Portobello Book Blog

I’m delighted to welcome Rachel as my Blogger in the Spotlight today. We seem to have quite similar tastes in books and I very much enjoy reading her blog which you can find here: Rachel’s Random Reads. I particularly like her weekly feature where she allows her followers to choose a read for her!

Thanks for taking part Rachel. To begin can you tell me what books/authors did you enjoy as a child?

I remember loving Enid Blyton as a child, specifically her Malory Towers, Twins at St Clares and Naughtiest Girl in the School books, as well as the Faraway Tree. As a lover of school stories, I then moved onto Sweet Valley Twins, and then Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley University (which I was the supplier of for my class at school!). Also loved reading The Babysitter’s Club and Point Romance.

What made you want to start blogging?

I had been taking part in some review challenge just on goodreads, and after the third or fourth person suggested I start a blog, and I ran out of perfectly valid excuses, I figured why not.

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

I love almost everything about blogging, especially the online community of authors and bloggers which is all very friendly. I’m still getting a thrill every time I get a book ahead of publication, and I love being able to be amongst the first to read some titles and share my opinions on them.

Tell me about your blog – sell yourself!

Well my blog is Rachel’s Random Reads and it mainly features daily posts with a mix of reviews and guest posts. However it does also have two exclusive weekly features:

Rachel Reads Randomly which is where I randomise a selection of my TBR pile and get my followers to pick which of those books I should read that week, and then I post the review and new selection the following Monday. I struggle to choose books and to justify reading non review books, so this way I get to read things that are being recommended and feel guilt free!

Truth or Lie? Is my newest feature and its probably best described as a game show. The contestant (usually an author or blogger) answers 14 interview questions, which one small twist. They have to lie about 3 of the answers, and then everyone has to guess which the lies are. Once a month I tally up who has guessed the most correctly to win a paperback of their choice, and reveal the true answers to the questions.

I also periodically run feature weeks on my blog, where I go guest post, review and giveaway mad on a theme of my choice. So far I’ve had a Cornish week, Carina Christmas, Paris Weekend, RNA Nominations Week and I’m currently in the midst of organising my Greek Week for the end of May.

What’s your favourite book you’ve reviewed in the past year? Or favourite three if you really can’t choose.

What sort of question is that? 1 Favourite, 3 favourites? Either way its almost impossible to say especially since I love the majority of the books I read.

Top 3 since you insist would possibly include Our Song by Dani Atkins, Another Love by Amanda Prowse, Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris and that is arguably my top 3 from January and February this year!

What are you reading just now? 

The Girl Who Lied by Sue Fortin – May 2016

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

I prefer my kindle but will read paperbacks too. Hardbacks or thick paperbacks I tend to find feel like bricks and it takes a lot of motivation for me to want to pick them up and read! I can read at any times of the day, but at time of writing, I have a 90 mins each way commute 3 days a week to work, so spend a lot of that either reading and or sleeping!

Will often collapse on the sofa at home and read, and will sometimes take my kindle to bed with me.

My favourite place to read is on a sunbed by a pool on holiday, if anyone can fix it for me to do that permanently I would be very happy!

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

My blog can be found at http://rachelsrandomreads.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/gilbster1000

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/gilbster1000/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5801320-rachel-gilbey

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

It would be any of the heroines in Aven Ellis’ books as I tend to fall in love with her male leads every single time without fail, and would love to experience the true love that her characters always have.  Failing that I will just wait for her next release and a new book boyfriend!