My blog just turned one month old! To celebrate, I thought I’d do something really low-stakes for once and do the Book Blogger Newbie Tag. I first encountered the tag on The Bookaholic Dreamer, and thought it’s finally time to introduce my bookworm alter ego on a more personal level to you.
Feel free to share your own answers to these questions in the comments down below. Let’s have a conversation!
1— Why did you start this blog?
I so desperately needed a creative outlet. I learn so many things from books, but with no channel to vent, I ended up doing information dumps on my family everyday. Bless them; they never signed up for that. So, I started this blog!
I also wanted to hone my writing and argumentative skills. I often get told that I put too many ideas in my essays for school, so I wanted to get better at identifying the essential ideas of a text. Writing book reviews seemed perfect for that.
And lastly, being exposed to book blogs and BookTubers has motivated me to read more so I’m hoping to encourage people to read too! Of course, I also hope to find some bookish friends out here on the Internet!
2— What are some fun and unique things you can bring to book blogging?
A book can be interpreted in infinite ways because everyone comes from a particular background, had a particular upbringing, and has their own personality. I’m no different. My upbringing in the Philippines, my gender, my principles, and my socio-economic background, among others, in one way or another inform my opinions.
I mean, it also helps that I study socio-cultural anthropology and human geography at university. My studies equip me to critically contextualize and analyze texts. Anthropology, in particular, is a discipline that investigates the meaning behind people’s stories and what it indicates about a system or a culture. That’s a unique perspective I can bring to book blogging.
By the way, this question totally felt like a job interview. I hope to get a callback from the book goddesses now.
3— What are you most excited for about this new blog?
I’m so excited to be part of the HUGE book community online and to discuss books with fellow bookworms!
4— What challenges in starting a blog do you think will be the hardest to overcome?
Putting out quality articles consistently will definitely be the hardest challenge to overcome. I’m a Type A, so I’m a total perfectionist when it comes to my work. I take whole mornings to write and edit my articles, and then more hours to do administrative and marketing work.
And the thing is, I’m on a gap semester right now, which is how I have all the time in the world to blog. But when I go back to school full-time next month, I know I’ll be super pressed for time. I’ll definitely have to dial my perfectionism down and pace myself if I want to produce quality articles every week without losing my mind.
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5— Why do you love reading?
Mental health — Reading has been SO good to my mental health and emotional stability. Because we think in our heads with words, reading page after page of well-articulated sentences have helped clarify my thinking. And with a more stable mind, it became easier for me to be at peace and to be more sure of myself.
Relaxation — Getting out of my own head is always a welcome escape, so I find it very relaxing to just immerse myself in other people’s problems and experiences!
Education — Stories are such an effective way to learn. You’re able to retain insights better because you’re invested in the characters and the insights are conveyed emotionally. Reading makes for a more impactful learning experience overall.
Empathy — Reading stories is an excellent training in empathy because we’re required to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. We’re required to immerse ourselves wholly in other people’s beliefs, thoughts, and feelings. I can’t think of a better way to teach empathy. And the more books you read, the more you realize that humans from varying geographies, races, cultures, sexualities, and ages are more similar than we think.
6— When did you start reading?
This sounds cliché but it’s true–ever since I can remember. My parents aren’t book readers by any measure, but my mother used to read to me and my siblings every night before bedtime. She has always prioritized our education and learning, which is why she introduced us to books at the earliest age possible. We’d have whole shelves just filled with children’s books.
As we grew into tiny humans, my siblings and I were finally able to read those big picture books on our own. So I started reading books by myself when I was around 5 years old. Thanks, Mom.
7— What book or series got you into reading?
I don’t remember a particular book or series that got me into reading, because I was constantly reading since I was a child. My childhood was like a big blob of Time Life illustrated encyclopedias, Candy Apple, Poison Apple, Geronimo Stilton, Thea Stilton, Nancy Drew, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Dork Diaries.
Of course, I went to school, played sports, and napped when I was a child too. Relax.
8— What kind of books do you like to read?
Right now, I mostly read literary fiction, classics, contemporary, historical fiction, romance, and all sorts of nonfiction books. I generally gravitate towards books that explore the intricacies of the human condition, introduce me to a way of life that’s vastly different from mine, or present a thoughtful commentary on society.
But you know, these are just my preferences. I’m really open to reading any book as long as it seems interesting to me!
You can recommend me books to review by emailing me at alyannadeniseblog@gmail.com or using my Contact form.
9— Where do you read?
I mostly read on my bed or at my desk, but I can pretty much read anywhere as long as it’s quiet. None of my brain cells can concentrate if there’s too much noise around me.
In terms of the medium, I alternate between reading physical books and reading on my Kindle Paperwhite. I read almost all of my nonfiction books on Kindle because the highlight feature on it is so helpful to gather information.
Only if a book’s particularly hard to get through do I listen to the audiobook alongside reading the book. Otherwise, I don’t. I always take note of beautifully written sentences, and it’s way more difficult to catch those in audio form.
10— What questions would you ask your favorite authors?
There are only very few authors from whom I’ve read multiple books of so far. Out of that limited pool, my favorite authors would have to be Jane Austen, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sally Rooney, and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Their commentaries on the intersection between societal forces and interpersonal relationships are so eye-opening and sharp. So I want to ask them if they think wider societal forces, particularly culture, impact human connection to a large extent and why. As a socio-cultural anthropology student, I too am very interested in this question.
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So that’s a little introduction to my reading history and habits. Thanks so much for reading, and share your answers if you have any in the comments!
— Alyanna
Reading is such a great escape! I’ve been enjoying reading your book reviews and the length of your articles are just right for me. It kind of reminds me of Reese’s book club – Reese’s Book Club although I like your perspective better. Unfortunately I don’t have much time to read for pleasure these days, but your book reviews make me want to get back into it. Keep them coming!
Awwww thank you so much!! I really needed that encouragement 😀