviewing Julianne from Outlandish Lit and Talitha Nelle from Victorian Soul Critique.

How do you find out about the books that you read?

Talitha:

Sometimes I’ll hear about books on blogs, but much of the time with older books, I simply pick them up at thrift stores because they look interesting. It’s not a fail-proof method, but it makes reading more of an adventure.

Julianne:

I find out about books lots of different ways. Working as a bookseller definitely helps, but that’s a pretty recent development. Other blogs that I follow, twitter, goodreads, and recommendations from real people in real life (weird, I know) are pretty much where they come from. Being subscribed to Shelf Awareness and checking out Edelweiss when I have time is also a lot of fun and is very useful.

Heather (me):

I learn about a lot of books and authors on blogs and Twitter.  I find some on Book Riot lists like the ones of Protagonists over 40 and Fantasy Books not set in Europe.  I used to just browse at the library but now my TBR list is long enough that I don’t do that as much.

Do you think that blogging about adult books doesn’t have the excitement around it that blogging about YA books does? Why or why not?

Talitha:

I think it’s just as exciting, especially when I see books I have yet to read from authors I know and love. Maybe the impression of more excitement comes because YA bloggers are sometimes on the younger end of the book blogger spectrum, and often have more social media presence.

Julianne:

It totally does not have the same amount of excitement or enthusiasm, so you kind of have to create it on your own as you go. To be honest, I’ve never really understood why YA book blogging is so much bigger than anything else. I guess that maybe there’s a higher amount of series in YA so it’s easier to get deeper into those book worlds. Like there’s more to be enthusiastic about and the characters are more “ship-able” or something. You’re with them for longer and they’re more binge-readable. It’s kind of fascinating. I certainly wish the adult book blogging world was as big. It seems like it’s much harder to find quality adult book blogs. But maybe I’m just picky. It’s worth the hunt if you’re interested in adult books!

Heather:

I think YA blogging has the advantage of having “it” books with huge followings so it feels like everyone is reading the same thing.  The enthusiasm then feeds on itself because everyone is having the same conversation.  The world of adult books is so huge and spread out that finding people reading the same things as you is rare.  If you are looking for recommendations for adult books, it helps to find bloggers with similar tastes to you and follow them obsessively!

Do you think it is beneficial to blog about books that have been published for a while?

Talitha:

In short, yes. Not everyone can afford the latest and greatest volumes for their library, but beyond that, sometimes older books just click better with me. Publishers seem less willing to risk putting out books that won’t (or aren’t meant to) appeal to every reader.

Julianne:

I think it is super beneficial to blog about books that have been out for a while, but do I necessarily think it gets a lot of traffic or excitement? No. Which is frustrating. It’s not like newer books are just getting progressively better than anything that had ever been previously written. They’re just shiny and new and exciting. Books that have been published for a while 100% deserve to be talked about, and I think it’s worth bringing them to the attention of people who may have missed them!

Heather:

I find out about a lot of books this way.  There are authors and books who I have never heard of but someone talked about them being a favorite so I look them up.  I love reading backlist books and I’m a huge library user so this is helpful.  If you open your mind to reading not just the newest thing, the whole world is available to you.

What is your favorite book that you read recently that wasn’t published in 2015?

Talitha:

Billy by Albert French was the one book that really knocked my socks off this year. I read it in January and it’s still on my mind now.

“Albert French’s harrowing debut novel of 10-year-old Billy Lee Turner, convicted and executed for murdering a white girl in Baines, Mississippi, in 1937, is an unsentimental and ultimately heartrending vision of racial injustice.“

Julianne:

I was just rereading this, because it’s THAT GOOD. No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July. It was published in 2007 and it’s still just as amazing. If you like short stories, you have to read these. They’re quirky and funny and on point and devastating. Just beautiful.

“Award-winning filmmaker and performing artist Miranda July brings her extraordinary talents to the page in a startling, sexy, and tender collection. In these stories, July gives the most seemingly insignificant moments a sly potency. A benign encounter, a misunderstanding, a shy revelation can reconfigure the world. Her characters engage awkwardly — they are sometimes too remote, sometimes too intimate. With great compassion and generosity, July reveals their idiosyncrasies and the odd logic and longing that govern their lives.“

Heather:

I invented this question and now I can’t decide.  I’m going to pick two.  The first one is Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn.  I learned about this one from Joy. It is a good example about learning about older books from fellow bloggers.  The second is from an author whose backlist I’m working my way through.

“Zoe Ardelay receives astonishing and unwelcome news: she has been chosen to become the king’s fifth wife. Forced to go to the royal city, she manages to slip away and hide on the shores of the mighty river.

It’s there that Zoe realizes she is a coru prime ruled by the elemental sign of water. She must return to the palace, not as an unwilling bride for the king, but a woman with power in her own right. But as Zoe unlocks more of the mysteries of her blood—and the secrets of the royal family—she must decide how to use her great power to rise above the deceptions and intrigue of the royal court.”

“When a massive object crashes into the ocean off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous and legendary city, three people wandering along Bar Beach (Adaora, the marine biologist- Anthony, the rapper famous throughout Africa- Agu, the troubled soldier) find themselves running a race against time to save the country they love and the world itself… from itself.“

Now is YOUR chance to win.

I’m giving away one of the books mentioned above to a winner.  The winner picks the book they would like to receive.

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There is also a blog hop giveaway
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Guess Who Else Is Posting Today?

The Book Cellar
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