BBAW Blog Interview Swap!

As part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I got to take part in an interview with an adult book blogger from halfway around the world! Today's the day to post them up, so without further ado...

BBAW Interview 

with Judith from Leeswamme's Blog

Alice: Tell us a bit about yourself.

Judith: I'm Judith from The Netherlands and I'm in my forties. I have two sons who have just started secondary school. I used to be a software tester until recently, but at the moment I'm not working.

Alice: Many people like to read, but what inspired you to start your own book blog?

Judith: I was posting reviews on Shelfari.com because I tend to forget what I read pretty soon and that way I could look back to check what a book was about. But then I was getting a little bored with Shelfari and also I wanted to have a broader audience.

So I started my blog. I love the sense of community there is so I'm enjoying blogging and meeting other bloggers (virtually) a lot.

Alice: What genre(s) of books do you review?

Judith: I like especially contemporary fiction (so, books that have just come out), and I do like literary fiction too, every now and then. But I'm not a book snob, and I love also chick-lit, mysteries, and dystopian books (lots of which are YA).

Alice: Of the books you’ve reviewed, which have you given the highest recommendation? Why?

Judith: There are several books that got 5 out of 5 stars. What I find important is that a book is well-written and keeps me interested. My rating is based mostly on the enjoyment I get from the book.

One of the books I gave 5 stars recently was The Crysalids by John Wyndham. It's actually a book from the 1950s but I felt like I was reading a very modern book. It's a dystopia story that is a little like The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. If you like dystopia and YA then it would be a good book to read.

I liked the ideas that the author had thought up about how the world (well, Northern America in particular) had changed after a big catastrophe. I also liked the story itself, which was about a teenage boy who is different from other people because he can hear the thoughts of some other teenager that have the same ability as him.

Alice: Are you an aspiring writer yourself?

Judith: Ooh, now you're hitting a nerve! No, only joking. I always wanted to be a writer and when I was young (ages 7-14) I wrote poems and stories. Also when I was in my twenties I did that, but recently I tried again and I just don't think I'm good enough. So I gave up!

Alice: What is your favorite book? Favorite film?

Judith: Difficult question! I really enjoyed The Road by Cormac McCarthy, which is a sort of dystopian story. I haven't really got a favorite film, but I do like films with Hugh Grant, such as Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones' Diary, Notting Hill. I think all these films are produced or written by the same person(s) so they're all a particular type of film that I enjoy.

Alice: When it comes to books being adapted into films, what’s your take?

Judith: When I like a book, I love to see what the film is like, if it's anything like the way I envisaged it. But sometimes it may spoil my memory of the book, if some things are changed or a lot different from how I thought they were.

I don't often read a book after watching the film. I will be too influenced by the film to enjoy the more detailed story in the book.

Alice: If a reader were to check out your blog, what would you say makes it unique?

Judith: I think you can never be sure what to find on my blog, as I read quite widely. It may be a review of a new book, a classic, a science fiction book, chick-lit, a mystery. Or maybe I'm taking part in a special event, like a read-a-thon or BBAW.

So a reader will often find something new and hopefully something interesting on my blog.
Also, I run a feature called Book Bloggers Abroad where every week someone from a different country tells about their life as a reader and blogger in their country. Usually they also have some pictures to go with their guest post, to make it even more interesting.


Thank you for your time (and patience, haha) with this interview, Judith! Good luck and keep blogging!

This really was a unique experience to learn more about a fellow book blogger. Check out Judith's blog for a wide array of different book reviews. And, of course, check out her interview with me while you're over there!