Love-A-Thon 2017 Introduction

Another round of Love-A-Thon has arrived! This year Alexa is hosting it together with Cee, Kristin and Mel. The bookish community is constantly growing, which makes the annual Love-A-Thon a great avenue to meet new people. It’s also a fun time to reconnect with friends as we participate in the various mini challenges. With that, let’s dive into the questionnaire!

Introductions

1. What’s your name? Where in the world are you blogging from?

My name is Joséphine, and I’m currently situated in sunny Singapore. Yep, no snow for me.

2. Tell us your history with reading. Were you always a reader?

I grew up surrounded by books. As I grew up, my dad and grandmother regularly gifted me books. When I discovered libraries in third grade, a new world opened up for me. Since then I’ve always carried a book with me everywhere I go.

3. How did you get involved in the online book community?

As I was applying for internships during my undergrad days, several interviewers asked me for writing samples. Given the nature of the jobs, they weren’t as interested in my academic writing. That’s when I realised a blog would help me produce consistent work, and maybe even improve. I thought book reviewing would be a good start, so I did that. It’s only 4 months or so into setting up my blog that I discovered the book blogosphere. I started commenting on posts here and there, connected with some bloggers on Twitter, and the rest, as they say, is history.

4. How did you choose your primary platform? How did you come up with your blog name?

My answer to Q3 pretty much answers how I got into blogging. Haha. I’m also active on Instagram under @wordrevel. For some time I had been following a bunch of book blogger friends with my personal Instagram account. Then they started joining photo challenges. I thought they were fun but doubted my offline friends would care much for daily bookish posts, so I set up an Instagram account for that. I didn’t know either that there was a thriving bookstagram community until I joined.

As for the name Word Revel, I wanted something short. The 140-character limit on Twitter was the main reason for that. Besides, short names are easier to remember. I brainstormed for months, until the name popped up and it finally clicked. Before that I had been blogging under Dudette Reads but the name never really resonated. I knew all along that it’d only be temporary.

5. What’s your favorite thing about the online book community?

The people who hail from every corner of the globe. This opens up a lot of discourse and allows me to learn about different cultures. It’s also really exciting whenever the opportunity arises to meet the lovely friends we’ve made online in person.

6. What sort of posts can readers expect from you?

Besides book reviews and discussions surrounding books, I post bookstagram tutorials as well as photography tips.

7. What book genres do you talk about most?

Most of the books I review here on the blog are young adult books, though I plan to incorporate more general fiction as well. Prominent genres are contemporary fiction and fantasy, although I also read science fiction, magical realism and historical fiction alongside the occasional mystery or crime novel. What you probably won’t find here are horror, thrillers (unless it’s psychological) and paranormal fiction.

Favourites

1. Favourite food? Beverage?

Sashimi and chirashi don top the list for food. Can’t go a day without tea.

2. Favourite colour?

Red

3. Favourite things to do apart from reading?

Photography, baking and sports

4. Favourite TV shows?

Frequency, Mozart in the Jungle, Gilmore Girls

5. Favourite movies?

I’m not all that into movies. Don’t get me wrong, I watch them every now and then but somehow they don’t stick.

6. Favourite musical artists?

Off the top of my head, I don’t know. I’d have to check what I’ve most played on iTunes but even then, I play a lot on shuffle, so…

7. Favourite places to shop?

Book Depository and Amazon because books. Also, I don’t like shopping crowds, so online it is.

Book Talk

1. Favourite childhood books?

Die Wilden Hühner by Cornelia Funke which is one of the books that made me fall in love with reading. Fun fact: it’s the first book I ever borrowed from a library and the year later my grandmother unknowingly gifted it to me. She said it came highly recommended at her local bookstore.

2. Favourite books read in the last five years?

This is such a tough question to answer! Rather than crack my brain, let me refer you to my top ten novels read in 2016. These were all excellent books. Some were published in 2016, others were from the backlist.

3. Favourite genres?

I’m partial towards YA contemporary and fantasy, and have a soft spot too for adult magical realism because it often involves food.

4. Underrated book, series or author you love?

The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati is severely underrated. It was my most favourite book last year.

5. A book you want to see made into a film or tv show?

Caraval by Stephanie Garber because the atmosphere was entrancing and absolutely magical. It would look breath-taking on screen, that I’m sure.

6. Book boyfriend/girlfriend? Book BFF? Book family?

I’ve still not forgotten Kate from Converting Kate by Beckie Weinheimer. I connected with her so much, I wish she’d been a friend I met in real life.

7. Books you want to read in 2017?

My goal this year is to focus on books I own, and reduce that toppling TBR pile.