Daisy – Meet Our Reviewers and Win Prizes

winter blogfest banner copyMerry Christmas and welcome to a chance to meet our reviewers! Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a grand prize of a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift card, with runnerup prizes of a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card, or one of four book/swag prize packs (US only).

Why did you become a reviewer?

I became a reviewer because I devour books and I wanted a chance to get through some favourites for free and offer up my opinion.

What are your favorites genres to read in and why?

Sci-fi/fantasy or contemporary romance. These are my favourites as I like something out of the ordinary, a bit of an escape from reality and something truly creative. Romance satisfies the first two and a good sci-fi or fantasy book satisfies all three points.

What book in your youth made a big impression on you and why?

I actually had ten books really influence me when I was young…

In no particular order:

Peter Pan (not sure what edition it was but it had beautiful artwork)
The Faraway Tree Series by Enid Blyton
Aesops Fables
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis
The Famous Five Series by Enid Blyton
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
The Abhorsen Series by Garth Nix
Anita Blake Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
Merry Gentry Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus

My favourite out of those would probably be Enid Blyton’s The Faraway Tree series. It took me out of my world and introduced me to a fantasy land where people are kind and anything is possible.

Do you have any “bad book habits”? Dog Ear? Reading in the tub or while eating? Breaking the spine?

I do all of those things but I personally don’t view them as “bad book habits”. A bad book habit is not reading or not reading enough. How you read should not be an issue.

What is one thing we would be most surprised to learn about you?

I’m usually pretty open. I guess one of the more surprising things about me is I do not really wish to stay in the country I was born in past the age of 35. I like travelling too much and my country is going downhill!

What is something that makes you stop reading a book?

Lots! My biggest pet peeve is a book that features an author/writer as a main character. That’s just lazy characterisation and I refuse to read it on principle. (I’ve also not, on glancing through the first few pages of these, found a good one yet).

What books have most influenced your life? Why?

Very similar – if not the same – as the books which made an impression on me in my youth. I believe genre has a far more lasting effect on people than literary works for the most part.

Perhaps Laurell K Hamilton’s series or Naomi Novik’s dragon books have had the most effect on me recently though. They illustrate fantasy ideas brilliant and have characters which are full of life. I truly got sucked into their alternative realities – and wanted to stay!

What book do you think should be made into a movie? Why?

The Naomi Novik series. It’s a better plot than Eragon and has the depth of Tolkein in some ways. History is recreated with fantasy and it’s amazing to read and would work beautifully with a big budget on the big screen.

What would you choose as a superpower? why?

Either mindreading or the ability to live forever. There is not enough time to learn everything about people, their behaviour, how they think, and how the world works. I wish I had more time and ability to gain knowledge.

Describe your perfect reading space.

A vacation spot with dry heat – perhaps poolside in southern Italy or in the Sahara after dark – with something very comfy to lie on, a couple of pillows, some water and some junk food.

If you could spend a day with anyone from history, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would you do? What would you ask them?

I would ask the first person in my family tree with my last name why it was they chose such a strange last name and I’d spend the day learning about my oldest relatives which the records did not record.

What were your top ten books you reviewed for LASR in 2014?

I don’t think I’ve managed to review a full ten books so far this year but here is a list of the ones I really enjoyed:

Cara O Shea’s return by Mackenzie Crowne
Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville
The Gypsy Ribbon by Shannon Macleod
Texas Fandango by Cynthia D’Alba
The Same Mistake Twice by Albert Tucher

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