Portobello Book Blog

Today I’m pleased to welcome Wendy from Little Bookness Lane as this week’s Blogger in the Spotlight. You can find Wendy’s blog here: littlebooknesslane.wordpress.com

Thanks for agreeing to be part of my Blogger in the Spotlight feature. First of all, would you tell me a little about yourself?

I’m born and bred in the Heart of the Black Country. By day I wear my office manager cape and my secret powers include: rectifying the company’s IT problems and ensuring there’s an everlasting supply of staff loo roll. Of course, these important tasks don’t leave as much time as I’d like for reading, but a girl’s got to earn a crust.

My younger self saw me devouring the entire school library and cataloguing the junior’s section, but I fell a little out of love with reading as I got older, simply dipping in and out depending on my mood.

Although I don’t own a bookcase my nephew begrudgingly allows me to tidy his shelves and arrange his books in accordance to size and genre, raising a questioning eyebrow at my attention to detail. I also own a soprano saxophone and I can murder the first bar of ‘Fly me to the moon’, after which I need a good lie down.

What books/authors did you enjoy as a child?

I can’t say I had a favourite author, tending to read whatever took my fancy including: The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl, Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper and I am David by Anne Holm.

What made you want to start blogging?

The honest answer is I desperately wanted to do something positive to try and improve my memory, which has been quite shocking over the last few years. I’m afraid my recall is a little patchy in places. Sadly, I can’t remember some of the books I’ve read in the past.

So last year I joined Twitter to look out for recommendations based on other people’s experiences.  At first I struggled to concentrate. The more I read, the easier it became. When I took the time to review these books via Amazon I realised it got easier still and I found I loved putting my thoughts in writing.

It wasn’t until I began reading all manner of book blogs in awe that I even considered creating my own back in March, wondering if it would help. It was a nerve-racking decision, but I’m so happy I plucked up the courage as I no longer have a hundred and three post-it notes to remove from a book when I’ve finished it!

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

I’m thrilled when an author or publisher contacts me via the blog and trusts me to provide a review for their ‘baby’. As a result, I’ve read some amazing books and without the blog I may have never discovered them. I can only hope visitors enjoy reading the posts as much as I loved creating them. It’s a lovely feeling when someone shares – the generous nature of people in this community never fails to make me smile.

Tell me about your blog – sell yourself!

My blog is called Little Bookness Lane. I’m not afraid to give any book a whirl, although I’m not too crazy about romance. Quirky works for me, something a little bit different. Humour, mystery and suspense, and twisty psychological crimes are all right up my street (or Little Bookness Lane).

What’s your favourite book you’ve reviewed so far this year? Or favourite three if you really can’t choose.

There are a few epic ones that have certainly earned their 5 star rating. Alas, the one that broke my system was Evil Games, by Angela Marsons. Not only is this series set in my neck of the woods, it’s a cracking read (or bostin as we say round here). The rating was 6/5.

What are you reading just now?

That would be Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon, by David Barnett.  It’s early days but so far Charles Darwin has crashed the Mayflower and appears to be marooned in Jurassic Park, while being kept alive by feeding a furnace in his abdomen with tiny offerings of coal.

Tell me about your reading habits:  book or kindle, bed or bath, morning or evening?

‘Real’ books would always be my first choice, there’s just something magical about them.  As a work during the day I tend to do most of my reading in the evening. Although for review purposes I read quicker on Kindle, plus the backlight is great for reading in bed. But my favourite place of all would be lounging in the garden, with a big mug of tea and a packet of giant chocolate buttons for company. Definitely not the bath, I’m far too clumsy!

How can people follow your blog or connect with you on social media?

I review over at: http://www.littlebooknesslane.wordpress.com.  It’s easy to follow on WordPress by clicking the button in the panel on the right hand side, or anyone can follow via email. You can also find me on Twitter @BooknessLane.

And finally, if you could be a character in any book you have read, who would it be and why?

Ooooh, may I be Sherlock Holmes please? The reason?  Surely that’s elementary!