BOOKS E t MAGAZINE
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MAY 2020
SPECIAL THANKS TO: CO - EDITOR Jayse @itsmejayse FRONT COVER Amy Jane @amy_janereads CONTRIBUTORS: Tamika @paperbackandflickchick Blue @bluefairytales_ Jayse @itsmejayse Judy Lawler MAY GIVEAWAY WINNERS: Sienna (The Literary Wick) Khushi (Heart of a Crown)
Copyright © 2020 Books Etc Magazine All rights reserved, material in Books Etc Magazine is protected under the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968. No material may be reproduced in part thereof or in whole without written consent from the copyright holders. Copyright responsibility for supplied material rests with the provider. The opinions expressed in Books Etc Magazine are those of individual contributors and not necessarily those of its editors and publishers. Every attempt is made for accuracy, however information and figures contained in this magazine have been provided to us by the advertisers and their sources. No warranty is given by Books Etc Magazine as to the accuracy of any figures or information contained in this magazine. Perspective purchasers are urged to rely on their own enquiries.
A letter from the Editor Greetings Book Lovers! We have now made it to the halfway mark of the year and boy, it’s been a shocking first half. I can only cross my fingers and hope we make a big come back in the second half. With that in mind, I am reluctant to announce that this will be my last issue. I will be stepping away from the magazine and the reins over to a trusted friend and brilliant instagrammer, Jayse. Due to health reasons I cannot continue to act as editor for the magazine and while it breaks my heart to do so, I really need to take a break from bookstagram. I have been so fortunate to meet some amazing people and the support from yourself and others has meant the world to me. Which is why I needed to hand the magazine over to someone else, because you deserve quality content and nothing half assed. I have appreciated all your comments, follows and support. It means everything to me, and I could not have had the chance to live my dream job if it hadn’t been for all the encouragement and time people have shared with me. Thank you so much and I will never forget the lifelong friends I have made over the last two years. I hope you enjoy this month’s issue and I know that this magazine will flourish in the hands of our trusted contributors. Until next we meet, happy reading!
- Nicky K
Editor and Creator
BOOKS E t MAGAZINE
W W W. B O O K S E TC M A G A Z I N E . CO M . AU
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> Contents We are so excited to show you what we have in store for our June issue. Be sure to catch our amazing interview with Maria Lewis, as well as some creative tips and tricks for styling your bookshelves. We also caught up with Ang from Book Lover Boutique and grilled her all about her business and bookstagram.
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Review of Bin Chicken & There’s No Such Thing.
Review of Evie & Pog by Tania McCartney.
Review of Hold Back The Tide by Melinda Salisbury
CHILDRENS BOOK REVIEW
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MIDDLE GRADE REVIEW
YA REVIEW
INTERVIEW
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ROMANCE REVIEW
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We sit down with Maria Lewis and chat about her new Podcast.
Review of Crushing It by Lorelei Parker.
We find out what publishers want from their reviewers.
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ARTICLE; PUBLISHERS
TIPS & TRICKS
FANTASY REVIEW
BLUE RANTS
Need some ideas on how to style your shelves - we’ve got you covered!
Review of Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna.
Periods; why is talking about it such a taboo?
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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT We sit down with the lovely Ang from Book Lover Boutique.
BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE JUNE 2020 EDITION INSTAGRAM @booksetc_mag FACEBOOK facebook.com/booksetcmagazine
REVIEW - CHILDRENS
SYNOPSIS: Diving in dumpsters, traipsing through trash! Rummaging through rubbish, making a splash! 'Revolting!' they snort, starting to sicken, 'Trash Turkey! Dumpster Duck! BIN CHICKEN!' One bird's trash is another bird's treasure-find out why the ibis is the queen of the rubbish pile!
BY NICKY( @ CR E 8 IVE.NICKY )
Bin Chickens. Is there anything more iconic and Australian then the magnificent (and slightly terrifying) Ibis? I lived in a neighbourhood that was frequented by Bin Chickens and I was always careful to give them a healthy distance as they absolutely destroyed our bins. Even though they are a complete menace and we’ve all shaken our fists at them from time to time, there is something badass about an Ibis – even if we’ve given them the most ridiculous name. In BIN CHICKEN, Kate and Jol Temple have perfectly captured the essence and identity of the clever Ibis. As you follow the early beginnings of the Ibis in Egypt to its trash diving days current society, you suddenly realise how awesome the story on an Ibis is. Even though all the other birds mock the Bin Chicken and taunt them for the scavenging ways, you realise that the Ibis doesn’t care one bit. She’s a perfect example of how animals adapt to new environments. BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
She holds her head high and tells her little fluffy chicks that they are survivors and that they should be proud of themselves for being different from the other birds. I was surprised by how much it struck a deep cord inside me. Now I am starting to look at the infamous Bin Chickens with more respect. With perfectly crafted illustrations, BIN CHICKEN is sure to delight young minds. There are hidden little jokes through the pages, one being the signs that some of the birds carry and the little mice who love the Bin Chickens. This book is sure to be read more than once in any household. Delightful and thoughtful, BIN CHICKEN is a must have for any Aussie child’s bookshelf.
/5
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REVIEW - CHILDRENS
SYNOPSIS: Bear can't sleep. Did you hear that? Did you feel that? What was it? It wasn't a hungry giant or a blood-sucking spider or a fire-breathing dragon because there is NO SUCH THING... Is there?
BY NI CKY (@CRE8IVE.NICKY )
It’s almost a rite of passage that every kid goes through the afraid of the dark phase. At age 3 I suddenly had to sleep with the hallway light on in order to fall asleep. This may or may have to do with the fact that I snuck a glance over the back of the couch at a horror movie my parents were watching one night when they thought I had gone to sleep. (I still cannot watch The Poltergeist to this day!). If you have a child that is going through the scared of the dark stage, then this is the perfect book to reassure them with. Bear has never been camping before and is afraid of the dark. As he lies awake, he imagines all the horrible scary things lurking outside his tent, like blood sucking spiders or fire breathing dragons, but Ted is there to reassure him that there is no such thing and he is safe.
BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
With adorable and fun illustrations, THERE’S NO SUCH THING is an essential Heidi McKinnon book to add to your collection. Even the scary monsters Bear imagines are cute and non-threatening, so this is perfect for young minds.
/5 Other titles by this author:
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REVIEW - MIDDLE GRADE
SYNOPSIS: High in a tree house live two very best friends. Evie and Pog. A girl and a dog. Evie is six years old. She likes reading and baking and rolling on the daisy-spot grass. Pog is a pug. He is two and likes to drink tea and read the newspaper. He also likes fixing things. But most of all, Evie and Pog love to have fun - especially at parties! Join them for three further adventures Book Parade, Art Show Muddle and Party Time!
BY NICKY ( @ C RE8 I VE.NI C KY )
Leaping Lamingtons! Evie & Pog; Party Perfect is a delightful tale of a girl Evie and her eccentric dog, Pog who live in the tree house of my childhood dreams. With three entertaining stories included in this whimsical book, we meet Evie’s grandmother, her teacher and her neighbours – along with a cast of other characters!
Light-hearted and full of imagination, Evie & Pog is a fantastic chapter book for young minds who are sure to giggle along at the outrageous adventures Evie and Pog have together. With large bring and charming illustrations, this is sure to be a hit with kids. /5 Other titles in this series:
As an adult I was amused by how aristocratic Pog was – his favourite activity is reading cookbooks and has a very delicate ego when it comes to competing with other dogs. Evie is sweet and loves daisy’s and is always making a terrible mess which frustrated her grandmother to no end. BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
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sh
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hS e w B ooki
H o m e -m ade A u s s i e b o o k i s h pr o du cts t o m ak e y o u r b ook- l o v i ng h e ar t s f i l l w i th gl ee!
www.ohsewbookish.com.au
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Scrunchies Bookmarks Book Sleeves Sleeve Packs Mug Rugs Coasters
REVIEW - YA
“... I was lovingly swept away with this luscious novel...”
HOLD BACK THE TIDE BY MELINDA SALISBURY SYNOPSIS: A quiet lakeside community with one open secret. Everyone knows that Alvas father killed her mother, all those years ago. When there are rumours of dark creatures rising from the lake, Alva assumes that rumours are all they are. But, as terror begins to hold the village in its grip, Alva comes to realise that there may well be a connection between the secrets of her past and the horror of her present. BY CR E8IV E. N IC KY
Have you ever selected a book from the shelf and started it with the expectations that it’ll be one thing and by page two you realise you were dead wrong and it’s even better than you could have hoped for? BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
Well Hold Back The Tide was one of those books. I was expecting a contemporary thriller set in modern day – instead I was lovingly swept away with this luscious novel set in the rugged wilds of Scotland in a time before electricity and decent plumbing. Our heroine is fierce, brave and smart – everything I love in a main character. If you’ve ever wanted to lose yourself in a book and forget about the world than this is the book for you! I devoured this book with such speed that by the time I read the last line I was left stunned, overwhelmed and desperate for more. With a mix of Disney’s Brave and Dianna Gabaldon’s Outlander, this fantasy thriller is a must have for every bookshelf.
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“You did what you had to do for a greater cause. Sometimes to do the right thing, you have ” to do the wrong thing.” Read the epic conclusion in the Endacott’s smash hit Dark Series as this bittersweet final sees the resistance fighting to ensure that there is peace within Oranis and that the Pious and Kade can once again live in harmony. N
LEARN MORE
EW
THE DARK SERIES - GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY!
Book #1
Book #2 WWW . ABENDACOTT . COM
Stand alone | @ ALICEJANEBOERE
Picture this... the year is 2001 and I'm a fourteen-year-old dancing around in front of a TV screen because Josie and the Pussycats has just been released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Universal pictures. The movie was met with mixed reviews and was labelled a box office bomb. In the years to follow it gained cult status and is adored by many around the world to this day. I myself absolutely adored this film, and I knew it had origns which went waaaaay back. There was just something about this film. Was it the music? Was it the storyline? was it the fact a mega music company discovers an unknown girl group and catapults them to stardom? Was it the random over-the-top product placement, or the stellar performances by Alan Cumming and Parker Posey? I guess for me, it was a mixture of these things.
MARIA
AND T HE
PODCAT BY J A YS E
(@ITS
MEJA
S!
YS E )
Someone with just a little knowledge about this series and its beginnings, as well as its origins of the comic it was based on, is the wonderful author, journalist and screenwriter; Maria Lewis. Maria has just launched an incredible podcast 'Josie and the Podcats' which is available now. We were lucky enough to catch up with Maria and discuss the podcast, Josie's origins and more... Hi Maria thanks so much for making the time to chat to us. It's been a hot minute since you and I have spoken, hehe. Ha, yes it has! Last time we chatted it was just as the cover for my last novel had come out, The Wailing Woman. I think this is actually the first time we‛ve spoken about something that wasn‛t related to my books. I guess what I have to ask is how you fell into this world? How did you discover Josie and the Pussycats and what does it mean to you? I was the perfect age when it hit cinemas in 2001 - my first year of high school - and it released in Australian cinemas in September, 2001. The music was good, but the film was also hilarious and funny and low-key really clever. BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
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I was immediately obsessed with it and especially the aesthetic of Josie And The Pussycats: not just the way the movie looked, but the way it felt. That was weirdly a great era for movies about different types of women, of different ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, working together towards a shared dream in a patriarchal environment. Josie, obviously, but even things like Blue Crush and McG‛s Charlie‛s Angels reboot - Bring It On - they all dropped around this same period and were hugely important to me growing up.
Although the film was criticised by film critics, it now has gained a cult following. Why do you think this is? People so often want to write the story of a piece of pop culture in a weekend. We saw it happen with Birds Of Prey recently, where majority male reporters were reporting its opening weekend as a failure. Just a few months before that, Ford V Ferrari had done the same numbers - even smaller than that, actually, with a larger budget - and it had been reported as a big box-office hit so often times the immediate conversations about female led movies and female targeted movies and female made movies can be very gendered. When you read a lot of reviews of Josie And The Pussycats - and we covered this on our episode of the podcast about the release - they‛re pretty sexist and have not aged well in terms of pop culture criticism. Yet the people that film really mattered to - people like me - grew up and in the intervening years, showed that piece of important pop culture to other people who understood what was so special about it. and
Pop culture can have a long tail, it can take years sometimes for the wider perception to shift to appreciation. That definitely happened with Josie, but that also has a lot to do with it being a very layered movie: there‛s surface meaning and then a lot of subliminal and wider jokes, so every time you watch it you pick up something else. That level of cleverness doesn‛t necessarily bash you over the head right away, so … time has been kind to it, along with the commentary on the music industry and consumerism in general. During the podcast you speak to a comic historian, where did you discover him and did you know they existed prior to this project? You know, I actually know several comic book historians and as a journalist for the past 16-years - as well as the screenwriting work and various other comics projects - I‛ve worked with a lot of them over that period. I was very lucky to tour DC Comics archive last year in Los Angeles and they have the brilliant Benjamin LeClear on staff as their in-house historian, archivist and general fountain of geek knowledge. So long story short, I knew a bunch, it was just about finding the right expert for this particular subject which was not only Archie Comics, but that early era of conservative America which produced the Hays Code and shaped so much of the pop culture output of the time. Tim Hanley was that guy and he has several books on the subject that I highly recommend, as they take you deeeeep. During episode one you actually spoke to a relative of the original creator of the Archie comics. What was it like to speak to someone who has direct links to this amazing person?
Recording the podcast; Maria and Blake.
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Yes, Lynn Montana! That was such a huge moment to speak to the daughter of the creator of Archie, Bob Montana, and I had to go through quite a process of speaking to one person who vetted you then passed you on to the next person and the next and so on. Bob and Lynn‛s hometown of Meredith in New Hampshire has really protected the legacy of Archie so beautifully and after we had Lynn on the first two episodes of Josie And The Podcats the history episode and a bonus on Archie breaking the Comics Code - I was inundated with emails from Bob‛s other children and Meredith residents who had all listened and wanted to pass on their thanks for continuing to talk
about Archie. I was pretty blown away, to be honest. Lynn also gave us access to her father‛s archive of Archive content, which was incredible and like a dream come true for a pop culture journalist, getting to dig through all of those images and old hand drawn Montana Christmas cards. What was your experience when you discovered comics for the first time? It was at my local library actually, they had a really impressive comic book section for a small city and it was the Cassie Cain Batgirl run - A Knight Alone - and Gail Simone and Nicola Scott‛s Birds Of Prey series, right on the shelf side-by-side. I‛ve spoken specifically about what that meant to me in more detail, but it was a pretty seminal moment for me to see not just women - but diverse types of women - front and centre on books like that. JatP is a hilarious spoof of the music industry in 2001. Do you think it's reflective of today‛s music industry? Having not worked in the music industry only reported on it - I‛m not the best person to answer that question, but the musicians who have appeared on Josie And the Podcats certainly think so. Namely Amandah Wilkinson, who is one of my oldest friends and founded the teenage rock band Operator Please after being so inspired by the Josie And The Pussycats film. They had some huge hits before going their seperate ways and only Amandah and one other band member are still in the music business, so her story and what she has gone on to do with Bossy Love is pretty fascinating. She loves the movie for its depiction of the music bizz, so too did Letters To Cleo‛s Kay Hanley and the late, great Adam Schlesinger from Fountains Of Wayne who are on Josie And The Podcats and speak to that point in detail. Oh! And Bono! I travelled all around the world hunting down people to chat to and that was one of the great stories from writers and directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, who are also on the show. U2‛s Bono told Deb how much he loved Josie And The Pussycats and how people are going to finally understand what the music industry is really like now because of that film, which is wild. pg.12
Maria Lewis with star of the Josie & the Pussycats Movie, actress Rachel Leigh Cook (right).
The Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack is the bomb! Do you have a favourite song from it and why? Every song? Haha no, seriously - I love every track for very different reasons. My friend Dee Dee Dionne Gipson - we interview her on the bonus episode about the OG singing voice of Josie - wrote on Come On and You Don‛t See Me so I love both of those tracks for sentimental reasons because they make me think of her. This is legit such an impossible question though, as every track on the album being so good - top to bottom, all killer no filler - is one of the film‛s most enduring traits. Outside of the originals, even the covers are great and Babyface just has so much fun constructing those two DuJour tracks too. I adore You‛re A Star and Shapeshifter as two of the more unexpected and less appreciated gems, but Spin Around, 3 Small Words and Pretend To Be Nice are hard to beat (which is testament to how good Schlesinger was as a songwriter). That was one of my favourite questions to ask people on the podcast, actually, as we‛d dive deep with a guest like Rachael Leigh Cook and then at one point be all ‘okay so what‛s your personal favourite Josie banger?‛ Everybody has one … or several.
There have been a number of characters from the Archie series who've enjoyed their own spin off series such as Sabrina, etc. Why do you think these characters have enjoyed such success? Truthfully, who could say? Success in this business is such a weird, unpredictable thing to be honest. What is interesting about that example you‛ve used - Sabrina - is both she and Josie And The Pussycats were Archie spin-off characters created by legendary comic book figure Dan DeCarlo. It‛s credit to what a great storyteller he was that Sabrina and Josie have both endured in their various iterations. What would you recommend as a must have when starting podcast? What were some of your biggest hurdles? Thankfully I had the benefit of working with my best friend Blake Howard on this project, who is the producer of Josie And The Podcats and has built up an international reputation for himself with One Heat Minute Productions (which is the channel Josie appears on). Blake and I started our first podcast together a decade ago and although it doesn‛t exist anymore, it meant that we came to this with years of experience working together and building a great rapport through the live versions of that podcast in front of an audience too. With Josie And The Podcats, we concentrated on our individual strengths: for me, that was largely the journalism side of things and treating this like an audio documentary. I spent a year hunting down sources, reaching out to contacts, conducting interviews, travelling, doing follow ups, transcribing those chats, and then I scripted each episode exactly like I would when working on a non-fiction project for television. My documentary scripts on SBS‛s The Feed basically look exactly the same as the Josie scripts and I like to be as organised as possible, so I was able to hand those over to Blake with the timecodes and relevant audio clips to as many assets as I could source. We‛d record the episode together, with my audio more of a narration bridge to take you from one interview to the other and Blake and my banter would provide a wider pop cultural context to some of the things we‛d talk
about. He‛d perform his producer podcast magic, cut it altogether, and we‛d sit through and listen to the final edit before making any changes that were needed. I‛d also put together written versions of every Josie And The Podcats episode as well, so that way the show was accessible to those with hearing impairments too. Thanks so much for chatting to us. Thanks so much for talking to me about Josie And The Podcats! Blake and I are really proud of the show and the reception it has been getting from people! It was always envisioned as a limited series - a tight, concise number of episodes and then we‛re out - so the fact it has made such an impact in so little time is jerkin. Link to every episode HERE and the written versions, but it‛s also available on every podcasting platform (not just Spotify): News articles about the podcast: Dark Horizons ComicBook.com
Maria with writer and director; Deborah Kaplan (left) and Harry Elfont.
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“...There’s no doubt about it – Crushing It would make an amazing rom com movie...”
CRUSHING IT BY LORELEI PARKER SYNOPSIS: To pitch her new role-playing game at a European conference, developer Sierra Reid needs to overcome her terror of public speaking. What better practice than competing in a local bar's diary slam, regaling an audience with old journal entries about her completely humiliating college crush on gorgeous Tristan Spencer?
reconnect, Sierra tries to dismiss her growing qualms about him. But it's not so easy to ignore her deepening friendship with Alfie, the cute, supportive bar owner. She and Alfie were college classmates too, and little by little, Sierra is starting to wonder if she's been focusing her moves on the wrong target all along, misreading every player's motivations.
Until the moderator says, "Next up, Tristan Spencer . . ."
Maybe the only winning strategy is to start playing by her heart . . .
Sierra is mortified, but Tristan is flattered. Caught up in memories of her decade-old obsession as they BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
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BY CRE8IVE.NICKY
I have been going through a major rom-com phase, and with the lockdown blues I’ve been gravitating towards the stories that are light-hearted, romantic and hopefully. Needless to say, Crushing It, came at the perfect time and ticked every one of my boxes. If you’re a fan of movies like Bridget Jones Diary and You’ve Got Mail, you will absolutely love this story of Sierra, a game designer, who embarks on a quest to overcome her anxiety of public speaking by competing in a diary slam at a local bar. Naturally there are many hurdles for our heroine to conquer. The first being that the big crush she just admitted to having on a guy in college is horrifyingly up next in the diary slam. Cue instant mortification. I found myself feeling some serious second-hand embarrassment as Sierra stumbles her way through the competition and I have never related to a character so hard. I had lots of crushes on boys in high school and if any of them found out I would die a million deaths. Sierra navigates it well however, and the story unfolds beautifully as she grapples with the cause of her anxiety, being a female in a male dominated industry, as well as dealing with modern life as a twenty something. While there are a few steamy moments that pushes Crushing It out of the YA category, this book is safe enough for young readers aged 15+. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and even took some of the messages to heart about dealing with social anxiety. I felt like Parker did justice in addressing the issues and I was inspired by Sierra’s strength and dedication.
BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
REVIEW - CONTEMP ROMANCE As a girl gamer, I absolutely delighted by the many WOW (World of Warcraft) and Mario Cart references throughout the book. However, in saying that, you needn’t worry if you aren’t into gaming. Parker writes Crushing It in an all-inclusive way that you can still be completely entertained regardless of your interests. I also fangirled hard over the two love interests. There is the crush that Sierra lusted over in college, the gorgeous Tristian who has zero self-awareness and I honestly felt like he was a bit of a douche bag from the very beginning and then there is the quiet but loyal bar owner who I instantly barracked for. There’s no doubt about it – Crushing It would make an amazing rom com movie and I can already picture who would play who. So if you’re looking to escape the world for a bit and lose yourself in a light hearted, adorkable romantic comedy, then Crushing It is a must have to add to your shelves. I can’t recommend this book enough.
/5 Other titles similar to this book:
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What Publishers Want Camila Gonzalez - Scholastic Australia
BY JAYS E (@ ITSM E J AYSE )
FREE BOOKS!!!! – Right, now that I have your attention (LOL). Did you know that if you have a blog or social media following you can request books from book publishing houses for review? This usually comes along with the proviso that you’ll read and review these books prior to, or just post their publication date. Hence creating buzz about the title and hopefully boosting sales of the book. Now, recently I’ve been seeing a lot of conversations on Bookstagram (Instagram book community), and GoodReads where a lot of users post their reviews of these books and interestingly it seems as though a high percentage are very nervous about providing a ‘honest review,’ especially if they found the book just wasn’t for them. I’ve also heard rumours that publishers will ‘blacklist’ or stop a blogger/reviewer from receiving review copies of books just because they post a negative review. So to clear up these rumours and get the real information, I decided to approach four of Australia’s most prominent publishing houses and see what their thoughts on reviewing were this is what they had to say…
“I am a reviewer, but I also work as a publicist for Scholastic Australia. From a reviewer point of view, I've heard the 'blacklisting' rumours, and even some Bookstagrammers have the impression that certain publishers do not send them books any longer after a negative review. I always review honestly - respectfully and critically, but honestly. If I didn't like a book, I am going to give it 1 star and explain analytically why I didn't like it, and I'm going to send that review to the publisher. I have sent lots of negative reviews to all the publishers I work with, and I have never received a complaint, nor I stopped receiving copies for reviewing. I believe I owe to myself first and foremost, but also to all the readers that read my reviews, to review honestly and transparently - at the end of the day, even negative reviews are publicity. From the publicist point of view, I always encourage reviewers to review honestly; however, it is interesting how after sending hundreds of copies, I have received only two reviews with the lowest rating of 2 stars. From this side, I can see how people are afraid of blacklisting, and they are sugar coating their reviews; I even had to encourage reviewers to send their reviews regardless of the rating! I was surprised when I found out that some reviewers do not send their reviews if they are negative. Overall, as publicist and a reviewer, I can only encourage readers to review honestly and respectfully. Ultimately, reviewing is about saying your piece and sharing your opinion, so what's the point of sharing your thoughts if they are not genuine?”
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“What we look for in a reviewer is a strong and engaged following on their accounts. Regarding the review turn around time, we are not necessairly expecting you to post a review the minute you recieve the book. We are more focused on when the review is posted in regards to the publication date or close to publication is always preferred. With reviewers who rate our books three stars or less, so long as it’s a fair review, it doesn’t adversely impact our future relationship with the reviewer. And finally, we prefer reviewers to send the links to the reviews for our system, which is great for passing along to an author.”
Eloise Plant – Harper Collins
Tobias Madden – Bloomsbury “We love interacting with our readers and the Bookstagram community, and we welcome reviews of all of our books! We know that reading is super subjective, and while we love to receive glowing reviews from bloggers and influencers, we understand that some reviews will be less positive. Negative reviews are useful—to us, and to readers—if they contain constructive criticism.”
“We look for reviewers that are Insightful, thoughtful and write honest reviews. When sending reviews we appreciate links or screenshots of the reviews emailed back to us, but if the post is on social media it is essential to always get tagged in the review. Honest reviews are important, and sometimes a book will not mesh with every reader. We don’t discount reviewers based on prior poor reviews. However it’s important when reviewing to be constructively critical, just because a book isn’t the right fit for you, doesn’t mean it’s not the perfect book for someone else. Ideally a reviewer would release their review close to the publication of the book. If they’ve been given an ARC copy then anytime in the month or so prior is great to get early buzz for the book. Reviews are most valuable prior to publication and in the first couple of weeks after the book is out. ”
So, there you have it, straight from the source itself. If you are accessing books to review from publishers, the best thing to do is offer up your honest opinion. My motto is ‘Not EVERY book is for EVERY reader.’ Your thoughts will ultimately offer up a more rounded view of the book you are reviewing. Good luck! (These opinions are only those of the publishers concerned, this may not reflect the processes and values of other publishers)
Dewy Decimal or
Rainbow Shelves: The different ways to display and style your bookshelves I f you’re a member of the online bookish com-
munity, you are likely a sucker for a good #shelfie and you wouldn’t be alone with the hashtag being used on over 2 million Instagram posts! To take it a step further there is a particular day we like to share our shelfies kind of like how on Wednesdays we wear pink on Sundays we share our shelfies #shelfiesunday. For those who may be reading this and never come across the term sheflie before and thinking what the heck is this girl on about?! Let me explain a shelfie is like a selfie but instead of taking a photo of yourself you are taking a photo of your shelf, shelves or entire bookcases.
Not only are shelfies just visually pleasing to look at but they can be extremely inspirational. Just scrolling through the hashtag you can see the endless ways it is possible to store, display and style your books and shelves! There isn’t a dewy decimal system requirement here, unless that’s the way you want to go! But for your personal collection it is 100% up to you! You can go as uniform or abstract, cluttered or refined as you like, and you can change it up as often or as little as you like to. To give inspiration to those just starting their collections or when the avid collector next decides on rearranging, I am sharing a few of the many ways you can store your books and style your shelves.
Rainbow Shelves Photo Credit: @bluefairytales_
Arguably one of the most aesthetically pleasing ways to arrange your bookshelves. Rainbow shelves are when you order your books in the order of the colours of the rainbow. The down fall is this usually means you can not group the series or author, so you will always need to remember what colour the covers are.
By Author/Series Photo Credit: @thegingerpageturner
Possibly more practical and a great way to show off your obsession for particular authors is dedicating entire shelves to specific authors and their series. Sarah J Maas is the only author to take up an entire shelf for me so far. Which is why I personally display most of my books in a combo of author/series and genre. BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
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By Genre
Photo Credit: @enchanted_bookshelf
Do you love fantasy but also love Historical fiction and classics! Awesome divide your shelves up into these genres! Not only will you be able to find things easier, but you will be able to see what genre you tend to read the most. My favourite genre shelf in my collection is my NA/ Adult romance shelf, which nearly needs bumping out to two shelves now!
Space Saver Photo Credit: @paperbackandflickchick
For the bookworms with limited shelf space but no book buying ban in sight, using one of the space saver techniques is probably the best way to go! Firstly, you can lay some of your books horizontally and stack them one on top of the other in a vertical pile. If you still run out of room double stack if your shelves are deep enough. This makes things a little hard to get to, but you got to do what you got to do to feed your addiction! All else fails start making book towers on your floor!
TBR
Photo Credit: @itsmejayse
As your book collection grows it may become harder and harder to keep track of what you have and have not read. A great way to solve this is dedicating a whole shelf/ case or cart to the books that still need to be read. The TBR cart is increasingly popular on bookstagram, its convenient, can look super pretty and is an easy place for you to leave your TBR books to judge you while you reread that old favourite again!
Merch Galore Photo Credit: @jkbookish
Some people prefer to store their bookish merch out of the way, while others use their shelves and cases to display not only their bookish collection but the merch collection those books are responsible for. This could mean hanging prints off the shelves, random candle piles or hanging your bookmarks along the top on a string! Honestly, the options here are endless! pg.19
Bedside Bookcase Photo Credit: @paperbackandflickchick
If you are anything like me some of your book collection may routinely find itself in another area of the house away from your regular shelves. Whether these be what you are currently reading, plan to read or just finished they form their own mini bookcase. Personally, mine end up on my bedside table and while most of the time it’s a hodgepodge mess, it can actually up your home decor came and look aesthetically pleasing.
There you have it, just a handful of the ways you can store and style your book collection. Always remember to do what works for you and what you find visually appealing. Remember you don’t have to use just one style for all your books. You can use a combination! Maybe you want to store your standalone books in rainbow fashion but keep the rest by author or genre? Maybe you don’t like separating your TBR books from your read books and that’s ok too just do what feels most like you! And remember you can find plenty of inspo under the hashtags #shelfie and #shelfiesunday to help you change it up as often or as little as you like.
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Tamika
@paperbackandflickchick
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REVIEW - FANTASY
“...The heroine shows her strength ... amidst the dark forces swirling around her” MONSTROUS HEART BY CLAIRE McKENNA SYNOPSIS: Arden Beacon arrives in the salt-swept port of Vigil with a job to do. Tasked with using the magic in her blood to keep the lighthouse burning, she needs to prove herself worthy of her family name and her ancestors' profession. But the coastline Arden must keep alight – battered by a sea teeming with colossal, ancient beasts – is far from the cultured, urban world she knows. It is a place of secrets, rumours and tight-lipped expectations of a woman's place. More than anyone, the town folk whisper about Arden's neighbour, Jonah Riven, the hunter of leviathans. They say he murdered his wife. They say he is as much a monster as his prey. Amidst all her determination and homesickness Arden cannot get this shadowy stranger out of her head. A plot swirls around the lighthouse keeper, the hunter and the authorities. Arden must make sense of these dark waters – before they wash her away. BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
BY JUDY L AWLER
Monstrous Heart is a very original plot with a story of another world woven into a fantasy set in a coastline village with seemingly normal people. The heroine shows her strength as a woman standing up for herself, amidst the dark forces swirling around her. All of the characters are well-defined, especially the main ones in the story. There is also plenty of description so that you really feel like you know the people involved. This would appeal to fans of Gothic tales, and complicated romances such as Wuthering Heights or The Woman in the Mirror. I would happily read any of Claire McKenna’s future novels. /5
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REVIEW - THRILLER
“This author has a great flair for mystery... � HE STARTED IT BY SAMANTHA DOWNING SYNOPSIS:
The bestselling author of My Lovely Wife takes on the most fraught domestic relationship of them all: sibling rivalry. But when their grandfather dies, he leaves a troublingly specific condition in his will. For them to inherit his wealth, they're required to retake a road trip they took with him when they were children, and scatter his ashes at the end of it. Of course, reuniting after all this time brings backmemories of that ill-fated trip. Memories of what went wrong. But it's not only memories they have to worry about. Someone is following them. Each of them is keeping secrets. And all of them are all too aware of what happened last time. Because you can't inherit the money if someone kills you first. BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
BY JUDY L AWLER
A good plot, rather unusual story line leading up to a big surprise finish. It did stall a bit halfway through the book as though the author had run out of ideas. However, when it picked up again there were a lot of unexpected developments which made for a big finish. The characters were clearly portrayed and even though most of them were hiding something, you could sense the personality of each one. As we know, families are a mixture and there is often trouble brewing amongst them. This would appeal to those who love seeing the interplay of personalities and what it leads to. This author has a great flair for mystery and writes very well, as the story was full of suspense and apart from the slowness in the middle, the ending was well done!! /5
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REVIEW - COOKING
SYNOPSIS: Here are over 100 recipes full of vibrant colours and flavours that celebrate the pure, unadulterated pleasure that food can give you. All the recipes are vegetarian or vegan - but if you decide you'd like to add a little bacon or a slab of fish, we're not going to wag a finger. We've even included a separate cooking guide for your meaty add-ons.
BY N I C ( @ ni c b o o k p a nd a )
More by Matt Preston is a fantastic mostly-vegetarian cookbook that has some really interesting and different recipe ideas where the focus is on adding more vegetables to your meals. Many of the recipes have “meaty addition” options so you can choose whether or not you want the meal to be vegetarian, plus there are 18 pages at the back that exclusively focus on how to cook different meats and to which dishes you could add them. This cookbook would be great for capable cooks who are willing to try some now recipes, methods and ingredients. He often uses ingredients that can be hard to find, however substitution ideas are always offered to make this book attainable for all of us. One amazing tip I’ve already learnt is to put whole leeks in the microwave to cook their insides, and then simply scoop out the cooked part and add to my dish! My favourite recipe from BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
this cookbook (so far!) is the tandoori carrot korma. Who could’ve thought a vegetarian korma could be so delicious!? One of my favourite features of this cookbook is the “extended index” at the back, where Preston has sorted the recipes into really handy categories such as “15 min prep or less”, “minimal washing up”, “cheesy”, “on a budget” or “goes will with chicken”, to name a few. Overall, this has been such a fun cookbook to have a play with, and if you love cooking and are on the lookout for some new ways to add more vegetables to your meals, I’d highly recommend getting this into your kitchen.
/5
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Bloody Taboo
Let’s talk about the taboo topic that YOU have the power to change! Periods!
Believe it or not but all females in this world go through this and it is natural and there is nothing to be ashamed about!! I don’t know about you but I hate it when men think they can mansplain the period, like they know alllll about it. Because you know, with all their god like wisdom, they get and understand what we go through… LOL!! Over the years I had had the following: “It’s probably not that bad.” “Eww” “Can’t you just have it later?” “That’s disgusting.” “It not that painful.” “What are you whinging about” “That’s disgusting” “I don’t want to hear about it.” “Ewwwwwwwwwww.” Growing up I had this understanding that it was best to leave men out of the discussion of periods. If I wasn’t myself, I wouldn’t tell my boss or my co-workers but I would work to the best of what my body allowed. If a male co-worker or friend would ask what’s up the answer would always be that I am just having an off day. As an adult I ask myself, why do I have to lie? Why do I have to hide it? Be ashamed of something that I have no control of? Answer is: I fucking won’t be anymore.
But how do we change the stigma around periods? Now, I am not talking about going full extreme and rubbing your period on your face and yelling ya best war cry. I am talking about a simple little task of bringing the period discussion up around everyone in your life and setting men straight when it comes to periods. My favourite line to use when a man is mansplaining periods is “oh well you would know all about periods. So is yours a heavy flow or not? Last four or five days? How do you go with the cramping?” Trust me, the guys will be quick to answer “NO” and then you hit them with “Oh so you don’t fucking know shit then do you?!” You can’t be an expert in periods if you are a man with your mansplaining. It would be like me claiming to be an astronaut (Which I am totally not, clearly I’m a pro bookworm) Now we don’t want men to be experts in periods, we just need them to understand. That’s it. I once worked at a restaurant where the gender of the staff were equally divided, with young female staff and older, married men. One night a female co-worker asked if she could borrow a tampon, so I obliged and gave her a packet which she kept in the bathroom. Cool beans. No biggie right? However the FULL GROWN MEN kicked up a stink about our unisex toilet having a packet of tampons on the window ledge. Really? A brightly patterned packet of tampons freaked them out. I mean, it clearly must have been threatening them when they walked in. Or even laughing at them when they presented themselves to pee. I mean
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what other reason could there be for making such a massive fuss about the whole thing? Simple – their minds simply can’t handle nature taking its course. But why do we need the stigma around periods to change? Simple. Think about your most cringe worthy period story. And then think about that happening to someone else. Possibly a young girl stuck in that situation, without any help. That’s why. I watched the news last night where the UK released an ad over tampons (google Tampax: Tampons and Tea) where a fake TV host lightly explains the insertion of a tampon. Go watch it, the ad doesn’t even last longer than 30 seconds. But the part that people are up in arms about is this host says “you gotta get em up there girls.” As far as I am concerned, there is nothing harmful about it. There is nothing offence about it. Are we telling people to commit crimes with the power of periods? Why is there an uproar about this saying? Fucking, what else are you meant to do with tampons? Use them as Nerf bullets? Paint faces on them and leave them around the house? Stick them up your partner’s nose when they are snoring? While yes you can do all those fun things (Putting googly eyes on them and then sticking it in the air duct of your partner’s car is a personal fav of mine) they are solely designed for periods, which means, you gotta get them up there! Many have claimed that this ad has gone too far and that it shouldn’t be aired while there are children around. But seriously, why are we still normalising the shame around woman’s bodies?? There are adverts for alcohol and fast-food that are aired around the same time. So normalising drinking and eating shitty food (obesity kills more people a year than others care to admit) is fine but an advert about a tampon is not??? I would much rather children learn about the female body then think about having a nice cold beer or clogging their arteries with junk food is the normal thing to do. If we are going to be this fucking precious about adverts over periods, then let’s remove all ads about porn, tinder and other match making apps. Don’t inadvertently advertise an aspect of the female body that is desirable and not advertise about a product that is necessary for the bleeding women of the world!!
Australia had a period advert maybe about a year ago, where it talked about the products this particular company created and well ya know, promoted itself as an ad should. But in a single shot (no more than 3 seconds) they showed the legs of someone sitting on the toilet, with their undies around there ankles, with a red mark on the undies. What. A. Fucking. Uproar. Why is there this outstanding shame and hatred towards an ad depicting what half the population go through monthly?!?! Even I had a few female friends that were against it. “Their daughters shouldn’t be seeing that?” Why? You don’t want to have that discussion with them a little early? Make it more normal topic and ensure that it is nothing to be ashamed about? Make the period bla-zay ‘oh hey it’s happening’ rather than have a young girl freaking the fuck out. The more you talk about it, the more comfortable your daughter will be. “My son doesn’t need to know about that.” Well yes he fucking does. This needs to be discussed with young boys, so they are aware and it is normalised for them. They won’t experience it themselves but they will have a female in their life that will! You would want to raise your son to be understanding of the situation. So if a female gets it and it marks her clothes, he isn’t going to stand there and laugh at her with his friends. He isn’t going to make this woman/girl ashamed, embarrassed and scared. Instead you could raise that boy to take off his jacket and let the girl wrap it around her waist and comfort her. You could have that discussion early and really raise your son to respect ALL aspects of a female, not just the parts they feel they should respect. “Men don’t need to know about that.” Why not? A majority of them stick their dick’s into a vagina so shouldn’t they be aware of what else happens down there? Men shouldn’t be throwing chocolate at us and running for the hills when that dear Aunt Flow comes to visit. Wouldn’t it be nice to curl up on the couch with them and share the chocolate instead? Wouldn’t it even be nice for guys to be aware and think about buying us chocolate in the first place? Or how about a single father that is raising his daughter alone?
Surely instead of palming the education of the period off to a school teacher, he would take the chance to help his daughter through one of the weirdest, uncomfortable and terrifying moment of his daughter’s life? We don’t turn into bloody monsters once a month, we go through an ordeal that they should be aware and understand. “Women live through that, we don’t need to see it?” Again, why not? A few months ago, I had a few girlfriends over for pizza, beers and general life chats. About halfway through the night one of the girls came out of the bathroom ashamed and asked where my bin was. I was casual about the whole thing but felt hurt that she needed to be ashamed in front of FEMALES. SOOOO I did what my no filter self would do and I started talking about it, and kept talking about it. And informed her that she should never be ashamed to be female. Not only are we a force to be reckoned with, we are deserving and bold. We have not spent our history fighting for equality to stop and ignore the little things along the way like periods. We should be completely and utterly proud of every part of who we are and continue to fight, not just for ourselves but for our younger generations. So why do females need to see the ad? Because we need to ensure that females which have been raised to be ashamed of their bodies, know that there isn’t anything to be ashamed of and that they are a wonderful woman and beautiful inside and out. And while we are on the topic of periods, why isn’t it discussed in more books?? Especially in the YA world. Honestly though, think about it. How many books grace that topic of periods? Not a lot or at least none where it isn’t specifically about periods. Is it too hard for a character to occasionally have a period? With a majority of YA covering female lead characters, you would think that some of them would bleed?
Not really. It appears that most of the contemporary YA books that are floating around are actually fantasy since the female characters live in an alternative universe where there are no periods. I think I have read more YA books where the male has got ‘wood’ then about a female that has her period. It is astonishing to think that we read about these beautiful female characters, follow them around for their school year but not even a single sentence of ‘oh just got my period.’ None. Nothing. We don’t need chapters that go into depth about characters getting their periods but a single sentence acknowledging periods can go a long way for young impressionable girls. SO as a reader keep an eye out of it and you will see what is lacking. As a writer, you have the chance to make a single sentence be the period evolution that this world needs. After all, do you think men could put up with period cramps? Child birth? FUCK NO. We may have the pussy’s but we are not the pussy’s. You kick a man between his legs and it will send him to his knees. You kick a female between the legs and you watch her laugh and unleash her wrath. This starts with us. Change starts with us. And it starts when you introduce little routine changes into your day to day life. Start talking about periods! Bring it up in conversation with men and women. We need to start making this the new norm and not something taboo! Something as simple as “oh I am a little off today I got my period.” Is the perfect way to start! If men start to mansplain it to you – PUT THEM BACK IN THEIR PLACE. Come on! We don’t claim to be sperm experts so why do they need to claim to be period experts? My all-time favourite “You have to be on your period you are moody.” Na mateeee. I am this much of a bitch all the time!
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We have our chance now to make the next generation of woman have an easier life, who wouldn’t want that. Be the change that society needs, be the voice of blood and pain and be the voice of women. Periods are never going to stop. Again, we can’t make them completely go away. So don’t run from it. Embrace it. And ensure that the horrid stigma around periods stop! And if any part of this article made you cringe. I am not sorry. I want to change your mind about this stigma. I want you to stop being ashamed because there is no other reason to cringe from this. This goes beyond how you feel. This goes into changing how the world thinks and how we can evolve. And in case no one has told you this today… You are fucking fantastic You are beautiful You are a fucking goddess! So put on your warrior face, wear comfortable shoes, grab your friends and go out there and change the world!
Blue xx @bluefairytales_ | www.bluefairytales.com.au Disclaimer. As fun as it would be to kick a man between his legs because let’s face it we all know a few men that need to be taken off their high horse and brought back down to earth, but that move should only be used in self-defence. The best way to tear down a man is to beat him at his own game. Just let them know that you have bigger balls then them and you are not afraid!
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Book Lover Boutique
This month we sat down with the lovely Ang from Book Lover Boutique and chatted about all things bookstagram and business...
What inspired you to start your bookstagram account and then later your business? There is no really short answer to this question lol, In a roundabout way over 12 years ago I wanted to talk about the books I was consuming and wanting to chat with adults, you see I was at the time a stay at home mum, in my early twenties suffering from PostNatal Depression. One late night feeding I somehow stumbled upon yahoo chats, amazon chat boards made some connections and then we all stumbled upon Goodreads. When that was really the only social media outlet at the time for what we all do now, and so with that I created my handle and my blog. With the times evolving and social media exploding I went down all the avenues and ended up on Instagram taking photos is one of my
ended up on Instagram taking photos is one of my most favorite things to do anyways so to take photos of books and chat about them is so perfect for me, I still to this day have my blog and goodreads etc. I love my bookstagram account, it has or is aging like I am. Yikes, this was long winded, I’m so sorry. Lol As y’all know I used to own Book Lover Mystery Box, over 5 years ago in Aus there was a little window for that to flourish as it did for about two and half years, I was very heavily involved with the self publishing world with being a PA, and also obviously being a blogger friend to many authors and promotional/publishers it was a great opportunity to help authors and readers to connect. I loved creating a special package for someone each month, a signed book and goodies. Then the BOOM of subscription boxes happened and I just could not honestly compete, and even Authors now do them too, and i thought why be the middle person when as a reader you can go straight to the source and get your signed goodies.
So I made the hard decision to close down, and then I was left with this: what do I do now? I LOVE creating designs for mugs, and bookmarks, and have had a healthy obsession with everything knitted. I one day was like, I wonder what a knitted or crochet book sleeve would look like, and I went to my Mum and asked if she could help me put the design in my head to life. There were so many different versions before what we do now. I had previously had a lot of bookmarks and other creations from the subscription box. I still wanted to offer everyone unique bookmarks and now with the Book Knit Clutchx. I thought just give it again, see where it goes, and I am so in love with my little side hustle. I appreciate everyone who has helped and supported me. I know that it is slow growing and I am just so appreciative. Funny fact is that X in the Clutchx is literally an accident that happened too, I wanted a different spelling for clutch, and somehow I ended up with that X it is a silent X, but it looks cute lol well I think it does. Lol
have merged over from other social outlets with my long life friends I have already made and now we're all on bookstagram together. Over the last couple years I have made some new beautiful friendships and we can all be a fan girl in a safe place together. For others out there considering starting a small business, what is the biggest piece of advice you wish someone had given you? Do not give up. Keep creating. Talk to others, make connections. It is normal to fail at some things, we are human and make mistakes. It’s hard work, but the end results are fantastic.
As a bookstagrammer, how do you come up with so themes/ideas for taking photos? Honestly I have always liked the look of magical themes, and I was so hesitant to give it a try. But I never did until the last couple years. A lot of my inspiration is from other bookstagrammers, Pinterest, trying different layouts, I have found I can not do a great flatly lol I am always trying different positions for the books and mainly now i use my many, many bookshelves as my background. I love the editing side of photo taking and turning it a little whimsical. What are some of your favourite clutches to create in your business? I love our Harry Potter inspired House Clutchx’s and our Magical range, to see them as a final product brings me so much joy. I have to admit I am secretly in love with our new Kindle/small book StarFall Clutchx. It is a lot of fun trying out different wool. How long does it take for you to make a clutch? It takes me days, but it takes my Mum hours. She is a wizard when it comes to making the Clutchx’s. Though that’s just the outside knitting then we line them so that takes time too, we make them all buy hand. A large takes longer. What do you love about the bookstagram community? 100% the people. 80% of the time every one is very supportive and caring, we can't sit here and lie and say it isn’t always positive, sometimes there are times where people need to check themselves before typing. I Have been lucky enough to BOOKS ETC MAGAZINE
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What are your favourite things to do when you aren’t working? I am a total bookworm. Ha, (obviously )If I’m not being a taxi for my children you will find me curled up somewhere in my library with a book, coffee and my headset in my listening to an audiobook. Listening and Knitting is literally the best of both worlds. We do try at Family nights, or days it depends. We have two teens that work now. We play a little xbox or board games. Watch movies. I love being a homebody. We have a big loud family, yet it is peaceful and so many laughs are shared. What has been the biggest thing you’ve learnt about yourself as a bookstagrammer?
Above: onwer Ang aka @pnrbookloverreviews What is something you are looking to explore and develop in your personal life and your business in 2020? For my personal life, that is definitely making sure all four of my kids are safe, healthy and thriving. Y’all i am so excited for school to go back, you have no clue lol. Making sure I have a healthy balance between my social media time and family time, Continue loving this life my husband and I have created together. And for My small business Book Lover Boutique, myself and Matthew are really interested to see where it goes this year. We have two new products in the works that we are really excited to put in the shop soon. So watch this space I guess, lol I have to say we love hearing all the lovely positive feedback from everyone who has brought a Clutchx or Bookmarks from us, it is so heartwarming to hear. 2019 was a year of challenges for many people. What were some of the challenges you faced and overcame in 2019? Personally my 2019 was not too bad, 2020 has been awful so far. We had an unexpected death in the family, I’m still really upset about my Gran passing. Though I am awful with time management, I have been working on that and I am happy to report I am getting better. I did use to over commit myself with blogging stuff, and taking too much on by myself. I made it a goal to change the way I do things a few years ago, and I have happily changed that.
About myself, oh gosh! When I set achievable goals for myself on this little bookstagram journey, I tend to not give up, I work really hard,and having a great supportive community is a bonus. I think that you should always Be true to yourself. Kind and Honest. When you do that, that is what you will get in return. Post what you want. Keep it classy. I have always kept away from drama, and live in my own little world and will continue to do so. Reading makes me happy, I have discovered that I love creating, and having bookstagram is the creative outlet that I needed. Website | Instagram | Blog
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