Over the summer, Meredith @ Pandora’s Books and I “met” on Twitter. Both having won a book from Publishing Agency XYZ- and neither receiving them- we started chatting on Twitter and promising the other when/if the book arrived to contact each other. While the book never did arrive, we kept in touch. Meredith, being a YA blogger, and myself being more of a women’s fiction blogger- you would think we don’t have much in common- but I’ve been so impressed with watching her support other bloggers- that she’s become a person I like to check in on from time to time- even though I don’t read YA that much.

 

Bloggers Made of AWESOME: Meredith @ Pandora’s Books

Meredith- when did you begin blogging?

I started blogging on June 24, 2013

 

How did you come up with the name Pandora’s Books?

I really love Greek Mythology and the story of Pandora’s Box is one of my favorites. I thought it was a fun play on words!

 

What are your thoughts on blogging today in an ever-changing book-ish world? Are blogs helping other readers connect with good books?

I think blogs are great. They help readers connect with books that they might have otherwise never heard of. I know, personally, I’ve gotten a ton of book recommendations from fellow bloggers in the last four months. Had it not been for blogging, there are authors I never would have even heard of.

 

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

I’m a huge animal lover, so I love playing with my dog. I don’t watch a lot of television, but when I do, it’s usually on Netflix or DVD – old shows that I loved growing up and that are now off the air. Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, Roswell, Angel, Sabrina the Teenage Witch – Basically, every 90s teen show you can think of (and some early-2000 shows, too). I also love to write, so I do that when I can!

 

Do you have any #literaryconfessions?

I don’t know if this is really a confession or not.. But I didn’t like Harry Potter when it first came out. My friend tried to get me to read The Sorcerer’s Stone, but I found the first chapter so dull! I also hated the hype around it, so I sneered at the idea of reading it. And then my 6th grade teacher started reading them to us at snack time. At first, I ignored it and read my own book at my desk. But I would catch snippets of what she was reading and slowly, oh so slowly, I got pulled in and it got to a point where I was the first person to rush over, waiting for her to start reading every day. And then I was just hooked. Now it’s one of my favorite series of all time. I’m so thankful my teacher decided to read them to us. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know when – if ever – I would have given Harry Potter a chance.

 

Do you have a #literarycrush?

I had no idea what people meant when they talked about Book Boyfriends until I read Splintered by A.G. Howard and was introduced to Morpheus *Swoons!* He is totally and completely my #literarycrush, hands down!

 

What books are you looking forward to reading in 2014?

Oh gosh, so many! Burning Kingdoms by Lauren DeStefano, Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott, The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa, Magnolia Springs by Kristi Cook, Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard. Rachel Harris has at least two coming out in 2014 I can’t wait for, and Heather Lyons has at least two coming out, as well. I could go on – there are so many amazing books coming out next year!

 

What is a book (or 2!) that you’ve read and LOVED- but did not get positive reviews?

I really enjoyed The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White. I read some pretty awful reviews about it. When I first started reading it, I could get why people weren’t crazy about it and I wasn’t crazy about it either. But the second half of the book was amazing and I stand by the 4-star rating I gave it.

 

In your opinion, what book has been the best book you have read  in 2013?

Definitely Shadowlands by Kate Brian. I read it way back in January… And it is STILL my favorite. The ending was insane and I did NOT see it coming. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. I’ve been a fan of Kate Brian for a long time now and I’ve read almost everything she’s written – both her Private series and Privileged series – and Shadowlands was my all-time favorite book from her.

 

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

Pivot Point by Kasie West, Unhinged by A.G. Howard and The Collector by Victoria Scott – I haven’t read any of these yet and they are ALL on my immediate TBR.

 

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

Tree book lover, all the way! While I have occasionally purchased eBooks and I’d never say no to an eARC or a review book in eBook format, I still much prefer being able to hold a book in my hand and flip the pages.

 

How do you find other blogs to read? Recommendations of other bloggers?

Pretty much every single blog I’ve found, I’ve found through Twitter. I’ve been on Twitter for years, way before I started blogging. I would just tweet about the books I loved and chat with my favorite authors, people would follow me, I’d follow others. I followed and “met” a lot of bloggers about a month before I made the decision to blog. And the blogs I follow have expanded from there. But it’s always through Twitter and usually at the recommendation of other bloggers or authors.

 

Meredith, you are a YA Book Blogger. Do you find yourself interacting the most with other YA book bloggers or do you like to mix it up and chat with bloggers who focus on non-YA books?

For the most part, I seem to gravitate toward other YA bloggers. Not intentionally, but since I follow a lot of YA authors and I read mostly YA, I seem to find other YA bloggers through my current friends. I’ve met a few bloggers who do a little bit of everything (some YA, some NA and some adult) and I’ve seen a few bloggers around who do just NA. I think I’ve interacted the least with full-time adult book bloggers.

 

What is the best thing about the book- the cover, the first line or the last line?

Hmm. That’s a tough question! Because, the cover is usually what draws me to a book and the first line is a big part of what makes me buy it – Whenever I pick a book up in the bookstore, I always have to read the entire first page. This is BAD when buying the second book in a series when I haven’t read the first book, as that first page can often have spoilers for book one. But it’s just one of those book buying quirks I can’t help! So, I guess I’d have to say the best part is the cover, because if the cover doesn’t demand attention, I won’t even pick the book up!

 

What is a book that you’ve wanted to read, but just haven’t found the time?

That’s such a long list and it’s so hard to narrow it down. If I REALLY had to pick just one, though, I’d have to say Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead. I’m a HUGE Richelle Mead fan and I’ve read and loved everything she has done – except Gameboard. I really want to read it as soon as possible!

 

Liked reading about Meredith @ Pandora’s Books? Check her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads pages out!