Blogger Banter #15: @MVTheBookBabe from The Book Babe's Reads + GIVEAWAY!

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The art of gossiping, gabbing and chatting with awesome book bloggers!

Today, I'm featuring the super sweet, myth-lovin', Percy Jackson-fangirlin',  lion-tamin', MEGAN from THE BOOK BABE'S READS! 

Thanks for coming by! Let the Banter begin!




MEGAN'S 
STATS

GFC: 809
Bloglovin’: 283
Google +: 363
Twitter: 1, 102
Facebook: 409
Goodreads: 573 + those who only follow my reviews are added in
Email: RSS count is 711


SMALL TALK

Blogging Since?
January 26, 2012
Lives in?
US of A!
Solo (blogger), duo, trio...?
Solo
Print or eBooks?
PRINT
Average number of books read a month?
Hmm. 15 - 40 (it varies a lot.)
Favorite Genre?
Mythology + Contemporary
Book Boyfriend?
Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson & The Olympians
Rating System?
Truck stars!



GAB and GOSSIP


What was the very first post you ever made on The Book Babe's Reads? 

Hmm. The first post I ever made was actually a review (a super embarrassing one, because I was terrible. It's a glorified synopsis!) and it was of Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Which is totally appropriate, because I'm reading Cress right now - and The Lunar Chronicles is actually one of my favorite series. I can't get enough of fairytale retellings!

 I really need to finish Cinder. I stopped halfway through and didn't pick the book back up :(


Where is your favorite place to read? What’s your favorite snack to eat while reading? 

I generally read in my room (because I'm slightly antisocial) but I occasionally read in the living room, and I carry books with me every where. I'll even read in stores, and going down the road. (If I'm not driving, of course.)

I'm honestly not a huge eater when I read - I don't like the idea of getting greasy prints or crumbs in the pages. But if I do eat, there's no particular thing.


If The Book Babe's Reads had a theme song, what would it be? 

All I can think right now is a song by George Strait called Heartlands (it's really a good song - if you haven't heard it, do so now!) But my sister says that it's obviously the Star Wars theme. But she also thinks that my personal theme song is Voices by Chris Young... so take that into consideration. (Also a good song.) Your sister has good taste!



Tell our readers a little about the other blogs, Tangled in Pages (cool header!) and The Raven Readers, that you co-blog.

Well, Tangled in Pages is awesome little blog run by Paulina and Rashika - who are both seriously wonderful and fun people. I love them to death! And thank you about the header! :) I made it - which is how we all originally met. About six months later, I became their co-blogger when I noticed the form on their site. I'm not always the best blogger to work with (I have serious time-management failage) but they're always quick to forgive me about that.

The Raven Readers is a blog that was thought up by Steph @ In Wonderland , and she asked if I wanted to be a part of it! It was my second co-blogging experience, and it was a lot of fun for a while. We haven't all been communicating lately, but I hope we start back up soon! Me too!


From what I’ve observed, you’ve changed the look of your blog header probably more times than any other blogger I follow. What’s up with that?

Well, the reason is that I was never very happy with what I created for very long - it's not really that I'm a perfectionist (I kind of am) but it's the fact that nothing ever seemed "me" enough. There were so many ideas that I had that just burned up quick, or that I simply didn't have the skills to make. So I commissioned a design from [KD Designs] and she made everything that I had hoped for. I'd been thinking on the idea for a while, but I obviously didn't have the skills for such a beauty. Hopefully this one will stay for a long, long time!


What are three things that make up a great Young Adult book?

I'm a big fan of romance in books - light romance, heavy romance... in-betweeners - even just romantic tension. I love all of that, so for a Young Adult book to be good for me; there's always got to be a romance. That's numero uno. But I also have to have well developed characters - and a good plot is nice, but not completely necessary. All I really need is romance and character development. :)

Totally agree! I have to have a little romance in my YA books or I'm pretty sure I'll hate it. Developed characters, a strong plot...YES, YES, YES! Must haves :)


You recently raised the question on your blog about bloggers not reading book reviews. I don’t understand this, but the response to the post was varied. What’s your overall take on this issue in response to the comments?

I really have to respond to the comments still - but my overall take, factoring it all in is that most bloggers do read reviews, but lots of them skip or "skim" reviews of books that they plan on reading soon, or just haven't read yet, which is understandable. I will skip reviews of books I plan on reading soon. But I like reviews, it's just fun to see what people thought!

One person said that she thinks that reviews are "boring", or her "least favorite posts to read". She listed a few reasons, but the prime thing was that it was like a one sided conversation, where you don't get to say anything 'til the end. Another person said that she preferred posts that "raised questions" to reviews.

There were a lot of different responses, but the overall consensus was that we like to discuss books, and if we don't have something to say... we leave it alone. Which I completely and totally understand - if you haven't read the book, it's sometimes very hard to find something to say. We're quite the talkative group, after all!

I'm divided. I like to read reviews, but I'm also skeptical about reading reviews before I read the book. I think the synopsis should sell it, but then again what are reviews for if not to "sell" the book? But I can understand posing questions after reviews. It's actually a very good idea. I might try that :)
What is the BEST thing about being a book blogger?

Hmm. I'm going to say that the best AND the worst thing go hand in hand, and are in fact the same thing: the community. DON'T GET ME WRONG. I love almost everybody I've met, and I've made lots and lots of new friends in my last two years, and they are just the most awesome of all people.

But the thing I don't like about the community is the constant DRAMA LLAMA. I feel like so many people are constantly chasing the next big drama thing - and it just chaps me. BUT 98% of bloggers are the most pleasant people ever! This is just my opinion on the "best" AND "worst" things in the blogosphere. (AAHHH I feel like a terrible person.)

The DRAMA is neverending, isn't it?


Lots of bloggers are finding it more and more difficult to maintain an online presence and keep up with real life demands at the same time. How do you manage blogging and real life?

I can't really say that I'm very good at this "time management" thing. In fact, I plan on taking a break throughout February, so I can get a whole bunch of posts scheduled up and such! In general, though - I just try to schedule all posts in advance, and I try super hard to schedule tweets and such. There's no correct formula, I don't think.




So you run away from home to join the circus. What’s your act (and your gimmick)? Describe your costume/get-up.

I'd like to say that I'd be an acrobat, but the truth is that I'm not very flexible, and I'm afraid of heights. I always did like animals, so I think I'd like to be a "lion tamer" or whatever they call the animal master now. I'm not sure exactly. But how cool would it be to train all of those magnificent big cats? As for the costume - I'm not really into flashy things, more like trippy. So I'd probably try to do full length black pants, with super tall boots - Demonias, which are a PAIN to lace up, but they look amazing! For a shirt I'd probably want a tank-top/halter top, keeping with the formal theme. Maybe made to look like a tux? Or maybe a form-fitting jacket. Red. Red sounds good.

So you're crazy like me! I'd SO be the lion tamer and do ridiculously stupid stuff to wow the crowd. Great answer!

Thanks so much, Megan!



CONNECT and CHATTER


On the next Blogger Banter, I'll be chatting with Ria from A Bookish Escape! See you guys then!