Jen @ The Relentless Reader- I have Allison @ The Book Wheel and Rebecca @ Love At First Book to thank for introducing me to Jen H. Why is Jen @ The Relentless Reader AWESOME? She recommends good books, she’s funny on Twitter and she’s all about trying to make the blogger experience better for others (ex: she’s totally not a fan of CAPTCHA and presents good reasons why!)
Bloggers Made of AWESOME: Jen H @ The Relentless Reader
Jennifer- when did you begin blogging?
June 28, 2012. I recently celebrated my one year blogoversary!
How did you come up with the name The Relentless Reader?
I considered SO many names (Wisconsin Word Nerd, etc.). I asked friends and family for advice and posted a HELP ME PICK A BLOG NAME status on my personal Facebook page. But now I can’t remember where in the world the name came from. It definitely fits my personality though.
What are your thoughts on blogging today in an ever-changing book-ish world? Are blogs helping other readers connect with good books?
I certainly hope we are! I love helping people find a great book, it’s one of the reasons that I love to blog. I know that other bloggers help me find fab books to read. Thanks to them my tbr pile is ridiculous!
When you are not blogging (or reading!)- what do you like to do?
I love spending time with my kids. They are 21, 15, & 13. Their favorite thing is avoiding their nerdy mother. So, the whole hanging out thing doesn’t happen often 😉
Also, I like to find a series on Netflix and watch it obsessively for 3 days in a row.
Do you have a #literarycrush?
Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. SWOON!
In your opinion, what book has been the best book you have read (so far!) in 2013?
Oh man, this is so hard to answer. 2013 has been packed with great books so far! One fiction that has stuck in my mind is A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra. Is it my favorite of the year? Perhaps! I’ve also read some incredible nonfiction including The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
You have a beach vacation planned. What are the 3 books that you must bring?
My summer reading doesn’t look much different from any other season. But if I HAD to pick just a few favorites they would be:
To Kill a Mockingbird (Have I mentioned how swoon-worthy Atticus is?)
The Catcher in the Rye (Yes, I love me some whiny teenage Holden)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
(This list is subject to change on a daily basis)
Are you an e-book or tree book lover? Or does it not matter?
I think I’ll always like tree books better. With that said, I’m glad that I have a Kindle. I held out on buying one for a long time with some misguided idea of SAVING REAL BOOKS.
How do you find other blogs to read? Recommendations of other bloggers?
When I first started blogging I had a heck of a time finding bloggers with the same reading tastes and sensibilities as mine. I thought for sure that YA book blogs were the only ones that existed! They aren’t my thing. (No hate mail, please!) I finally found a few that I loved and then stalked their blogrolls like a crazy lady. Since then I’ve found the best blogs in the land. I don’t want to name favorites though, that’s like naming my favorite child! BAD IDEA.
Jen H @ The Relentless Reader: Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest.
Yay! Just love Jennifer.
Jen is great! Thank you for stopping by!
Thanks Andi! 😀
Thanks a billion for the feature my friend! 😀
You are 100% welcome! 🙂
Yay! I’m a big fan / bloggy-twitter-facebook friend of Jen, too! She is indeed awesome! I like the “Atticus” answer, too. He’s a good man. 🙂
Me too! Love talking to Jen, as well! Atticus Finch gets mentioned quite a bit for the #literarycrush question!
And thanks for stopping by (and following me!)
Thanks darlin’!! Oh Atticus…how I wish he were real.
I definitely like Relentless Reader better than Wisconsin Word Nerd, LOL! 🙂
And hell yes, Atticus is totally swoon-worthy. And I love that name, Atticus. Great to learn a little bit more about you Jen!
The Relentless Reader is perfect name! Thank you for stopping by!
Ha ha! You no like Wisconsin Word Nerd?? I thought that was near brilliant, lol.
I want to name something Atticus. I should just have another baby so I can. Ha ha ha ha. NO.
I felt the same way when I started looking for book blogs with similar interests. LOL
Loved reading this!! Definitely agree you are a blogger made of awesome!
Thank you for stopping by! I was so glad when I found Jen’s blog through a mutual set of blogger friends!
Right?? I felt like I’d fell down the YA rabbit hole, lol. Thanks so much Monika 😀
Nice! I love finding a series and watching it obsessively for days in a row too!!!
Isn’t that the best feeling? 🙂
Orange is the New Black is my latest obsession. Oh wait, make that past tense. I finished it today. 😉
Great interview! And yeeah. My TBR is so crazy at the moment–not even really a list more than random pieces of paper everywhere and Evernotes. A big jumbly mess!
Thank you! I think all of our TBR piles are like that. So crazy!
A big jumbly mess, ha ha! I totally hear you Nikki! I’m working at getting these piles under control. Of course I’ve been working on it for a long time. I do think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though 😉
I am another fan of Jennifer’s; I don’t have the same exact taste as hers, but oh boy, I love to “pick through” her blog and discover some great titles. She doesn’t just recycle same titles as everyone else on memes. As someone else who doesn’t read YA, (well I do maybe a couple times a month, only if it’s fantasy or dystopian) I appreciate the informative reviews. So thanks for featuring her today.
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by and commenting! I’m working hard to feature blogs that I really like with interesting people!
Oh my word Rita, you are so sweet 😀 Thank you so much for saying such nice thing! I’m all blushy 😉
Always knew you were awesome! But seriously – how do you have a 21 year old??? You look like a baby 😉 (this coming from the woman who has a 10 year old!)
🙂 I know, right?! When she told me had a 21y/o, I was like “what??????!” There must be something in that Wisconsin water keeping her young 😉
There must be!
I thought nearly the same thing, my initial reaction was like “what, did she have that baby when she was ten?”. 😉
You are my new favorite person 😉 I’ll be 40 in February, ack. To save you from doing the math I’ll tell you that I had my oldest daughter when I was 17. So, watch your p’s & q’s kids! Teenage pregnancy is no joke. It happens to the best of us.
I can laugh about it now, but it was CRAZY HARD at the time. 😉
You still don’t look old enough 🙂
Skipping Wisconsin Word Nerd was a good move. The Relentless Reader is a good choice, you read more than most people I know, even in the blogging world – impressive!
Totally agree. She picked the best name! Thanks for stopping by!
I’m pretty darn fond of the name. I’m glad I didn’t pick something that I regretted 2 months later 😉
Great interview. I have to agree, Jen is awesome!
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by!
Thanks Melissa 😀 Big ol’ grin over here!
I love my Jen at Relentless Reader whether she’s from Wisconsin or not. I can overlook that. 😉
🙂 🙂 Thank you for stopping by!
Ha ha ha! 😉 It’s cute how jealous you are of my WisconsinAwesomeness, lol. I miss you by the way!
Great interview ladies! Jennifer, I didn’t know you had a 21 year old! And I know what you mean, at first I thought YA book blogs were the only ones that existed too.
Thanks! And thanks for stopping by!
I was so bummed at first, I couldn’t find my people! I’m so glad that I finally did 😀
I love me some Jen! She is seriously FULL OF AWESOME. Wahoo!
Thank you for stopping by! And yes, I totally agree about Jen 🙂
And you are CERTIFIED AWESOME 😀 Thanks girly!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jen. She’s amazing. And, one of the first bloggers I started to follow (she was the first I found who didn’t review YA). I totally thought she’d been blogging for years when I found her – I had no idea she was a mere three weeks more experienced.
Awww Allison 😀 Thank you so much! There are a few of us that have come up at the same time and I’ve never met such supportive people 🙂
I KNOW! I’d thought Jen been blogging since the dawn of blogging time- she’s found a supportive crowd- and I’ve been able to find more blogs to add to Bloglovin thanks to her!
I thought this about all of you when I found Allison and then Jen, Rebecca, and Leah through her. I was shocked when all the one year blogoversaries started popping up!
I would read your blog under any name 🙂 Also, I love that Atticus Finch is your literary crush! That’s the first time I’ve heard him as an answer to that question and cannot get over how completely superior he is to any of the more frequently mentioned YA male leads,
Thank you!! 😀 Atticus Finch is a MAN with a strong moral compass. Does he have rippling muscles? I have no idea, nor do I care. I love him for his mind 😀
I love Jennifer’s gifs! A very memorable blogger who has taken blog-world by storm. I hope it was one of my blogroll’s that she stalked (since so few of us still have a blogroll) I really can’t believe the blog is only a baby still.
The Relentless Reader is perfect blog name, too.
I’m loving reading all the replies about Jen- ya’ll are super supportive of her AWESOME-ness! Thank you for stopping by!
Thanks! I’m sure your blogroll was on of those that I stalked 😉 Now I kinda want to go stalk it again, lol.
Jen is one of my favourites and I love her blog and taste in books.
Thank you, thank you Melinda 😀
She really does have great taste, doesn’t she? Thanks for stopping by!
Great post T- I love The Relentless Reader!! It’s nice to find another blogger with a similar taste in books.
Thanks so much 🙂 Jen H has made my blog POP! Ya’ll love you some Jen 🙂
Thanks Kerri 🙂 You’re a sweetheart. And you have AWESOME taste is books, lol.
*In* books even. 😉
Fun interview. I look to Jen for her thoughts on books I am considering.
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by!
Thanks Nicole, I had a good time answering these questions 🙂
Wow, so many comments already, but I still need to chime in on Jen’s awesome book blogging and commenting! It’s hard to believe she’s such a blogging baby. Extremely precocious and always reading the latest books so I know what to watch for!
Yes! Thank you for stopping by and commenting- I know Jen is feeling the love from all you great followers of hers (I’m LOVING how supportive you all have been!) TY!
Oh and TY for the follow- totally appreciate it!
Great profile! So fun to learn more about you. I kinda like Wisconsin Word Nerd …
TY! and thanks for stopping by!
Me too 😉 I might do something with that one of these days!
I thought the only book blogs were YA forever too. I’ve just started figuring out blogrolls and love making my own community of readers who love the same type of books as me. Oh and I love that you put gifs in some of your posts. They always make me laugh. You are one of my favorite blogs. Keep up the awesome work, Jennifer!
Thanks so much Rhiannon! I have so much fun finding and using gifs 😉
I like this interview! And I completely agree that it takes awhile to find like-minded readers…I am not a YA blog or reader, either, although I have “tasted” a few. But I survived my own teen years and those of my kids…and I don’t want to revisit that time! LOL
Thank you! And yes- it does take some time to find the like-minded readers- BUT when you do, it’s so worth it!
Ha ha, such a great point Laurel! I don’t want to revisit those years a whole lot either 😉 Thanks for visiting here!
Great interview, you two! Jen, you don’t look nearly old enough to have a child 21 — just sayin’. Loved that you love Atticus Finch too. SWOON. Does it have anything to do with Gregory Peck in the movie? Seriously, I love your reviews, your blog, and your sense of humor. And I hate Captcha!
Thank you! I’m so glad everyone is enjoying the AWESOME-ness of Jen!
😀 Thanks a million Sherrey! I’m sure Peck’s portrayal of Atticus didn’t hurt my opinion of the character, lol.