Katie @ Doing Dewey is a fellow She Reads blogger (which def makes her 50 shades of AWESOME), but even more AWESOME- she is so supportive- and her blog always has some great reviews!

I knew I liked Katie because we’re both She Reads peeps- but reading her 50 Bookish Things Bucket List just put the cherry on the sundae!

 

Bloggers Made of AWESOME: Katie @ Doing Dewey

Katie- when did you begin blogging?

I started blogging in December 2011, during my first semester of grad school.

How did you come up with the name Doing Dewey?

I’d just gotten back into reading since my hiatus in under graduate and I’d discovered that I loved non-fiction a lot more than I remembered. I loved the idea of learning new things on a wide variety of topics and had just read in Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project where she makes a goal of learning about new things, so I decided to try reading my way through the Dewey Decimal system. I started blogging to track my progress, so Doing Dewey seemed appropriate.

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 so 🙂 I know I get so many great recommendations from other book bloggers, I’m never short of new book to pick up. I do think most of my readers are book bloggers, but I suspect that bloggers also reach a lot of non-bloggers through review sites like amazon and goodreads.

When you are not blogging (or reading!)- what do you like to do?

I love photography and would really like to make more time for it than I have been lately. I also enjoying gaming with friends. Recent favorites include Guildwars 2, Payday 2, and Battlefield 4.

Do you have any #literaryconfessions?

I’m pretty sure I didn’t read any Austen until grad school and the gap in my reading experience I’m currently most embarrassed about is not having read anything by Neil Gaiman or Brandon Sanderson. Hopefully I’ll be fixing that soon though 🙂

Do you have a #literarycrush?

You know, the phenomenon of literary crushes is something I’ve never really understood. I’ve very rarely come across a guy I would date in a book (although I think William in Someone Else’s Love Story is probably an exception), but even the swoon-worthiest or most datable guys aren’t something I think about after I finish a book.

What books are you looking forward to reading in 2014?

Oh, all of them, really! I guess the ones I’m most excited about right now are Michio Kaku’s The Future of the Mind; Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers; and The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa.

 

In your opinion, what are the 3 best books of 2013?

I actually have as easy top choice, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. This is one of those books that I wanted to start handing out to people as soon as I finished it! I also loved The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern and The Book Thief, which was one of the only books that has managed to make love it despite making me cry.

You have a beach vacation planned. What are the 3 books that you must bring?

Now that’s just crazy talk. On a beach vacation, I bring at least two non-fiction options, at least two fiction options, and probably a half dozen “light” books like chick lit or thrillers. Then I fill up any space I have leftover with more books. Haha, actually this could be one of my literary confessions – I always, always pack as many books as I have space for, just in case.

Are you an e-book or tree book lover? Or does it not matter?

I will always prefer a tree book, but I’m getting a lot more comfortable reading ebooks. My least favorite thing about ebooks is the lack of finality when I finish one book and move onto another. It feels weird to still be holding the same physical object even though I’ve moved on to a new story!

You are a member of She Reads- an organization that helps women find great books. What is the experience like- helping authors get the word out about books and connecting women with great books?

I love it! For starters, the women such as yourself who pick the books we read must have impeccable taste, because I’ve given 5 stars to every book I’ve read for She Reads. And the author chats on twitter are one of my favorite blogging events. Both the bloggers and the authors have been completely fantastic to interact with.

Do you watch the movies before you read the book? Or vice versa?

The book, if at all possible. I generally expect the book to be better, so I don’t like to have it spoiled for me. Plus it makes me enjoy movies more when I can be excited to see a book I read brought to life.

How do you organize your TBR shelf? Stacks? Nicely organized?

I organize my books that I’ve read and decided I love enough to keep, but my TBR books are just in piles. Fortunately, I only have room for so many piles on my dresser, so my rule is that once that’s full, no more ARCs for me. This makes ebooks somewhat problematic in terms of keeping my TBR pile manageable.

What is a popular book that you were just not that into?

I was completely not impressed by Divergent. I don’t buy that the world would ever end up the way it is in the book and there was a lot of that annoying plot device where people refuse to explain something for no reason but to draw out the story. Especially after the mixed reaction to Allegiant, I don’t plan to continue the series.

If you could be best friends with an author- who would you pick? And why?

I would be best friends with Marianne Morea (http://www.mariannemorea.com/). I recently wrote a review that was mostly positive but included some constructive criticism of her independently published re-telling of the Sleepy Hollow legend, Hollow’s End. She was nice enough to comment on my review and asked me to e-mail her if I had any more specific suggestions. She has generally been a pleasure to communicate with and I’ve got to imagine that anyone who can take criticism so sweetly and try to learn from it has got to be a nice person.

 

Liked Katie @ Doing Dewey? Visit her blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter pages.