The book interview tag

I saw this on Isabelle‘s blog and thought that this was a great idea. That was you guys can get to know me a little better as a blogger. You can read Isabelle’s answers here.

Name/blog name:

Name: Kathryn

Blog name: KathrynBooksville

Age:

At the time I’m writing this 23.

Favorite Genre:

Might have to go with contemporary and romance.

Favorite Male Author:

As of right now, might have to go with John Green. Just because the books that I’ve read I’ve enjoyed, even if they aren’t his most popular books.

Favorite Female Author:

Probably JoJo Moyes. I enjoyed her series Me Before You.

Forever Favorites:

Five Feet Apart

When We Believed In Mermaids

One Of Us Is Lying

First Book Of 2019? How did you like it?

(Will also be doing 2020)*

2019:

My first book of 2019 was PS I Still Love You, the second book in the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the ending was okay. Would have been better if Lara Jean chose John Ambrose over Peter but that’s just my opinion.

2020:

My first book of 2020 was Don’t Read The Comments. This book came out back in January and you’re more than welcome to buy it if books with video games are your thing.

I thought this book was okay. Books with video games are the main theme arent my favorite. I don’t think I will be reading another book where video games serve as the main theme.

Last book of 2019? How did you like it

The last book of 2019 was I am watching you. I enjoyed it and thought it was a good thriller/mystery. It is free on Kindle Unlimited if you want to check it out.

What do you look for in a book? / What makes it really stand out for you?

I don’t look for a lot in a book. I think the cover is just as important as the context of the book.

But how it really stands out for me is if I can connect to a character. It doesn’t have to be the main character but a secondary main character. Also, I like when books make me feel something. It doesn’t have to be sadness but if you can make me feel something it can be a wonderful thing.

Do you collect any particular sets/editions of books?

I don’t collect sets or editions of books. But I do have the first three illustrated editions of Harry Potter. But other than that, if I own a collectors edition then I own a collectors edition. It’s sometimes my only copy.

Favorite Place to Read

The couch or the space between my bed and window.

Do you keep books you didn’t like, or just get rid of them?

If it was a gift I usually keep them. Just because I have a hard time getting rid of books that were gifts. But if it’s a book that I know I bought and didn’t like it then I have no problem getting rid of them.

Which literary character best defines you/do you best relate to?

Minho from the maze runner trilogy. Cause some of his replies are sassy sarcasm and I can reply with sassy sarcasm sometimes as well.

If you want to do this then you are more than welcome to. If you don’t want to that’s completely fine as well.

Why did I start blogging

I know that some people (not all) kinda explain why they started blogging in their abouts so you can get to know them better. But I thought why not just make a blog post about ‘Why I Started Blogging’. I know that it might not be interesting or anything but why not right?!

Because I love to write:

For me I enjoy writing because I personally find it relaxing. I may not be the best writer but at least I can share ideas and get feedback.

Books:

I mainly started this blog in order to get more experience writing book reviews. I hardly ever write them on goodreads so obviously a book blog would be more useful. Personally think it is considering how I construct my book reviews.

Being Creative:

This is a way for me to be creative. Where I can post what I want to post without hopefully being judged for what I was posting.

Connecting:

Personally think I can only do so much threw social media. I can only tweet so many times to watch a video. Or write reviews on goodreads. But connecting threw blogging that’s something else. Because think that it’s a group of people (at least the ones I’ve connected with threw Twitter as of recently) that genuinely want to see you succeed.

Something I can keep up with:

I have a generally hard time being consistent. I know that blogging isn’t going to be easy especially when first starting out. But I honestly believe that it’s something I can be consistent with. With ideas that pop into my head, for future blog posts, I can put them in my drafts for me to come back to.

Being myself:

I honestly have a hard time expressing and being myself. Threw blogging I can be like ‘this is how I feel’ and not care what others think. Even though I still care what others think about my work, I don’t care as much as when it comes to blogging. Yes, there’s things that I will probably never share on this blog and I’m honestly okay with that.

Therapy:

Everyone has their form of therapy without talking to a therapist. Mine just happen to be cooking, writing, wrestling, and reading. So why not do a somewhat public diary about something I’m passionate about. So I decided to just combine my 2 favorite things to do. Reading and writing. Just doing a blog has been so helpful. On the bad mental health days, setting aside an hour just to blog helps put me in a better place.

Here’s why I started blogging. Know we all started for different reasons. We each have different ways of how we became successful. I’m still learning how to blog. I absolutely enjoyed blogging.

Duchess If You Dare Blog Tour

Style: Paperback

Genre: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Adult, Mystery, Regency Era

Page Count: 251

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Abuse, Mentions of Rape, Attempted Murder

Book Summary:

This follows our 2 main characters of Scarlett and Ambrose. They are trying to figure out what happened to a local seamstress/sex worker. The More they run into each other the more they thought that it would be the best idea if they worked together. The more they run into each other the more they want each other.

Scarlett has learned from an early age that life can be cruel. Especially to women with little power. She visits the local seamstress to see if what she wants is ready. But when Linie looks like she hasn’t returned she turns to the next-door neighbor. Scarlett learns that Linie is a sex worker who wants to earn enough to be her own boss. But when Linie disappears, Scarlett is worried that something happened to Linie the same way it happened to Scarlett’s mother.

Ambrose is a duke who is brought in to clean up his brother’s mess. Ambrose learns that his brother was at The Scarlet Rose and learned that his usual wasn’t available. It is learned that his usual was Linie. Ambrose starts asking around at The Scarlet Rose to see if anyone knows anything that’s when he runs into Scarlett.

Even though Scarlett is still holding back when it comes to how she feels about Ambrose there is no denying that she feels something for him. Ambrose couldn’t stop thinking about Scarlett every time they run into each other. They both have to be told by the few people they trust in their lives what has been staring at them the whole time.

Thoughts:

I loved Annabelle’s writing with this story. I loved how she helped bring the world to life of not only her characters but the world around them. I loved how she wasn’t afraid to give her character some qualities that can have the reader either hate or love them. I would like to see what Anabelle does in the next book in The Maidens Of Mayhem.

I loved the strong-ass female lead that knows what she wants. I found myself in Scarlett from time to time because she acted and did things just like maybe I would have. But think from the beginning I knew I was going to like Ambrose because he knows when to take charge when needed.

But there were some things that I didn’t like. One of them being the repeating of things constantly. At the beginning of the book it was Ambrose needs to get out more and see how to commoner lives. And towards the 75% mark, it was the constant reminder that Scarlett is a bastard’s child. Along with reminding the reader that Scarlett’s mother was a sex worker to support the both of them and that’s how she died.

I didn’t like how Scarlett was like “I am a strong independent woman who doesn’t need a man” but ends up constantly thinking about the duke and kissing the duke. I could say the same thing about the Duke because he was like “I want Scarlett but I can’t have Scarlett but let me get jealous when other men look/talk to Scarlett because I want Scarlett.”

It seems like every time I enjoy the characters in this book they do or say something that makes me go “Why!”

I think that this book could have dealt without the romance. I loved Scarlett and Ambrose together but I think them as a couple in the book were a little forced. I say that because it does seem like both Scarlett and Ambrose are too emotionally unavailable for a relationship throughout the book. Do I think they make a cute couple? Yes. Do I think they needed to be together? Not right now in this book. I wish they focused more on the WHO kidnapped and possibly killed Linie than each other.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling author Anabelle Bryant began reading at age three and never stopped. Her
passion for reading soon turned into a passion for writing and an author was born. Happy to grab her
suitcase if it ensures a new adventure, Anabelle finds endless inspiration in travel; especially
imaginary jaunts into romantic Regency England, a far cry from her home in New Jersey. Instead, her
clever characters live out her daydreams because really, who wouldn’t want to dance with a
handsome duke or kiss a wicked earl?

Anabelle’s books have been translated into several languages including Japanese and Russian, but
writing isn’t all that keeps her busy. Building miniatures, baking, and photography are other favorite pastimes. Often found with her nose in a book, Anabelle is just as happy in a room full of people. She enjoys meeting readers, attending conferences, and book signings. She has earned her Master’s Degree and is ABD for her Doctorate Degree in education.

A firm believer in romance, Anabelle knows sometimes life doesn’t provide a happily ever after, but her novels always do. Visit her website at AnabelleBryant.com

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Links:

Babushka Is Homesick Blog Tour

Genre: Children’s

Page count: 30

Style: EBook/PDF

Trigger Warnings: None That I Could Find

Book Summary:

This follows Babushka as she wants to return home to Ukraine for the first time since she was a child. Babuska seems very excited about going back to her home country for the first time in probably decades. Upon arrival, she realizes that this was not Ukraine that she remembered or loved. Upon seeing Matryoshka Dolls with a message, she realizes that she is homesick. But not because of Ukraine but because of her family.

Thoughts:

I think that this was a great follow-up to the Tell Me A Story Babushka. I loved the message that it gave which is “Home is where the heart is”. This made me smile as Babushka thought that going back home would be the best thing for her but when in reality it was where her family was.

Like I said in my Tell me a story Babushka post, I think this is a book that needs to be on children’s shelves. This message was a great one and I think that everyone can have this reminder that sometimes the love that your family has for you is all you ever need. No matter the age, I think everyone can get something from this read!

About The Author:

Carola Schmidt is a pediatric oncology pharmacist, scientific writer, and children’s book writer.

Author of several books in pediatric oncology published by Springer Nature. Her scientific books are present in lists such as BookAuthority’s Best Pharmacy Books of all time, Best New Pharmacy Books and Best New Pharmacy eBooks, and Springer Highlights 2020. Author of several kids’ books about cancer, such as Bald is beautiful: A letter for a fabulous girl, Cancer Daily Life, Chubby’s Tale: The true story of a teddy bear who beat cancer (listed by BookAuthority as one of the “81 Best Leukemia Books of All Time”.) Belonging is a subject that is present in her writing, and the two books in the Babushka Series are her first books that are not about cancer.

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Camp NaNoWriMo Week 1

It is the end of week 1 of camp. And it doesn’t feel like the end of week 1. I can’t wait to share my updates with you guys!! If you want feel free to read my Camp Nanowrimo Goals (April 2021 Edition) if you want to see my overall goals for writing. Or you know the goals I came up with when I wrote that post.

Word Count:

My word count goal is 35,000 words. So at the end of week 1, I was supposed to be at 8,169 words. I am over by 2,000 words. Which means I am currently at 10,366 words. I was not expecting to get that many words done within the first week. But I think I’ve just got into some of the chapters and a lot of word vomit came out.

Struggles:

I have been struggling with my project. I didn’t know how HARD getting back into writing would be. I mean I am glad that I am forcing myself to write and be creative but there have been days within the first week where writing had been a chore. The creative writing slump is real. Have I been enjoying it? Yes. But man, Camp Nano has been kicking my ass. Even though I am 10,000 words in.

I think that after the internet went out on the first day (came back later that same day), writing my story has been very meh. Even though I have been writing every day, I think that it didn’t help that the internet went down causing me to not write. It has taken a lot for me just to sit down in one place and write. Either because I’m not in the mood or I just get busy with something else.

The Time I Have Been Writing:

I have been writing the most between 9 and 11 at night. The first week has been a little hectic so it seems like the best time for me to write has been at night. I hope that does change as the month goes on. Mainly because I enjoy writing when I first get up and getting it out of the way. Just so it does feel like it I have to do it.

A Goal For Week 2.

I would love to do a 5K day one day in week 2. If you don’t know what a 5K day is, it is basically where you set a goal of writing 5,000 words in a day. I think the most I have ever written in a day was anywhere between 2,000 and 2,500 so it’s going to be a challenge. But I want to challenge myself to do something that I normally wouldn’t do.

There is my update for week one. I have enjoyed writing Time Of My Life (might change title) as of right now and I hope I can get more into writing this project than I feel like I have. I can NOT wait till I break through this writing slump that I have been in creatively. I have missed writing other things besides my blog posts. So that’s what I’m going to do. Hope I don’t go into another writing slump (creatively of course) till July when I do camp again.

WWW WEDNESDAY 4.7.21

Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday! This is where I talk about what I last read, What I am currently reading and what I am hoping on reading next. This one is going to be about the blog tours I will be doing in April. So if you want dates of when these blog tours will be up, you’re more than welcome to check out my April TBR.

What I Last Read:

• 

• 

Tell Me A Story Babushka & Babushka Is Homesick

I usually never read 2 books in a week. But these were both children’s picture books that were easy to get through. I enjoyed both of them and my Tell me a story Babushka blog tour is up while my Babushka Is Homesick will be up on Friday. I do not want to spoil any of these books for you since they are so short. But if you have children I would recommend both of these stories!

What I Am Currently Reading

Duchess If You Dare

I am not very far into this so I can’t tell you much. But I do know I am to the part where our main female character realizes that her seamstress is missing. As well as our main male character is dealing with the aftermath of cutting his brother off by 2/3 to teach him some responsibility. This all happens in the first 20 pages if that tells yall anything. I am hoping to get more done and hopefully enjoy it.

What I Am Planning On Reading Next

Blood Loss

I don’t know much about this read except it’s a mystery of who done it. All I know is what I posted in my April TBR at the beginning of this post. I have flipped through the ebook version and it does seem like it has some short chapters which might make or break this book. I don’t mind short chapters in books but if it is anything like Into The Water it quite honestly turns me off from the book.

There is my WWW Wednesday for this week. Are there any books that you would like to read? I can’t wait to read these books!!

Tell me a story Babushka

Genre: Children’s

Style: EBook/PDF

Page: 27

Trigger warnings: None that I could find

Age Range: 4-11

Book Summary:

This is a story about a grandmother (babushka) telling a true story about her childhood to her grandchild. The story starts out with her childhood in Ukraine. How the monsters took her away and how she was save by a message in a Matryoshka doll.

Thoughts:

I loved this read. Even though it was a short read I loved everything about it. It was heartbreaking but at the same time so heartwarming.

I think that book can be a hidden gem for younger readers who are just getting into reading. I would recommend this read if you have children. It might open eyes (especially younger eyes) to possibly different cultures especially the Ukrainian culture and a glimpse into what life was like during the Holodomor time.

About the Author:

Carola Schmidt is a pediatric oncology pharmacist, scientific writer and children’s book writer.

Author of several books in pediatric oncology publishedby Springer Nature. Her scientific books are present in lists such as BookAuthority’s Best Pharmacy Books of AllTime, Best New Pharmacy Books and Best New Pharmacy eBooks, and Springer Highlights 2020. Authorof several kids’ books about cancer, such as Bald isBeautiful: A letter for a fabulous girl, Cancer Daily Life, Chubby’s Tale: The true story of a teddy bear who beat cancer (listed by BookAuthority as one of the “81 Best Leukemia Books of All Time”.) Belonging is a subjectthat is present in her writing, and the two books in theBabushka Series are her first books that are not aboutcancer.

Rating:

4 Stars

Links: