Portobello Book Blog

I’m very pleased to welcome Lorraine to my Blogger Spotlight today. She blogs at The Book Review Cafe and has a great feature running just now Top Five Thursday – make sure you check it out. Thanks for agreeing to be part of my Blogger in the Spotlight feature. First of all, would you tell me a little about yourself? 

Hi I’m Lorraine, born and bred in a small village on the outskirts of Bristol and married to my childhood sweetheart Andy we have one son, whose married. I’m the wrong side of 50, but you know what they say? 50 is the new 40 right! I’ve spent my whole adult life working with people with mental health problems, a grand total of 33 years! So mental health awareness is a subject close to my heart. Family are also a very important part of my life, followed by books. I have always been an avid reader and especially love crime and psychological thrillers.  

What books/authors did you enjoy as a child?

The first books I can remember reading were Enid Blyton, I especially loved The Famous Five, Miss Pepperpot by Alf Proyson and The Borrowers by Mary Norton, even back then I was an avid reader and spent all my pocket money on books. 

What made you want to start blogging?

Last year I was off work for 3 months with a hand injury, I spent the time reading one book after another and posting my reviews to Amazon, but I soon got bored and decided to fill my time by creating a book blog, so after much research, tweaking and lots of swearing (I’m not particularly technology minded) The Book Review Café was born. I didn’t really think about where it would lead, I just thought I could have a personal record of the books I really enjoyed all in one place. 

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

Everything! I never thought in a million years that publishers and authors would contact me to ask me to review their books, I love the fact authors want me to review their “book baby” and trust me enough to give an honest review. I also find it a real privilege to get ARC’s and I always get a thrill to think I’m reading books that haven’t been released yet. I also love it when a quote from one of my reviews is used in a book, it always feel surreal, and I just have to share it with anyone and everyone. I also love the fact the blogger community is such a friendly one and everyone’s really supportive, I have never met any of my fellow bloggers but they feel like friends I’ve known forever. 

Tell me about your blog – sell yourself!

I’m so proud of The Book Review Café it has gone from strength to strength over the 11 months I’ve been blogging, I never really thought anyone would read my reviews let alone follow my blog! I mostly review crime and psychological thrillers, but every now and then I throw in something random. I do numerous book tours, guest posts and I also have a large number of author interviews on my site including Robert Bryndza, Lisa Hall and Dreda Say Mitchell. I like to think my reviews are honest but fair, it’s a blog is for anyone who loves books and is looking for something new to read. I mostly only read and review books I know I’m going to enjoy so I tend to rave about them! 

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

Oh this is a hard one, that’s like asking a mother to choose her favourite child, so can I  go with my favourite four books?

The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza 

Portraits Of The Dead by John Nicholl

Tick Tick Boom by J S Caroll ( this ones not out yet, but I got a early ARC)

All Fall Down by Tom Bale 

What are you reading just now? 

Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra  August 2016

I’m loving this book so far, a very original plot with plenty of suspense thrown in. 

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

I read when ever I can, as I work shifts this can sometimes make it difficult to fit in any reading time! I can’t read in bed unfortunately as I can never get comfortable, and I wouldn’t  dare read my kindle in the bath I’m so accident prone I would probably drop it into the bath! I mostly read books on my kindle,  but every now and then I crave a real book, fortunately I have a whole book shelf of “waiting to be read books” (and I still buy more to add to it!) so I will read one of them when I need a real book fix. I’m starting a new job and a diploma, and a management course next month, and I’m getting really anxious about how much time I will have spare to read and review books. 

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

Twitter: @reviewcafe 

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/thebookreviewcafe/

Blog: http://thebookreviewcafe.com

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

Hmmm that’s a hard one I think I would make a good kick ass detective, I’ve read so many crime books I’m sure I would solve a case quickly 😀 so I would say Erika Foster the detective in Robert Bryndza’s crime series as she’s determined, tenacious and passionate about her job, and always gets results.