Reading Whale… the girl, the myth, the legend. Or so I like to believe. It’s been a year since the last time I did a Meet the Bookstagrammer, which means it’s time to lift the veil again. Since that post is still my most popular to date, I figured it was time for another one. And ya know, since people are constantly evolving and learning and all of that, I thought it would be fun to see how much has changed about me and my reading habits in a year!
In the Insta post below (speaking of which, if you don’t follow me, you should), I asked you all for the questions you most want answered! And I got a lot of them. So… drum roll please, here’s the Meet the Bookstagrammer 2.0. New, improved, and better than ever.
A book you hated?
Ok, this is really hard because nothing immediately comes to mind. There are a lot of books I don’t like, including The Royal We, and The Worst Best Man… but those I just thought were way too unoriginal and undeveloped. I do hate books that don’t have developed characters ESPECIALLY if the secondary characters aren’t well developed. That’s my biggest pet peeve!
Edit: After writing this I realized what the book I hated is!! A Love Hate Thing. It was one of the first books a publisher contacted me about reviewing and I was so excited but it was BAD. That’s one I actually couldn’t finish. Annnnddd you can find the review here.
What famous person would you have dinner with?
Lin Manuel Miranda. 100%. I just want to like… talk about his genius. He’s an incredible storyteller. I would just love to talk about how good he is at creating an emotional response from an audience through music. I’ve listened to Hamilton approximately 17,000 times and I still get chills. ALSO I need to thank him for releasing the movie early!!!! OMG, only a couple months to go.
How did you choose your Instagram name?
This is a funny story! I want to preface it by saying that while whales are nice, I am not a particularly huge fan of them. Nor are they my favorite animal. I just knew that I wanted to start a book blog and all the names I could think of (you know, like coffeeandbooks123) were taken! So I said oh, whale. Like I usually do. And then I was like wait a second! Reading Well… Reading Whale! That works! And the Instagram name wasn’t taken, so the decision was made. And now I like to think people remember me better because Reading Whale is such a unique name.
Favorite genre?
Tough choice, but ultimately romance! I love reading about people falling in love! I love happy endings! And add in a fantasy/sci-fi setting and a crazy adventure, and I am hooked.
Favorite beverage while reading?
An iced latte or a blended mocha type thing. If I’m making it myself, I’ll make a blended white chocolate mocha, but if I’m going to a coffee shop to read, I’ll just get an iced latte. Haha, that’s probably a bit more than you needed to know but it’s already typed! Too late to go back.
Do you DNF or battle through no matter what?
Hmm. This 100% depends on the book. Mostly, I battle through so that I can feel like I deserve to write a review on it. But if it’s just bad, I’ll DNF. I do that very rarely though. Otherwise, the only time I DNF is if I’m planning on coming back to it but just never do. The struggle is very real.
What’s your day job?
I am a social media and branding associate for an interior design studio! I get to take photos, make content, and design images. It’s lotsa fun.
Top five books everyone should read?
Oh gosh! Ok, I think everyone should read The Road, which is an amazing, incredible, fantastic book that I have no shortage of praise for. Annnnd they should read The Hunger Games and World War Z (love that book!!). I definitely need to throw a short story collection in, like Her Body and Other Parties or Tenth of December. Let’s see, and I think I’ll add The Undomestic Goddess as the fifth book because everyone should read at least one great rom-com in their life!
How do you organize what you are going to post?
For my blog, I usually try to think through all of my posts a month ahead of time, and I write them all down on a calendar. Usually, I’ll have two posts a week scheduled. Actually posting them is another story though! I’m definitely more on top of things when it comes to my Instagram. I take 15-20 photos every other week, edit them, and then try to remember to post everyday! It’s definitely easier to have lots of photos prepared ahead of time.
What book would you love to experience for the first time again?
I think World War Z. I love that book so much, but I actually listened to the abridged audio before getting to experience the entire book! I’d love to be able to go back and read the full book for the first time instead of the abridged version.
Favorite place to read?
Definitely curled up on my couch. I probably spend hours a day reading on the couch!
Have you read all the books from one author?
Yes!! I’ve read every single book Sarah J. Maas has published. And I love them all! I’m actually so glad I can say this now, because it took me a long time to finally read The Assassin’s Blade. But of course, it was amazing and I am going to keep anxiously awaiting every book she publishes for the rest of my life.
Do you prefer paper or electronic?
I think I prefer paper 60% and electronic 40%. There’s nothing better than a paperback to read, and carry around, and get to keep on your shelf, but I LOVE the ease of ebooks. It’s nice to have multiple books with you everywhere you go (and you better believe I have 5+ book-related apps on my phone). So, for the reading experience it’s definitely physical books, but the accessibility, and honestly affordability, of ebooks puts them high up on the list too!
If you could only read one book for the rest of your life what would it be?
The first thing I think of is one of Sarah J. Maas’ books, but I don’t think I would be able to choose between the series! Maybe Kingdom of Ash? Or House of Earth and Blood? Or A Court of Mist and Fury? Or World War Z or The Undomestic Goddess! Obviously, I can’t choose, so I hope I never have to!
Thank you for all the incredible questions! I love running Reading Whale, so I hope you enjoy reading it and seeing my photos. If you have any other questions for me, I’d be happy to answer them! And maybe I’ll even make the Reading Whale Q&A a yearly tradition.
