Bloggers Made of AWESOME: Jen H @ The Relentless Reader

Literary Friday ya’ll…..

It’s Friday- I don’t know about where ya’ll are- but we’ve been having some nice days. Good breezes. Not as high humidity (my hair says a big THANK YOU!)

 

1. This week, I’ll be posting about 2 weeks of #literaryfriday from Deep South Mag! August 16th’s #literaryfriday is all about some Best Debuts of 2000- I see some #southernlit writers that made that list!  Also talk of the AJC Decatur Book Festival, literary colleges and more!

Last week’s #literaryfriday: Joshilyn Jackson & Pinterest, Interview with Ashton Lee (interviewed by yours truly 😉 and Lucy Burdette news (among other things!)

 

2. Book Lovers Unite online book club is reading The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers- week 2 questions have been posted! Book-alicious Mama is announcing September Book Lovers Unite pick today- and she has a good one!

 

3. Rita Leganski took some time off from her busy schedule and stopped by Traveling With T to talk about The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow this week!

 

4. Bloggers Made Of AWESOME feature had a new AWESOME blogger: Jen H @ The Relentless Reader. Read on for her #literarycrush! I won’t reveal- but on Twitter she said “does he have manly muscles? I don’t know and I don’t care! I love him for his MIND!”

 

5. Two new reviews posted this week on Traveling With T: Speak of the Devil by Allison Leotta and The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop and Café by Mary Simses!

 

6. Traveling With T has 2 (count them, 2!) giveaways this week! Both end Monday night, the 19th, at 11:59pmEST- Brenda Janowitz is giving away her first 2 books: Scot on the Rocks and Jack With a Twist  AND Courtney Miller Santo is giving away The Roots of the Olive Tree!

 

7. Don’t forget: Twitter chat with Kathleen Tessaro about The Perfume Collector– Monday, 8/19 8pmEST! Use #srbkchat to join in! Here is the Twubs room for #srbkchat

 

8. What is your #fridayreads? Mine are: Hotshot by Julie Garwood, Whistlin’ Past The Graveyard by Susan Crandall, The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster, The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro and The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers!

 

9. Psst….. Check out Traveling With T next week- another giveaway is coming up!

 

Happy Reading!

Bloggers Made of AWESOME: Jen H @ The Relentless Reader

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.